Six months later…
I hear a knock at my office door, and then Grayson’s beautiful head pops over the threshold. “You ready to go, babe?”
“Yeah,” I say, and smile at him. “Let me just finish this article—it’s about my case.”
“It’s in the news already?”
“Yup. I’m so glad that the world is seeing the great Benedict Cross, State Attorney, for the scum he really is.”
And all because of me. After the DEA had set the wheels in motion for Tyler, I approached Internal Affairs to report Ben. I couldn’t sit with what I had heard him saying on the phone and what he had been trying to do to Grayson. What if he was going to target other arrested athletes in the same way?
As it turned out, Internal Affairs had been looking into claims about an illegal gambling ring, packed with tons of high-powered people, but they’d never had anything concrete to go on before. I worked with them to help bring it down, and Ben is no longer the state attorney. He’s facing charges.
Grayson, Tori, and Matt suggested I run for his position, but I didn’t want to. Instead, I’ve been busy setting up my own practice. After I’d met Grayson, I realized that I had my career goals set in the wrong place. Now I want something different. I don’t want to be a big fish in a sea of sharks who are more worried about politics and publicity than justice. I want to be a big fish in my own little pond, helping out the little guys who wouldn’t get help anywhere else. I’m happier than I have ever been.
Working on the other side as a defense attorney took a little getting used to, but it helps that I have the luxury of only defending clients I truly believe to be innocent. And Grayson has been such a huge help and support throughout the process. It was scary setting up my practice and going out there on my own, but slowly, my business is starting to build. Since my first case assisting Internal Affairs was such a big win, I’m hoping word of mouth will help me pull in a decent client base.
“I just got off the phone with Tyler,” Grayson says as he walks into the room and leans against the wall.
“Oh, yeah?” I ask. After Tyler had left, Grayson told me that he had slipped him a phone so he could call him. They were breaking the rules about witness protection, but I didn’t say anything about it. My boyfriend can’t let his brother go completely, and I understand that.
“How’s he doing?”
“Really well. He has a job and he’s dating someone.”
“That’s awesome,” I say, and I mean it. Those weekly check-in calls from Tyler are everything to Grayson. He doesn’t know where Tyler is living, but that’s for the best. I don’t want anyone going after Grayson, and the cartel would if they thought he had information on his brother.
The trial itself was hard on everyone, but thankfully, some dangerous people were put in prison for a long time due to Tyler’s testimony. He managed to make it through that stressful period without any more attempts made on his life. We had minimal contact with him in the run-up to the trial, and when it was over, Tyler went into witness protection right away. The whole thing has been very hard on Grayson.
I look up at him waiting for me. His smile lights up his face, giving me butterflies in my stomach.
God, he’s so gorgeous.
Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m dating the Grayson Knight. I never was one for the jocks in high school. But I didn’t know what I was missing out on back then. Serious stamina and lots of muscle, and in this case, a beautiful heart and mind.
“Ready to go?” I ask him. And for the first time, I notice that he’s being awfully quiet. Maybe a little jittery. “You wanted to grab dinner out, right?” I ask him.
“Sure. But first…” He pushes his hand into his pocket and pulls out a key.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“A key to my place.”
A smile breaks out on my face. “You’re giving me a key to your place?”
“I am.”
My smile gets wider. Walking over to him, I curl my hand around the key, taking it from him. “Wow. This feels like a big step. A great step, though. Thank you so much. Do you want a key to my place?”
“No,” he says.
My smile drops. “No?”
He takes my hands in his. “I don’t need a key to your place…because, well, I’m hoping that I already have one.”
“Okay…” Confused, I furrow my brow.
“Babe…I’m not just giving you a key to my place. I’m asking you to move in with me.”
Oh. Wow. An even bigger step than I expected.
“You want me to move in with you?” The words rush out of me, my heart quickening.
He smiles softly and says, “More than anything. Question is…do you want to move in with me?” I can hear the nerves clearly in his voice.
There’s no hesitation in my answer. I part my lips and say, “More than anything.”
His face breaks out into the biggest and most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “Good,” he says, “because I love you and I think that we have something good going on here. And I can’t wait to live with you to explore it.” Then he kisses me, and it feels like a lifetime of kisses to come. Grayson leans his head back, staring down into my eyes, and asks, “So. Are you ready to go home?”
Smiling, I hold up the key he just gave me and say, “Our home? Can’t wait.”