Sam smiles, her eyes still closed. "I love you too."
We sit like that for a long moment—foreheads pressed together, hands still tangled, the Empire State glowing behind us and the Flatiron standing solid at our side.
Finally, I pull back just enough to look at her. "Come on," I say, standing and offering my hand. "Let me get you home."
Sam takes it. We walk north, hand-in-hand, toward the subway.
We reach her apartment building. I stop and gently pull her toward me so we're facing each other. My hands rest on her waist. Her arms come up around my neck.
"I know you want to start planning what tomorrow looks like," I say.
She smiles. Laughs a little. "You know me too well."
"Here's my plan," I say. "
No matter where I am—on a shoot halfway around the globe or right here in the city—I plan on loving you. Every day. I plan on loving you no matter how many color-coded sticky notes you leave me. Or how many rules you won't let me bend."
She raises one eyebrow. "And is this where you expect to hear my plan?"
I smile. "Well?"
Sam smiles. "Well, my plan is pretty simple."
Her hands slide up to the back of my neck. Her fingers thread into my hair, and then her mouth is on mine.
She doesn't ease into it. Her grip tightens, pulling me down, and I feel the urgency in the way her lips move against mine. My hands slide from her waist to her lower back, pulling her closer. She presses into me. Her fingers tighten in my hair. I feel the small hitch in her breath.
She finally pulls back.
I laugh softly, my hands still at her lower back. "Yeah. That works." I pull her in closer, wrapping my arms around her, and press a kiss to her temple.
She whispers, "Good."
We stand there for another moment, just holding each other under the glow of the streetlight. Then I kiss her once more, softer this time, and step back.
"Goodnight, Samantha Morgan."
"Goodnight, Tom."
I wait until she's inside, the door closing behind her. Then I turn and walk toward the subway, hands in my pockets, the city glowing around me.
Chapter fifty-three
Epilogue Sam
"So any plans with Tom today?" Liv asks, as Tristan slides my coffee in front of me.
I shrug. "He asked me to come look at some shots he's working on. Says he's having trouble getting the right angle on something."
Nadia raises an eyebrow. "I guess for you two that counts as romantic?"
"Oh, shut up." I laugh. "He values my opinion. I like that."
"Just make sure he takes you out to dinner afterward," Priya adds, grinning.
We all laugh, and I shake my head, already pulling out my phone to check the address Tom sent me.
***
