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He turned his head to look at her, eyebrow raised in question.
Rhiannon shrugged, her eyes thoughtful as they met his. “I mean, you don’t have to bear everything alone. You could let someone in. Let someone—ugh, I’m talking in circles. “ She shook her head and shifted to face him. “I want you to let me in, Pierce. Even if it’s just a little. Let me share some of the weight you carry.”
Pierce swallowed back the sudden surge of anxiety. Let her in? Could he do that? He’d spent so many years building walls, keeping everyone at arm’s length.
But she was right. Part of him wanted to. Desperately.
He just wasn’t sure he even knew how to let someone close anymore.
His hand moved almost on its own as he signed,“I can’t. It’s easier this way. I don’t hurt people if I keep my distance.”
Her brow furrowed as she watched him. “Hurt people? Pierce, you’re not going to hurt anyone by letting them care about you.”
He closed his eyes, fighting the emotions swelling inside him.“I already have. So many people.”
She touched his arm, her fingers brushing lightly against his skin, sending a shiver through him. “If that’s true, then you’re not the person I think you are. But it’s not true. I know exactly who you are.”
Her soft words broke something inside him. Without thinking, he turned to face her fully, his hand cupping her cheek. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t pull away. She just looked at him with those bright, understanding eyes, like she already knew the darkest parts of him but wasn’t scared away.
For the first time in a long time, Pierce felt exposed and yet… safe.
“Rhia…” he mouthed, but didn’t know what else to say and didn’t want to take his hands off her to sign. His throat tightened with emotions he wasn’t used to.
Her hand covered his on her cheek. “It’s okay,” she whispered, her breath warm against his fingertips.
He didn’t know who moved first. Maybe it was him, or maybe it was her. But the next thing he knew, his lips were on hers, the kiss soft, tentative, and achingly sweet.
She sighed into the kiss, her body relaxing beside him, and all the tension that had been knotting his muscles since the earthquake finally loosened. It felt right. More right than anything he’d felt in a long time, and he never wanted it to end.
Pierce lost himself in the gentle press of her lips against his, the caress of her fingertips along his stubbled jaw. For a few precious moments, the rest of the world fell away—the crumbling building around them, the threats lurking in the shadows, the dark memories that haunted him. There was only Rhiannon. Her warmth, her sweetness, the way she made him feel like he could finally breathe again after years of suffocating silence.
He deepened the kiss, his hand sliding from her cheek into her hair, fingers tangling in the silky strands. Rhiannon’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer until their bodies were flush against each other. He felt her every curve, every breath, and it sent a thrill humming through his veins.
God, he could lose himself in her. Forget about the secrets, the scars, all the ugliness in his past, and just exist in this perfect moment with her. Let her warmth and light chase away all his shadows…
When they finally pulled apart, they didn’t speak. She just smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, pulled her close, and felt something he hadn’t in years…
Peace.
chapter
ten
“The searchfor your sister has been called off.”
The words bounced around in Rylan’s head as he watched the two sheriff’s deputies exit his office. He knew each of those words, knew what they all meant, but strung together in that order, he couldn’t comprehend them. He could only sink into the chair behind his desk, feeling as though another earthquake had ripped the floor from under his feet.
Deputy Isabella Delgado paused in the doorway and glanced back at him, her big brown eyes full of regret. “I’m so sorry, Rylan.”
A hollow pit opened up in his chest. “So Rhia’s just… gone? No body to bury. No—” His voice broke as tears flooded his eyes. “No closure. My parents—we’ll never know what happened to her.”
The deputy said something over her shoulder to her partner, then stepped back into the room and closed the door. She crossed to him and crouched down next to his chair. “I know no words can bring you comfort right now, Rylan,” she said softly and reached out to touch his forearm. “But I want you to know that we did everything we could to find her. It’s just… the highway she was last seen on collapsed into the ocean. There wasjust nothing to search for, but we tried. We had the Coast Guard scouring the area in boats and helicopters; we had rescue divers, and we had SAR teams from all over the country. We didn’t leave any stone unturned.”
His hand clenched into a fist. “But it wasn’t enough.”
A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by the distant barks of dogs in their kennels. Isabella’s hand tightened slightly on his arm.
“You’re right,” she admitted. “It wasn’t enough because we didn’t find Rhiannon. And I’m sorry for that, Rylan. I know that sounds hollow. Words can’t express how deeply I feel your loss. I really wanted to find her for you.”
