“I enjoy parts of it, especially the investigative work. I thought I could bring those skills to a new business … if I had some good people working with me who had other important skills.”
Savannah waited for a response. She wasn’t going to pressure either of them if this wasn’t something they were interested in.
“You want us to come back here and work with you,” Sammie said.
“Only if you want to.”
Sammie’s eyes locked with Bri’s. “It would be wonderful to be together again.”
Bri nodded. “It would be a risky career change, especially for you, Sammie. You just made detective.”
Anguish swept over Sammie’s face and it took every bit of Savannah’s strength not to reach out and comfort her. So far, she knew very little about the things Sammie was struggling with. Her sister had made it clear that she would tell them in due time and that she wanted no sympathy or questions.
“It might be the change I need,” Sammie said.
“It could be fun,” Bri added.
Happy that they hadn’t dismissed the idea out of hand, Savannah said, “Think about it. I don’t want to push either of you, but I think we could do some good work together.” Raising her glass again, Savannah said, “To the Wilde sisters.”
The clink of glasses was a sound of an ending and a beginning, Savannah thought. Closure on a sad, painful past and the beginning of a bright, beautiful future.
Zach entered the bedroom, sure that Savannah would be asleep. It was past two in the morning. Arresting the mayor and his wife for eighteen-year-old crimes, along with all the recent crimes Nesta had been part of, was no small matter. He swore he’d be doing paperwork till Christmas. The only bright spot had been the knowledge that Savannah was at home, safe, and waiting for him. Nothing else mattered but that.
Bone tired and feeling like he hadn’t showered in days, Zach started to undress when the small lump in the bed shot up and said, “You’re home.”
“I figured you’d be asleep.”
“And miss you coming home to me? No way.”
He dropped his pants to the floor. “I’m grungy. Let me shower and I’ll be right back to kiss you hello.”
The hot spray of the shower seeped into his bones, easing the tension and washing away the filth of the last few hours. Zach turned to grab the soap and heard the shower door open. When he glanced over his shoulder, his breath caught in his throat. She was magnificent—a golden, slender goddess, naked except for a delicate silver chain at her neck. He blinked the water from his eyes and stared at what was hanging from the chain. Moved beyond words, he touched the delicate ring with a shaking hand.
“I could never throw it away, no matter how hard I tried.”
Emotion clogged his throat, making his voice husky. “I can’t believe you kept it … especially after I broke my promise.”
“Maybe I knew that someday you would keep that promise.”
“Come here.” Pulling her into his arms, Zach held her against him, close to his heart. “I will never break another promise. I love you, Savannah. You’re my sunshine when there are only clouds, light when there is only darkness.”
She lifted her head and gave him a smile so bright his heart clenched at the brilliance. “I’ve loved you forever, Zach Tanner.”
Lowering his mouth to hers, Zach kissed her, savoring this moment with the woman who’d held his heart from the moment she had called him her hero.
Hours later, replete and so relaxed she could barely move, she rose up on her elbow and looked down at the man of her dreams. Having a second chance with this wonderful, heroic man was more than she could ever have hoped for. She vowed that not a day would go by that she didn’t cherish what she had been given.
Someday soon she would take him to their daughter’s grave. Maggie Rose would have adored her father and she had no doubt that Zach would have been a wonderful daddy to her. And she had pictures at her apartment, dozens of photographs that she could share with him.
Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, there would be more babies to hold, love, and cherish.
As if he could read her thoughts, he said softly, “Tell me about Maggie Rose.”
She smiled as she remembered the tiny, precious infant she’d been gifted with for only a short time. “She was beautiful, Zach. She had a head full of blond wavy hair, a lot like