He got that impatient look in his eyes and returned to his files. “Nora, I’m working on something important—”
“I know. Shaw,” she said, trying not to sound snappy. “The corruption investigation. The twelve victims.” She closed her laptop and stood. “But you’re letting it consume you. Just like you always do.”
“These women deserve justice,” he said, and maybe it was just her hurt feelings, but it sounded harsh.
Still, she forced herself to stay calm. “I’m not arguing that. I’m saying you need to take care of yourself while pursuing it.” She moved to him, placing her hands on his chest. “You’re running on fumes. You barely sleep. You forget to eat. You come home and immediately disappear into the case.”
“I’m doing my job,” he insisted.
“No, you’re obsessing. There’s a difference.” She held his gaze. “I love that you care about these victims. I love that you’re fighting for them. But I’m scared you’re going to burn yourself out. Orworse, make a mistake because you’re too exhausted to think clearly.”
She’d meant what she’d said before. She couldn’t bear to lose him. Not when she’d just found him. It would kill her.
Carson’s jaw clenched. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not. And you keep saying you are, but I can see it. You’re not sleeping. You’re not eating right. You’re barely here even when you’re home.” Her voice cracked slightly. “I feel like I’m losing you to this case.”
His eyes softened. Just a little. “You’re not losing me.”
“Then prove it. Come to bed. Get a full night’s sleep. Take one evening off from the investigation and spend it with me. Show me you can still separate work from home.”
“Nora—”
“Please.” She pressed closer. “I’m not asking you to give up on the case. I’m asking you to remember you have a life outside of it. A life with me. That you promised would be a priority.”
Carson closed his eyes, and Nora could see the war happening behind them. The detective who couldn’t let go versus the man who’d promised to try.
“You’re right,” he said finally, his head hanging lower on his shoulders. “I’ve been... I haven’t been present. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Just come to bed. Let the case wait until tomorrow.”
He let her lead him to the bedroom. Let her undress him and tuck him into bed. Let her wrap around him in the dark.
“I don’t know how to not obsess,” he admitted quietly. “Every case I work becomes everything. I can’t just...turn it off.”
“I know. And I’m not asking you to turn it off completely,” she said honestly. This was his job. She knew that coming into it. But… “Just...dial it back. Find balance. Because if you keep going like this, something’s going to break. Either the case or us.”
“It won’t be us.” His arms tightened around her. “I won’t let it be us.”
“Then you have to try. Really try. Not just tell me you will and then go back to obsessing the next day.”
“Okay.” He pressed a kiss to her hair. “I’ll try. I promise.”
Nora wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that this time would be different.
But she’d seen him like this before. Seen him lose himself in the hunt for justice until nothing else mattered.
And she was terrified that no matter how much he loved her, it wouldn’t be enough to pull him back when the case demanded everything. And how could they build a life on that?
***
The next morning, Carson made an effort.
He got up with Nora. Had breakfast with her. Asked about her business plans instead of immediately diving into case files.
“I have a potential client,” Nora said, excited. “Small tech startup that needs help organizing their finances for Series A funding. It’s exactly the kind of work I wanted to do.”
“That’s amazing. When do you start?”
