Page 128 of The Broker

His surprised laugh cut through the tension, and his hands slipped around to rest comfortably on the small of my back. “Yes, Charlotte, it’s you.”

There’d been a constant longing to be in his arms that I hadn’t noticed. Not until now, when the ache for it was gone.

His mouth hovered over mine, threatening a kiss. “The question I need to ask is, can you give me another chance?”

All my life, I’d been given chance after chance, sometimes when I didn’t even deserve them.

Giving us a second chance? That was easy.

The word burst from my lips. “Yes, of course—”

His mouth sealed over mine, and his kiss was full of so much love, the world began turning again.

EPILOGUE

Noah

After we’d finished desserts, Charlotte collected everyone’s plates and carried them into the kitchen. My mom offered to help, but my girlfriend politely declined. She claimed it was because my mother had done the majority of the cooking, but I knew the real reason.

It’d be better if everyone stayed out of her way.

She already had her camera and lighting set up to film a timelapse of her cleaning up our Thanksgiving feast.

Hosting it at my house had made the most sense. My parents’ place was too small because both my brothers and their families had come in for the holiday. There were twelve of us, but my oldest nephew was a teenager, and he’d eaten enough food for at least three people. My mom had been prepared, though, cooking larger portions and bringing an extra can of cranberry sauce that was solely for him.

I sat at the dining table I’d bought recently, catching up with my family while keeping one ear pointed toward the kitchen. Charlotte knew if she needed any help, all she had to do was ask and I’d be there. Otherwise I’d stay out of the shot. My brief appearance on her livestream had been more than enough for me.

Was she happy to have a break from my family right now? The introduction to everyone seemed to have gone well, but my younger nieces and nephews were loud and had zero boundaries, and honestly, so did the rest of my family. They were fascinated by my girlfriend, partly because I’d had so few in my life and brought even fewer ‘home.’

But Charlotte didn’t seem to mind. She thrived on attention, after all.

When I heard the dishwasher start, I stood. “Anyone need more wine?”

My mother held up her nearly empty glass. I nodded and strolled toward the kitchen, lingering in the doorway.

“Permission to enter?” I teased.

Charlotte chuckled. “Permission granted.”

She stood by the island, wearing a pair of rubber gloves that went to her elbows because she didn’t want to mess up her nails, and used a sponge to wipe down the countertop. Pans and cutting knives were stacked and drying on dishtowels beside her.

When she glanced up to see my approach, a bright smile warmed her face. Shit, even with those garish yellow gloves, she was so goddamn beautiful, it made me ache.

“Need any help?” I asked.

She nodded toward the pans. “You want to dry those?”

“Sure.” Although I’d come a long way, this was still one of the few tasks she trusted me to be able to handle.

I got out a clean dishtowel and went to work.

“When do you think you’ll have the video ready to upload?” I asked. “Squarespace wants approval before posting.” Her sponsorships had grown considerably over the last month since she’d surpassed a hundred thousand subscribers.

“At least a few days because I need to record the voiceover, edit, and I might reshoot the stuff I did yesterday. I think I could do it better.” She came to the sink, standing beside me as sherinsed the sponge and put it in the hanging holder she’d asked me to buy.

Charlotte wasn’t my employee anymore. We’d done a great job compartmentalizing, but she was my girlfriend who didn’t have the time for it, and she’d trained me well enough. It also helped that she was here a lot of the time, keeping me in check, and she continued to use my place for content.

I didn’t mind cleaning. In fact, sometimes I sort of enjoyed it—although I’d never admit that to her. I liked the sense of accomplishment when it was done, the better organization, and the way it could lift my mood.

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