“You didn’t have to leave your job for that to happen. I wasn’t planning on walking away from the report I filed.”
Taking her hand in his, he nodded. “I know. But this makes it easier and won’t allow him to muck up the waters. I’ve accepted the consequences, and that leaves his attorneys with few options.”
“Oh, Brock, what a mess. I’m so sorry you had to get tangled up in it.”
Lifting her chin, he made sure he had her full attention. “I’m tangled up with you, and your battles are mine. Always will be.”
“I hope my battles are almost done. The lawsuit over my books is finished, and Loren received a check from Drew’s family for her legal fees. Tina has moved to New Orleans because she pissed off too many people in town to stay. And Ruth…poor woman is going back to the forensic unit at the hospital.”
“How can you say ‘poor woman’?” Shaking his head, he squeezed her hands. “She had a gun and was ready to shoot.”
“She is ill and doesn’t have control of her faculties.”
“I don’t know how you can be so forgiving.”
Pulling him forward, she lay back on the pillows and held him in her arms. “It’s the only way. I’m not carrying that anger around. I’m forgiving and moving on. It all worked out, so that’s what matters.”
He held her tightly and he couldn’t believe that such a good woman loved him. “I guess all those years with the nuns have given you a better understanding of the Seven Heavenly Virtues than I’ll ever hope to have.”
“We are all a combination of sin and virtue, and right now I’m choosing to focus on forgiveness. In another thirty minutes, I may be focusing on lust.”
“I knew I picked the right woman to love.” When she placed a kiss on his head, he closed his eyes and drank in the emotion that was swelling in his chest. She loved him, and he was going to make damn sure he deserved it.
“You didn’t pick me, and I didn’t pick you. We’re each other’s destiny.”
His heart detonated, and he buried his face in her hair. Hearing her admit that they were fated for one another allowed him to believe that all the things he wanted were possible.