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“I’m safe, but—” I laughed, my hands still gripping the back of his jacket as I angled back so I could look at him, my mind spinning. “You’re here,” I whispered, like I still couldn’t believe it.
“I’m here,” he confirmed, his eyes softening as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. “And I’m not leaving.”
“What do you mean?”
Tucker’s expression grew more serious. “I mean, I’m staying. I’m opening up shop here, in Charlotte Oaks. Colt, Austin, and I—this is home now.”
Home.
Had he really just used that word? It hit me like a ton of bricks, causing a lump to rise in my throat. “You’re really stayin’? You’re callin’ this placehome, now?”
He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. “I am. But just so you know, this place... it feels like home because you’re here, Wildcard.”
I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but I didn’t bother wiping it away. Instead, I grinned up at him, my heart so full I thought it might burst. “I was actually lookin’ into travel nursin’ jobs,” I admitted, my voice thick with emotion. “Just in case... you know...”
Tucker smiled, shaking his head. “I appreciate that, but I’m good here.”
I laughed softly, blinking back more tears. “You mean it?”
“I do.”
“Can you breathe?”
He frowned, deep creases forming between his brows. “What?”
“You know… on account of bein’ strangled by those roots?—”
He hardly let me get the word out before he crushed his mouth to mine just to shut me up. And I wouldn’t lie, I kinda liked it.
He pulled back and grinned, then leaned in to kiss me again, and everything felt right in my world again.
Behind us, one of the Wilson brothers cleared his throat, and Travis’s voice broke through the moment. “So... I don’t suppose anyone’s figured out where that treasure is?”
I glanced at the safe, then back at Tucker, a smile tugging at my lips as he finally lowered me to the ground. “For all I care, we’ll never find it,” I said, wrapping my arms around Tucker’s waist. “I’ve got somethin’ better.”
And as Tucker kissed me again—despite someone muttering that actual pirate treasure was pretty dang hard to beat—I knew that no amount of gold could ever compare to this.
epilogue - dakota
one month later…
The morning sunlight spilled through the wide windows of what used to be Gregson Accounting, casting warm golden beams across the hardwood floors of the new PI office on Main Street. Tucker stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, surveying the space with a satisfied grunt.
I set down a box of files on the nearest desk—his desk. It still felt a little surreal to be here, watching him settle in like he was meant to be here all along. It was even stranger seeingmyselfsettle in, for that matter.
“You sure the owners aren’t gonna change their minds and boot you outta here?” I asked, adjusting the stack of case files on the corner of the desk.
“Nah, they’re happier working from home,” Tucker replied, glancing at the sign being painted outside the window.Black Hayes Investigations.
“I still can’t believe they just up and left this prime piece of real estate,” I mused, peeking through the window toward the Caffeinated Squirrel next door. The hum of the coffee shopmixed with the sounds of the street—the essence of Charlotte Oaks. “It’s like fate.”
“I don’t know about that, but I do know it was the perfect timing,” Tucker said, stepping closer and slinging an arm around my shoulders.
I leaned into him, taking a moment to breathe it all in. I couldn’t believe it was only a month ago that I thought I’d have to say goodbye to this, to him. Now here we were, getting ready for Thanksgiving with the whole crew, setting up a life together in a town I couldn’t imagine leaving—and, apparently, a town he wouldn’t be leaving either.
Tucker dropped a kiss on the top of my head, and I smiled up at him. “You really do love it here, huh?”
He nodded, his voice low. “It has its charm. Especially now that I know it wasn’t all fake warmth for the tourists.”
