They didn't let go.
Not right away. Nick's arms stayed wrapped around Emma, and her face stayed pressed against his chest, and the world outside the windows faded into darkness. The city hummed beneath them — a distant symphony of traffic and sirens and lives being lived — but inside the penthouse, there was only silence.
And breathing.
And the steady thrum of two hearts beating close together.
"I thought you wouldn't come," Nick whispered into her hair.
"I thought I wouldn't either."
"But you did."
"But I did."
Nick pulled back just enough to look at her. The green dress. The loose hair. The tears still shining on her cheeks. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen — not because of the dress or the lighting or the sunset behind her.
Because she was here.
Because she ha
