“You scaredme,” he admitted, his voice rough with the confession. “I’m not scared of loving you. I was already there, no going back. But I couldn’t watch you walk away again once the adrenaline wore off. Or hear you say things in the heat of the moment that you’d regret later.”
“I won’t regret it,” she said, tightening her grip on his hand. “I love you, Noah. Cave or no cave, life-threatening situation or ordinary Tuesday. I love your intensity and your honesty and the way you dive into everything without looking for the landing pad first. I love that you push me to be better while accepting exactly who I am.”
The last of his resistance melted as he hefted her deeper into his embrace. The scent of hospital antiseptic still clung to her, but beneath it was pure Sabrina—sunshine and adrenaline and the kind of trouble that had always been his weakness.
“I never thought I’d hear you say those words,” he murmured against her temple.
“Get used to it.” She leaned back to meet his gaze, her smile tremulous but real. “I plan to say them a lot.”
His thumb traced the curve of her cheekbone, memorizing the feel of her skin. “I love you, Sabrina West. Every fierce, independent, terrifying inch of you.”
“Even the parts that panic and run?” Her tone was light, teasing. But he heard the vulnerability beneath it.
“Especially those parts.” His smile broke free, the first genuine one since finding her in that cave. “Besides, I’m pretty good at finding you when you run.”
She smirked. “I’m counting on that. Though I don’t plan on testing your skills again anytime soon.”
“Good.” He brushed his lips against hers, a promise. “Because I have plans for us, Sabrina West. Big ones.”
“Like what?” The spark in her eyes had returned full force, challenging and irresistible.
“Like waking up together. Working cases together. Building a life where neither of us has to dial it back or pretend to be less than we are.” His gaze held hers, utterly serious despite the smile he couldn’t contain. “I want it all with you.”
“I want that too,” she whispered. “All of it.”
When he kissed her, it wasn’t gentle. This was his most authentic self—intense, passionate, holding nothing back. All the fear and longing of the past days poured into a connection that burned away any lingering doubts.
“I can’t believe you rented a moving truck,” he said when they finally broke apart, both breathless.
“I don’t do anything halfway,” she replied, throwing his own words back at him with a smile that lit up every dark corner inside him. “Not anymore. Not with you.”
His answer was another kiss, fierce with promise and possibilities. “We should probably start unloading before it gets dark.”
“Probably.” But neither of them moved, too caught in the miracle of reconnection. “We still have a case to solve,” she added. “Annie Ross, the woman from the fire, the man who chased me. They’re all connected.”
“I know.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, marveling that he could touch her like this again. That she wanted him to. “But we’ll figure it out. Together.”
“Together.” Her smile was like sunrise after the longest night. “My favorite word.”
“Mine too.” He kissed her again, briefly but with a promise that curled his toes. “Welcome home, Sabrina West.”
As twilight transformed Dark Canyon into a landscape of shadows and possibility, they unloaded the truck box by box, piece by piece, their laughter echoing across the yard. The case wasn’t over. Annie Ross’s killer was still out there, the woman from the fire still unconscious, questions still unanswered.
But Noah had stopped looking for perfect landings. Sometimes you just had to jump and trust that the right person would be there to catch you.
EPILOGUE
Morning light streamed through the kitchen window, painting white gold-edged patterns across the dining table that Noah couldn’t help but notice matched Sabrina’s hair. She stood at the counter, her back to him, preparing coffee with the same laser focus she brought to everything. Dancer and Ripley were sprawled together on the oversized dog bed that now occupied the corner of his—their—living room, legs and tails intertwined in K-9 contentment.
Just like their owners.
Noah leaned against the doorframe, savoring the way Sabrina’s presence filled spaces he’d never realized were waiting for her exact shape. It had been two weeks since she’d shown up with a moving truck and the most extraordinary declaration of love he’d ever witnessed. Two weeks of waking up beside her every morning, of shared training sessions, of building something real and lasting and more spectacular than anything he’d ever dared to imagine.
The woman who’d once run from the mere suggestion of commitment now moved through his space like she’d always belonged here—because she had. They’d just needed a little time to figure that out. Her hiking boots stood beside his at the door, her jacket hung on the peg next to his, her clutter mingled with his in the kind of perfect chaos that felt like home.
“Are you going to help with breakfast or just stand there staring?” Sabrina asked without turning around, that sixth sense of hers picking up on his presence.
“Definitely just staring.” He grinned, pushing off from the doorframe to cross the kitchen. “The view’s too good to miss.”
