Page 154 of Dial L for Lawyer
She reaches up to trace the line of my jaw with her fingertips. "I love you, Caleb Kingsley. More than I ever thought possible."
As I carry her inside, past the kitchen where we cleaned up from dinner together, past the living room where we playedboard games with Michaela, toward the bedroom where we'll wake up together tomorrow morning, I think about the journey that brought us here.
A little over a year ago, I thought I had everything figured out. I was successful, respected, in control of every aspect of my over-scheduled life. I had no idea how empty it all was until she walked into it—stubborn and brilliant and absolutely nothing like what I thought I wanted.
Now, with her in my arms and our future stretching out ahead of us like an open road, I know the truth. I didn't know what I was missing because I'd never had it. Real love. Real partnership. The kind of happiness that comes from building something together, from choosing each other every single day.
Tomorrow we'll start planning the firm with David. Next month, Serena's business will probably double again. Someday soon, I'll ask her to marry me properly, with a ring and a plan and everything she deserves. Someday after that, maybe there will be little feet running around this Lake Forest house alongside Michaela's.
But tonight, there's just this. Her laughter against my skin, her hands in my hair, her whispered "I love you" against my lips as I lay her down on our bed.
Tonight, and all the nights to come.
Finally, I have everything I never knew I was looking for.
I have her.
Epilogue Two
LOGAN
Six months earlier…
"She likes you, you absolute moron. She's been flirting with you for months."
Bennett's words echo in my head as I burst onto the street, frantically scanning for Audrey. She's already at the corner, arm raised for a cab, and I sprint toward her like my life depends on it.
She likes you.How did I miss this? My brain cycles through every interaction—her sitting close to me tonight, the way she always sits next to me in meetings, how she laughs at my terrible jokes that make everyone else groan.She's been flirting with you for months.
"Audrey! Wait!"
She doesn't turn around. A taxi pulls up and she's reaching for the door handle when I finally catch up, breathless and probably looking deranged.
"Please," I gasp, grabbing the door before she can close it. "Please, just... let me explain."
She looks at me then, and the hurt in her eyes makes my chest constrict. This is my fault. She said ‘I give up’ and I just sat there like an idiot asking what she meant.
"There's nothing to explain, Logan. You made it very clear you're not interested."
"That's not—" I run my hand through my hair, trying to find words that make sense. "That's the opposite of true. Can I... can I come with you? Just to talk?"
She stares at me for a long moment, then slides across the seat. "Fine. But you're paying for the cab."
I scramble in beside her and give the driver her address, which I know because I've dropped off documents off at her apartment three times in the last year and never once had the courage to stay for coffee when she offered. Coffee. Was that flirting? Was she trying to…God, I'm an idiot.
The ride is silent except for the driver's music—something with a heavy beat that reminds me of the club, of Dominic saying "She's been trying to get your attention all night." All night. All year. Maybe longer.
When we pull up to her building, I throw cash at the driver—probably too much, but I can't think about that now—and scramble out after her.
"Audrey, wait.”
She stops at the glass doors of her lobby, her back rigid. "Wait for what, Logan? So you can explain again how you need more personal space?"
"No," I say, my voice raw. "To explain that I'm an idiot. A complete, total, socially inept idiot." I take a step closer. "I didn't move away because I didn't want you there. I moved because my brain short-circuited. Because having you that close is allI've wanted for a year, and the sudden proximity of a successful outcome caused a catastrophic system failure."
She turns slowly, her arms crossed. "A catastrophic system failure?"
"Yes. My processing power was entirely consumed by the proximity of your... shoulder. All non-essential functions shut down. Including, apparently, basic social awareness." I wince. "The logic gates that control my mouth just… failed."
