Brian’s gaze searched hers for a long second, like he was in awe of the fact she’d said the words back to him. Then his hand slid to the back of her neck, and he kissed her like a man who understood how close he’d come to losing her—and had no intention of ever standing on that edge again.
His mouth moved against hers with quiet reverence. She melted into him, one hand fisting in his shirt, the other sliding up into his hair. The kiss deepened, warm and unhurried, sealing something that had already been decided long before either of them admitted it out loud.
When they finally broke apart, their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling.
Yesterday, she had been certain her story might end in violence and darkness.
Now, as he cuddled her to him, she rested her cheek against his chest and listened to the steady rhythm beneath her ear, knowing that sound was the beginning of everything that came next.
What lay ahead wasn’t something to survive.
It was something to live.
With him.
Epilogue
The last of the fire burned low, embers glowing deep orange against the dark sand as the ocean rolled in steadily and endlessly behind him. Waves broke and pulled back again, the rhythm settling somewhere deep in Brian’s chest while the after-party lingered in pockets along the beach. Laughter drifted from those sitting around the fire, music low and off-key came from someone’s phone, and a few couples still danced barefoot in the sand.
Overhead, a crescent moon hung low, its pale light stretching across the water while stars scattered wide against the dark.
It had been a perfect late-September day.
The caterers had already packed up and left, and Sean and Grace had disappeared an hour ago. The couple was spending their wedding night at a hotel halfway between Whisper and Norfolk before flying out to Cancun the next day for their honeymoon.
Brian stood just beyond the edge of the light, an empty bottle of beer loose in his hand, watching it all wind down. Nights like this were usually his kind of scene, with a crowd that knew how to have a good time. He’d spent plenty of them right in the middle of it. But tonight, it didn’t hold him the same way. Not when his attention was already somewhere else.
His gaze shifted.
Tess stood alone near the waterline, the hem of her dress brushing her knees as the breeze moved through it, her hair catching the glow of the fire behind her. She looked calm. Steady. Like her old self again.
And somehow, that hit him harder than anything else.
Three months of therapy had gone a long way toward helping all three of them—her, Brian, and Andy—move forward after her kidnapping, even if some nights still brought it rushing back. Brian had held her through the worst of it, and over time, the nightmares had grown fewer and farther between.
After tossing the bottle in a nearby trash can, he crossed the sand toward her, his feet sinking slightly with each step as the night air carried salt and the scent of smoke and charred wood.
“Saw you head this way.” Not wanting to startle her, he let the words out before wrapping his arms around her waist, closing the distance so her back was against his chest.
She didn’t turn her head. “It’s quieter.”
“Yeah.”
He stayed where he was, his hold loose but steady, as they both watched the waves roll in. She seemed more relaxed than she’d been in a while, and he liked to think his family had something to do with that. Bonnie and Dan checked in often. Grace had pulled her into the wedding plans. Even Moriah had found her on social media, their conversations shifting from small talk to books, Megan growing up too fast, and everything in between.
Returning to work after a three-week hiatus had helped Tess—so had moving back home and Andy starting his senior year. It kept them focused on what lay ahead rather than the past.
“I got an email this morning,” she said.
Keeping one arm around her waist, he moved to her side. “What kind of email?”
She turned toward him and tipped her head back just enough to meet his gaze. Her eyes danced with a mix of excitement and disbelief. “One that said I got the grant.”
Pride hit him in the chest. “Really? You got it?”
She nodded, a small laugh slipping out. “Yeah.”
He didn’t think. Didn’t overanalyze. His hands came up to frame her face as he kissed her. She made a soft sound against his mouth, her fingers curling into his shirt as she leaned into him.
