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“Sometimes faith and hope’s all we’ve got. We both need to believe this will work. For a lot of reasons.”
I nodded but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the time to tell him how I felt. That could wait until we had John safely on his way to jail. Before now, I hadn’t let myself believe it was possible for us to be together. The three of us could be a family. I could have everything I’d always wanted. It seemed too good to be true, but as I sat in the cozy room, I let the possibilities wash over me. I would get a divorce. I’d be free to fall in love and marry again.
Free to love Thad Moon.
“You need a drink?” Thad asked. “Because I know I do.”
I agreed, then watched Thad fix me a vodka and cranberry, my favorite. He knew what I wanted without me having to ask him, as with so many things.
My stomach clenched, and every nerve in my body seemed to be on high alert, so much so my skin ached. When he handed me the drink, I took it and sank onto one end of the couch. Despite the warmth of the evening, I shivered.
Thad, being Thad, noticed and brought a cotton throw blanket over, tucking it around my shoulders. He made himself a drink and then joined me on the couch.
“Do you want to talk?” Thad asked. “Now that everyone’s gone and it’s just us? No pressure. We can just sit here and enjoy our drinks.”
I blinked away tears. His compassion warmed me as much as the blanket he’d just wrapped around me. “I don’t know what to think. It’s such a relief, knowing I won’t have to go to jail.” I started to cry, happy tears of relief but also born from my overwrought emotions. “What a roller coaster this has been.”
He scooted closer and took one of my hands. “I hope you can see that everything’s going to be okay. He can’t hurt you. Not with the sheriff and all the rest of us protecting you. We’ll get him. It’s him who’s going to jail.”
“What about his family?”
“I’m not sure, other than I trust Winthrop. If there’s something to be done, he’ll do it. But I think we should do as he suggested and get this in the hands of an investigative journalist. Small-town corruption might be of interest to a reporter looking for a good story.”
“Where would we find one of those?”
“Rafferty’s best friend from college is a journalist. She does articles for the New Yorker and other prestigious magazines. We could send her down there and see what she can uncover.”
“What if they harm or kill her? The Underwoods don’t mess around. If word gets out someone’s sniffing around, they’ll come after her.”
“I have to assume the reporter knows what’s she’s doing. Let’s ask Rafferty. He can reach out to her and see if she’s interested. I know she’s done it before.”
“Yeah, okay.” I gulped my drink. My nerves were frazzled. I’d never sleep tonight.
“We’ll send Chloe to my parents’ tomorrow morning,” Thad said. “Pop can keep her and Mama safe until this is done.”
I nodded. It made sense to do so, but knowing John was in the proximity, I hated to think of her without me. Still, it was safer for Chloe to be in some unknown location than at the motel waiting like a sitting duck. Like me.
“Sammie, I meant what I said before—about how I feel about you. Do you have any of those same feelings for me?”
I met his gaze, mesmerized by his pretty eyes. “This time yesterday, I thought I was a murderer. I couldn’t think about my future, especially not with someone like you. You’re so good. So full of integrity and purpose. I didn’t want to bring you into this mess.”
“But now?”
A smile seemed to rise up from my belly. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time, optimistic about the future, not only as a free woman. I was now free of guilt and on the path toward self-love. “I didn’t think I could allow myself to care about you. For so long my only goal has been to keep Chloe safe and me out of jail. The privilege of having a chance for happiness is overwhelming.”
“Does this mean I can ask you for a kiss?” Thad’s eyes were soft as he reached across the couch to brush aside a lock of my hair.
“You don’t have to ask. Not after everything you’ve done. I think you’ve proven yourself trustworthy.”
“If you kiss me, is it because of what I’ve done for you or because of how you feel about me?”
“The way I feel about you is partly because of what you’ve done for me. No one, except my dad, has ever treated me as kindly as you and your family have.”
“But you don’t want to kiss any of them, right?”
I laughed. “I can honestly say I only want to kiss one Moon brother, and that’s you. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”
“No way?” Thad’s eyes danced. “For real?”
