81. SARA

“Can we make each other a promise?” I ask.

I’m snuggled into Chance’s good shoulder in the hospital bed. His private suite actually has a double bed, complete with remote control. It also smells like lavender instead of antiseptic, which is nice. Having money is really cool.

“Anything,” he says.

“That we’ll always tell each other the truth from now on. About everything. Is that possible?”

He squeezes my shoulder with his good arm and kisses my forehead.

“Yes,” he says. “Definitely.”

“I can’t help but think that honesty would have saved us a lot of heartache over the years,” I say. “It all started with me not telling you about my mom that night I sent you away. Who knows what would have happened if I’d just told you the truth? We wouldn’t have lost fifteen years together.”

“Hey, I’m just as much to blame,” he says. “I should have given you the benefit of the doubt that night. But I took off instead and never looked back. I’ll always regret that.

“But that’s in the past. I’m sorry for not letting you in on my plans this past week. If I had, I probably wouldn’t be lying here with these new entries in my scar collection.”

I nod. “And I wish you’d told me you had your lawyers make me a partner in all your financials. That definitely would have helped me believe that you really did love me.”

He chuckles softly. “Christ, what a pair we are. How did we go from being each other’s whole world as kids to distrusting each other so much?”

I think about it for a second. “I listened to other people, for one thing. I should have just listened to what my heart was telling me the whole time. I won’t that mistake again.”

He sighs. “Reset?”

I hold up a pinky finger. He wraps his around it.

“Reset,” I say.

We lie there silently for several minutes. My mind wanders to my work – it’s the first time I’ve had a moment to actually think about it for what seems like forever, even though in reality it’s been less than a month.

I’ve got a couple of active cases. And, thanks to Pearce, enough money to run the place for a year, now that I don’t have to draw a salary anymore.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Chance whispers.

“Just thinking about Monday morning,” I say. “Going back to work.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” he says. “What if Atlas were to buy Bishop & Associates?”

I prop myself up on my elbow to look him in the eye.

“Are you serious?”

“Why not? You and Grace do important work that aligns with the Atlas principles. It just makes sense to have them under the same umbrella. Imagine what you could accomplish with our resources.”

I can’t stop imagining it.

“That would be… incredible,” I say.

“I’ll talk to the board. Have to tell them about the deal going south, anyway. Might as well give them some good news while I’m at it.”

That’s another thing I never considered through this whole crazy rollercoaster ride: the Sullivans.

“What are you going to tell them about Pearce?”

He shrugs. “That he’s in a psychiatric ward after a nervous breakdown. In the end, he was a gibbering paranoiac with delusions. Everything he told them was a fantasy.”

“Very convenient,” I nod. “Pearce did a lot of our work for us.”

“How about we don’t talk about anybody else for a while?” he asks as I stroke his arm with my nails.

“Fine by me,” I say. “What would you rather talk about?”

“How about nothing?” he says, turning over on his side and cupping my cheek in his palm.

He winces as he moves and my heart jumps. “Are you okay?”

“I’m better than okay,” he sighs as he brings his face to mine. “I’m pretty much perfect.”

His lips touch mine and suddenly all the crazy shit from today is gone, replaced by his tongue touching mine, and the feel of his breath on my skin. All the pain, all the doubt, washed away like storm water down a drain. This is the truth right here. The only truth I ever need.

Suddenly the door swings open and a young woman in scrubs dashes in.

“Mr. Talbot, your heart monitor suddenly jumped – are you…?”

He looks at her with a sheepish grin. “Sorry,” he says. “She tends to have that effect on me.”

His eyes turn to mine. “She always has.”