"Really? I was your goal?" She almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Not...not the onboarding? Not getting yourself out of the doghouse with William and moving on to a better location?"
"Trinity, the moment you walked into that waiting room in New York, I knew what I had come back for." Sam's serious eyes caught and held hers, and Trinity knew he wasn't finessing the timeframe. What he told her now was the honest truth. "I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize it. And longer to articulate it even after that."
Trinity sat back on her stool a little and didn't let go of his hand. "And just what was it you were meaning to 'articulate', Sam?"
"That I love you," he said. "I always have, and I still do. I can't help but love you, Trinity. And I think now, no matter what your answer is, I always will."
"My answer?" She could scarcely find the breath to form the words. "To what question?"
"Do you want to live here in Los Angeles?" he asked. He drew her closer to him, with none of the usual stiffness that accompanied his formality. "Do you want to make the West Coast a permanent home?"
"With you?" She asked hopefully. Sam didn't so much as hesitate before nodding. "But I thought…"
"It doesn't matter what coast I'm on. If you're not there, I'm going to find a reason to hate it," he said. "Europe would have been nice, and if I didn't have you, I might still consider the move. But…" Sam's throat worked as he swallowed, and he appeared to carefully weigh his next words. "...I've changed. My priorities have changed. The job in Europe might have been a great fit for the old Sam, but it's not a good fit for...the man I want to be. I need compromise, and improvisation, and surprises. That's where real success, and real innovation, comes from. I've realized life isn't worth living without it. I've realized life isn't worth living without you."
Trinity gave a fluttering little laugh of approval. She couldn't help it—this was the last thing she had ever expected to hear from Sam, and her pulse wouldn't steady itself. The moment she lived in felt like a dream, and she never wanted to leave it. "I just signed a lease on a one-bedroom, you know," she said as she shifted off her own stool and joined him on his. Somehow, Sam managed to make room for her.
"One bed is all we need," he replied. He propped their joined arms up on the table and squeezed her hand. "I mean, just look at what we can manage with one stool."
She chuckled. "No broom closets?"
His eyes sparked. "The occasional broom closet," he allowed.
Trinity squeezed his hand in return. "I'll take that as your consent to the idea that I may drag you out to the occasional ballroom dance lesson."
"Only if you consent to kiss me," he said.
"I think a successful negotiation has been reached," Trinity replied as she leaned in. The curve of her smile met his as they sealed the deal.
Chapter Twelve
Sam
"I can't do this," Trinity muttered. "I was up all night and now I can't do this. I'm running on fumes, Sam."
Six months later, the two of them stood together in the hallway outside the L.A. office's conference room looking in. Through the window, Sam could see William making small talk with his associates as he settled himself at the head of the long table. A silver carafe of free-trade coffee and a plate of gluten-free muffins sat untouched in the middle of it all. "What are you talking about?" he asked her under his breath. He didn't take his eyes from the scene they were about to walk into, and neither did Trinity. "Of course you can do this."
Trinity straightened her shoulders with a little shimmy. "Of course I can do this," she echoed.
"Pitching our first project in Australia to the company heads is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"Opportunity," she repeated.
"And whether we succeed now or fall flat on our faces," Sam said gravely, "you better believe we're getting the hell out of this office to grab a drink afterward."
"It is five o'clock in New York," Trinity said.
"You see?" He shifted a strand of hair back from her neck. "Work day's almost over. You got this."
Her fingers came up to momentarily cement his hand in place. Sam relished their brief physical connection, and took as much comfort from it as he was certain Trinity took. He couldn't play down how big a moment this was, and he knew she didn't expect him to. They were equal partners in this adventure. They had planned and performed their presentation for each other for months; now, it was time to show the agency that the two of them were ready to move forward together as a team to consult with the other Jameson branches worldwide. Australia was just the first stop on their list.
But they weren't going to get there without opening this door first.
Trinity swallowed, and nodded infinitesimally. Sam withdrew his hand and pushed the door open.
"Sam. Trinity. Welcome." William offered them both a curt nod and professional smile as they entered, but Sam thou
ght he could also see a quiet spark of approval in his brother's eyes. "And thank you again for giving this presentation. Feel free to help yourself to coffee, and we're ready whenever you are."