Every kiss I’ve ever had with Reid has meant something—lust, welcome, comfort, reassurance, even love. But this is the first kiss I’ve ever had with him that feels like a promise, a commitment. It’s soft and unhurried at first, and at one point, Reid has to reach up to gently swipe yet another tear from my cheek. But when he licks at my lips, it grows more intense, more desperate, all our fear and confusion from these last few days living between us as we cling together.

We won’t be apart again, this kiss says.

We stay.

But eventually, I pull back. I’m not even sure if this is Reid’s hotel room, and something tells me Agent Tirmizi would not approve of us having sex on her bed, not to mention Reid’s lawyer. Also, I haven’t forgotten that two of my friends are tooling around New Jersey in a rental car, waiting for news from me.

And anyway, I don’t think we can leave these promises at a kiss.

Reid clutches both my hands in his. “I don’t know how, Meg,” he says, “but I promise you, I will fix it, whatever’s been done to your business because of this.”

Wrong promise.

“No, you won’t.” I make my voice as stern as his usually is.

He looks at me, startled.

“I’ll fix it myself,” I say. “I’m not taking the Make It Happyn job, but I—”

“You got it?” he says, his eyes lighting with pride, with relief.

“Sort of.” I briefly—as gently as possible, under Reid’s current guilt-ridden circumstances—explain their offer, the “hidden messages” concept.

“You could do it, Meg,” he says quickly, before I’ve finished. “Please don’t—”

“I’m not turning it down because of you. It’s not what I want. It’s not what I worked for, these past few months. It’s not what all those walks with you helped me see. About myself, and about what I’m capable of.”

My heart swells when I see that curve in his cheek, another almost-there swoonsh.

“I promise,” I tell him, “I’ve got a plan for my work, my business. Or at least the beginnings of one. You have to focus on what’s coming up for you, and—”

The curve disappears, and his brow furrows again.

“It’s going to be hard for a while, Meg. For me, it’ll be hard. I don’t know how I’ll keep you out of it, now that your name is in this.”

“Reid, I’m trying to tell you. You don’t have to keep me out of it. If you’re in it, I’m in it. We’re in it together.”