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He backs out of the option, then just sits there. He turns to look at me again.

“I’m sorry,” he says more sincerely. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember that other people are affected by this stuff.”

I watch him carefully. “You’re not sad when people die?”

“What? No—of course I am,” he says. “That’s not it at all. It’s not that I’m not sad by it. It’s just… In order to do this job, to solve the crimes and find the bad guys, you have to put those emotions aside. You can’t think about it too much. If I did, then I’d never solve any cases.”

“That seems difficult.”

“For Pierce it was in the beginning. Over time he got better at it.”

“Why not for you?” I ask, genuinely curious about this. How can he do this job so easily?

I don’t think he’s a bad guy, but it’s clear he’s the tougher one out of the two.

“I think some people are just born able to be cops and deal with this stuff. I’m one of them. But I don’t want you to think that means I don’t have feelings. I do.”

A smile crosses my face. “I know you do.”

I saw it this morning, when he said goodbye to Pierce. When he kissed him. There was no mistaken the emotion there. I see it in the way he’s gentle with me. Caring. Thoughtful.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

He nods, then goes back to looking for a movie. “Guess we’re going with ghosts.”

He chooses a movie called The Others and says it’s about a family who moves into a big mansion, but weird things start happening. Things they can’t explain. Obviously I already know it’s the ghosts doing it. We had plenty of ghost stories in the village. Right around this time, when the weather starts getting cooler, we’d sit around a big fire and share scary stories. But seeing it on a TV? Acted out by people? I’m excited for this.

The movies starts and Forge settles into the opposite end of the couch. The heat is on and I have a blanket, but I still feel cold. I’m not sure why, but I may know how to fix it.

“You’re very far away,” I say.

Forge looks at me, brow furrowed in confusion. Then a small smirk crosses his face.

He lifts his arm. “Come here then.”

With a smile and my stomach full of butterflies, I move over to the other side of the couch and get comfortable against his side. His arm comes around me, and I rest my head on his chest. I inhale deeply, the butterflies in my stomach settle but fill with warmth. My nerves calm, and I just feel at peace.

Chapter Twenty

Pierce

I’m anxious to get home to Raewyn and Forge, but the rain is coming down so hard that I can’t drive fast. I can hardly see out the window, and the last thing I want to do is get into a wreck.

Eventually, I see the large tree at the end of our driveway, and the anxiety eases. I turn down the drive and park close to the walkway. I get out and run up the path to the front door, pausing when I’m under the portico. I’m drenched, even though I’d only gone about fifty feet.

I click the button to lock the car, then unlock the door to head inside.

The house smells delicious when I step inside. It’s warm, too. Forge and Raewyn are cuddled together on the couch, which warms my heart in a way I don’t know how to explain.

As I step inside, everything just feels right.

It feels like a home more than it ever has before.

“How was work?” Raewyn asks as Forge reaches for the remote to pause whatever they’re watching.

I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that question before. It’s been Forge and I for as long as I can remember and we’ve always worked together. We rarely take days off separately.