“No life-threatening danger required.”
“Exactly. No stalkers. No corrupt cops. Just dinner and conversation and building a life.”
“I can do this,” Carson said. “The normal stuff. I’m learning how.”
“You’re doing great.” And he was. Over the past month, Carson had proven he could handle routine. Could enjoy the small moments. Could be present without a crisis driving him.
After dinner, they cleaned up together, then settled on the couch with wine and a movie neither of them paid much attention to. Too busy talking, touching, reconnecting.
“I have therapy on Tuesday,” Carson said at one point. “Want to come with me? Dr. Carpenter said couples sessions might be helpful. Not because we’re in trouble. Just to maintain what we’ve built.”
“I’d like that. Yeah.”
“And I’ve been thinking. About the future. About what we want.”
“What do we want?”
“This. What we have now. But more.” He turned to face her. “Marriage eventually. Kids maybe, if you want them. A house instead of an apartment. Building something permanent.”
“Kids,” Nora repeated, the word both terrifying and thrilling. “I never thought I’d want that. Never thought I’d be a good parent after my childhood.”
“You’d be an amazing parent. You’re kind and patient and strong. Everything a kid would need.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” He squeezed her hand. “But no pressure. We have time. Years. We can figure out what we want as we go.”
“I like that. Taking it one step at a time. Not rushing.”
“We’ve done enough rushing to last a lifetime.”
They stayed up late talking about dreams and plans. About Nora’s business goals. About Carson’s career trajectory—he’d been offered a promotion to lead detective, which he was seriously considering. About travel and adventures and all the normal things couples discussed when they weren’t running from danger.
When they finally went to bed, Nora felt a contentment she’d never experienced before. This was what she’d been searching for her whole life. Not perfection. Not the absence of problems. Just partnership. Someone who showed up. Someone who chose her.
Carson wrapped around her from behind, his breath warm against her neck. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not giving up on me. For giving me the space to change. For believing I could be better.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “For loving me even when I didn’t deserve it.”
“You always deserved it. You just needed to believe you did.”
“I’m starting to. Dr. Carpenter’s helping with that.” He was quiet for a moment. “I told her about Lily this week. Really told her. About the guilt I’ve been carrying. About feeling responsible.”
“How did that go?”
“Hard. But good. She helped me see that I’ve been punishing myself for nineteen years for something that wasn’t my fault. That I’ve been trying to earn forgiveness for a crime I never committed.” His arms tightened around her. “And she said something that stuck with me. She said the best way to honor Lily isn’t to destroy myself trying to save everyone else. It’s to live. To be happy. To have the life she never got to have.”
Tears pricked Nora’s eyes. “That’s beautiful.”
“It is, isn’t it? And it’s true. Lily would want me to be happy. To have love. To have this.” He kissed her neck again. “She’d like you, I think. Would approve of us.”
“I would have liked her too.”
They fell asleep like that, wrapped around each other, both feeling lighter than they had in months. Years, even.
Because they’d done the hard work. They’d faced their demons. They’d chosen each other despite all the reasons not to.
