“Easy for you to say. You’ve always been a free spirit.”
He laughs at that, loud and genuine. “A free spirit who spends eighteen hours a day chained to his laptop, meeting deadlines. Sure, Honeybee.”
“You know what I mean,” I counter. “You’ve never been terrified.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” His voice drops lower, more serious. “I’ve been terrified plenty of times: when I didn’t hear from you in college, when I sent out my first manuscript, when I decided to change my major, when I showed up at your door after the Hui-Wang disaster.” He glances at me, his eyes momentarily leaving the road. “Being afraid doesn’t mean you’re making the wrong choice. Sometimes it means you’re finally making the right one.”
I reach across the console to squeeze his hand, wondering how I got lucky enough to find someone who understands my anxieties without dismissing them.
When we arrive at his apartment, I kick off my heels in the entryway and pad barefoot to his kitchen. It’s become a habit, making myself at home here. My favorite mug sits in his cabinet. My brand of tea occupies a dedicated spot in his pantry. Half the hangers in his closet hold my clothes. I’ve been slowly colonizing his space without even realizing it.
Aaron comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing a kiss to the nape of my neck. “Welcome home,” he murmurs against my skin. “Now it’s time for us to get dirty.”
CHAPTER 42
AARON
One Year Later
I’ve writtena lot of romance novels over the years, but none of them come close to the real love story happening right in front of me. Minji stands in the middle of her office, which is now completely hers, surrounded by the busy energy of a successful law practice. In just a year, Lee & Associates has gone from a risky idea to something truly powerful.
“You sure do have a staring problem,” she notes without looking up from the brief she’s reviewing. Her hair is pulled into a sleek bun, a few rebellious strands framing her face. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to charge you my hourly rate.”
“Worth every penny,” I reply, leaning against the doorframe.
She rolls her eyes, but I can see the smile she’s trying to hide. I know that look well—Minji pretending to be annoyed but actually pleased.
“Did you bring lunch or are you just here to distract me?” she asks, finally setting down her pen.
I hold up the paper bag from her favorite Vietnamese place. “Both, actually. Distraction is complimentary with every order. You know this.”
Her office is nothing like the cold, glass box at Parras. These walls are a deep navy, decorated with framed court wins and photos from our trip to Seoul. Her huge desk, made from reclaimed wood we found at a Brooklyn flea market, stands out in the room. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves are packed with legal books and a few romance novels—mine, of course, though she’d never admit she’s read them all twice.
Eliza pops her head in cautiously as I’m unpacking the food. “Whew, okay, I made it in time. Sorry to interrupt your lunch date, but I reached out to Vulcan Montgomery again and was told he was out of the fire station.”
“Okay, did you get a chance to finalize the list of potential candidates?” Minji asks, reaching for the spring rolls. “And Eliza, please make sure Jasmyn has the Blackwell files for court tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’ll send them to you later on today. I gave the files to Jasmyn this morning, Boss.” Eliza winks at me before disappearing.
I watch Minji switch easily between eating lunch and working, jotting notes in the margins of a document as she chews. She was made for this, not following someone else’s rules but making her own.
“How’s the new book coming?” she asks between bites.
“Almost done with the first draft. My editor’s already breathing down my neck for the synopsis of the next one.”
“You need to learn to say no occasionally.”
I laugh. “Says the woman who took on three new clients last week alone.”
“That’s different,” she counters, pointing her chopsticks at me. “I’m building something.”
“And I’m not?”
She considers this, head tilted. “Fair point. Wanna eat with me?”
“I want to eat you.” I lick my lips, moving to lock her office door.
She raises an eyebrow, a slow blush spreading across her cheeks. I love that I can still make her blush after all this time.
