Page 77 of Shadows Relived
She touched the pendant still resting around her neck. The one he’d given her. The one that had saved her life. “I’m not hiding anymore, Callen. Not from him. Not from this. And especially not from you.”
He exhaled slowly, as if he’d been waiting to hear those words since the moment they first locked eyes again.
“I’m not disappearing into the dark either,” he promised her. “Not anymore.”
Silence stretched between them, heavy and delicate.
Then she reached out, brushing her fingers along his jaw, over the faint bruising that marked his skin. “You scared me, you know. You go quiet when you’re hurt, but your eyes get darker.”
He tilted his head into her touch, his eyes closing briefly. “It’s the Wraith part of me. I used to shut everything off and just survive the mission.”
“And now?”
He opened his eyes, smiling up at her. “Now the mission is you.”
She leaned forward then, pulling him closer. No hesitation. No fear. Her lips met his with all the pent-up ache, relief, and longing she’d bottled up since the moment he busted through that door and found her tied to a chair.
It wasn’t desperate. It wasn’t frantic.
It was steady.
Real.
They stayed liked that for a while, breath shared, hearts finally syncing in the same rhythm. No past. No politics. Just them.
When she pulled back, she felt the tears at the bottom of her eyes. “So, what now?”
“We take it one step at a time.”
“No more shadows?”
He shook his head. “Only sunlight. And shrimp tacos if you want them.”
She laughed, shaking her head, as her heart swelled.
And then, as if the universe needed to make the moment perfect, he reached for her hand and wrapped his around it, voice low and rough.
“I love you, Meaghan Harrington.”
Her breath caught.
“I’ve loved you since high school. And I never got to say it. But I’m saying it now, and for the rest of our days on this planet. I love you.”
She laughed, the tears sliding freely now. “It’s about damn time.”
CHAPTER 28
CALLEN HAD FACED BULLETS,backroom deals, and a bloody trail of mercenaries, but stepping through the double doors of St. Augustine Elementary felt like the most vulnerable move of all.
The faint smell of crayons and floor wax hit him instantly. Echoes of children’s laughter filtered down the tile hallway, and next to him, Meaghan walked with a lightness in her step he worried he would never see again.
Her hand brushed his. “They’re in the back, extended care room. They’ve been staying late until their parents could get things back in order.”
Callen nodded, the knot in his chest tight. “You sure this is a good idea?”
“I’m positive,” she said. “I need to see them and have them see me, and from what Mr. Kinsey says, they’ve been asking about you.”
That surprised him. He didn’t think the kids would remember anything but the chaos. The gunfire. The blood. He had thought they’d want to stay as far awayfrom him as possible because of the memories his presence would drag up.
