She turned to face him. “Yes?”

“No. Chance. Of. That.”

Smiling, she released a deep breath and relaxed. It was going to be okay. He cared about her. He would still care after he heard her story.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sarah followed him into the kitchen, where he dished up the pizza and placed the plates on the table. Without having to ask, he poured a glass of the chardonnay he kept on hand for her, grabbed a beer for himself and joined her at the table.

Most men would’ve prodded her to start talking, but Charlie wasn’t most men. He waited on her, giving her the space she needed to collect her thoughts. As usual, the mushroom-and-sausage pizza they both loved was delicious and gave her something else to focus on for a few minutes.

She wiped her mouth and took a sip of her wine. “You’ve been very patient with me. I hope you know how much I appreciate that.”

“It’s certainly been no hardship to spend time with you.”

“That’s sweet of you to say, but still… I know you must have questions that you’ve never asked.”

“I figured you’d get around to telling me—or you wouldn’t. Either way was fine with me.”

“Even if it meant that our…friendship…never progressed any further?”

Charlie pushed his plate away and took a sip from his beer. “Let me tell you something about fourteen years in prison. It makes you appreciate every damned second you’re not in prison. If all you were ever able to give me is what we’ve already had, I’d be happier than I’ve been in longer than I can remember.”

Sarah’s eyes filled with tears. “You deserve so much more than what I’ve been able to give you.”

He covered her hand with his much larger one, and Sarah made a conscious effort not to flinch. It had taken months of casual affection for her to accept it without the dreaded flinch. She was proud of her progress in that regard.

“You have no idea how much I enjoy the time we spend together,” he said. “I look forward to it. For so long, I had nothing at all to look forward to, and now I have this. I have you. I’m not going anywhere, Sarah. No matter what you tell me tonight, I’m not going anywhere.”

When she heard that, the tears she’d tried to contain came spilling down her cheeks. “Could I…”

“What, honey?”

“Could I maybe hug you?” In all the time they’d known each other, she’d never let him touch her like that.

“I wish you would.” Keeping his hand wrapped around hers, he got up. “Let’s do this right, though.” He led her to the sofa in his cozy living room and sat, patting the seat next to his.