“But I hate leaving her there,” he admitted. “Every time I go, I feel like I’m choosing my life over her.”
My hand slid up his chest, settling over his heart. “You didn’t choose this.”
“I still walked away,” he said.
“You walked forward,” I corrected. “There’s a difference.”
His eyes closed briefly.
“She always liked you,” he said after a moment. “You know that?”
I smiled softly. “I know.”
“She asked about you last week,” he added, opening his eyes again. “Remembered your name and everything. Said you were a sweet girl.”
Something warm pressed behind my eyes. “She remembers how she felt.”
“Yeah,” he said. “She does.”
I hesitated, then said it. “We could move her closer. If you wanted. Charleston has good facilities. Near us.”
He stared at me for a long second, emotion flickering across his face like light through water.
“You’d really be okay with that?” he asked.
“I always liked your mom,” I said simply. “And she’s family.”
His hand slid into my hair, holding me there, forehead resting against mine. “God, Sophie.”
The way he said my name made my stomach flip all over again.
We lay there for a bit, breathing each other in, hands still wandering—never quite settling.
Eventually, I shifted. “So. Charleston.”
He smiled. “Yeah?”
“Could you make it a home base?” I asked. “With your work. With … everything.”
He didn’t hesitate. “My home base is wherever you are.”
That hit harder than I expected.
“You don’t even have to think about it?” I asked.
“I already did,” he said. “And yeah, Dominion Hall changes things. I could stay around more. Be present instead of passing through.”
“And meet all your half brothers,” I teased.
He groaned. “All fourteen of those assholes.”
I laughed. “You’re going to need name tags.”
“And alcohol.”
“Lots of alcohol.”
He shifted, rolling slightly so he was above me now, weight braced on his forearm, gaze darkening in that familiar way. “You sure you’re ready for all this?”
