Page 138 of The Fire We Make

She internally blanched. She wasn't a what are we type of girl but she needed to know. She didn't assume that sleeping together made them a couple but she needed clarity because she was already gone and felt herself falling deeper each day.

"I like you, Joy, more than I've ever liked a person in my life."

Joy smiled. "I like you too."

"Yeah?"

She nodded.

"I don't share what's mine," he warned.

"Am I yours?"

"Do you wanna be?"

Another nod. She'd never wanted to belong to someone so much in her life.

“I'm not asking you for nothing complicated,” he added. “I just… want you with me. Nobody's ever made me feel like you do, Rose and I wanna hang on to this feeling for as long as I can.”

"Me too," Joy echoed. "I don't really know how to do this though."

"Shit me either," Ace laughed. "I thought you'd been in love before."

Joy shrugged. "I thought I was. I don't think that's what it was though. And he was... different."

Ace shifted. "Different how?"

"He would've never done what you did today at the courthouse. He would've taken credit for everything and pushed me behind him. You did the opposite."

"I don't have a problem watching you shine Rose. I enjoy it. I wish you'd do it more often actually."

His thumb traced along her spine as they laid in silence.

The world beyond the estate kept turning, oblivious to what was quietly unfolding in the house. Inside, time stopped, and everything felt still.

Joy wondered how long they could stay like this.

She wondered if she could stay here, in this version of herself that wasn't haunted by her past or afraid of her future.

She wondered if she could keep this.

Keep him.

A man who looked at her like she was something worth keeping.

Who didn’t flinch at the sharp edges she tried to soften before anyone else could see them.

Ace wondered how long they could stay like this.

He wasn’t a spiritual man. The only thing he put his faith in was his glock and his money but something about this felt divine. Like a piece of his soul had finally clicked into place. Like he’d walked this earth for 34 years missing something and had finally found it.

He wondered how long he could hold onto this version of a life that didn’t feel so empty.

How long he could keep her.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Joy woke up to the smell of coffee and soft kisses trailing up her back.