Page 97 of Click of Fate

I brush my fingers over her forearm, slow and easy. “You’re really doing it,” I say. “New job. Buying the house. Staying.”

She smiles into my chest, and for a second, it feels like the world tilts into place.

But then the voice in my head—the one that’s been watching her closely for months—pipes up.

And I can’t ignore it.

“You sure this is what you want?” I ask, my voice low. “All of it?”

She tilts her head up to look at me, brows knitting. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” I hesitate, trying to get the words right. “This is a big shift. You’ve lived on the road, out of duffels and passport stamps for the last decade. Now you’re talking mortgages and monogrammed business cards.”

She doesn’t say anything, so I keep going—gently.

“I just don’t want you to wake up six months from now resenting the stillness. Or worse, me.”

Her eyes soften, but there’s fire there too. “You think I’m doing this for you?”

“No,” I say honestly. “But I think you’re doing it all at once. And it’s okay to admit if you’re scared this might not be enough.”

She pulls in a breath, then shifts to fully face me, legs folding beneath her.

“I’m scared,” she says. “Of a lot of things. But I’ve lived in hotel rooms and shot chaos for years. It was thrilling. But it was also… lonely. And loud in my head.”

I nod slowly, taking her hand.

She squeezes it. “This—this is quiet. But it’s good quiet. And I don’t feel lost here. I feel grounded. That’s new.”

Then her smile quirks. “And besides… just because I’m staying doesn’t mean I’m settling.”

Relief cracks through me like sunlight. “No,” I say, leaning in. “You’re just evolving.”

She leans into me again, our fingers still laced. “I’m not done with photography. Not the big stuff. I still want to take on a couple assignments a year.”

I nod. “Of course.”

“But…” Her voice lowers, nervous now. “I was kind of hoping you’d come with me. When you can.”

I freeze for half a second—then pull her just a little closer.

She rushes to fill the silence. “Not like… as my assistant or anything,” she says with a smirk. “But you seem like a guy who travels light, and I’ve seen you belay. I figure you could keep me sane, talk me down when I get in my head.”

My throat tightens, but I manage a grin. “You want to take me on the road?”

“I want you everywhere,” she says, quiet but sure.

She looks up, nervous again. “That’s not too much, is it?”

I shake my head, already hearing my heart pound.

“It’s everything I want.”

She exhales, eyes glassy now. “Good. Because I love you, Luke.”

The world stills. Then I laugh—quiet, overwhelmed, like the air just got knocked out of me in the best way possible.

I kiss her, slow and full, cupping her jaw like she might disappear if I don’t hold on tight enough. She melts into it, soft and warm, and everything I never thought I’d get to have.

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