Edge of Midnight

Epilogue



Four Months Later

Chantilly, Virginia





Mia felt her heart lift upon seeing Eric among the throngs of people inside Washington Dulles International Airport. He was dressed casually in khakis and a button-down, his sunglasses clipped to his shirt pocket. Spotting her at nearly the same time, he began making his way through the crowd to her. She went into his arms.

Their kiss lingered despite the passengers bustling past them in the busy terminal.

Eric had been down to Jacksonville a month earlier to celebrate the birth of Rosalie Marie Vartran. But to Mia it seemed an eternity since she had last seen him. The way she felt made it even clearer they were doing the right thing.

“How was the flight?” Taking her carry-on bag and sliding its strap over his shoulder, they began walking toward the baggage carousel.

“Crowded.” She looked up at him. “But worth it.”

“It’s the end of the summer vacation season. People are getting in last-minute trips.”

Mia was there in part for an interview with a D.C. newspaper, the meeting arranged by Grayson. He hadn’t seemed surprised when she’d told him that she and Eric were ready to take their relationship to the next level. The phone calls and occasional long weekends weren’t enough. She had been touched by his offer to contact an old friend who was executive editor at one of the metro dailies.

“You look beautiful,” Eric said as they waited for her luggage to wind its way from cargo to the carousel.

“I look like a wrinkled mess.” Self-conscious, Mia smoothed her hands over the sundress she wore. She was meeting Eric’s parents for the first time, at his insistence. They were going directly from the airport to dinner at their home in Falls Church. His sister, Hope, would also be there.

“Hey,” he murmured, apparently sensing her nerves. “You’re going to do fine. Besides, I’m not a kid. The only approval you need is mine.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“Actually, my father is looking forward to meeting you. He followed the investigation and he thinks you’re a very brave woman.”

She felt a little intimidated at the prospect of having dinner with the associate attorney general of the Department of Justice. “And your mother?”

“You’re on your own with that one.” His teasing smile softened, his eyes becoming serious. “They both just want me to be happy. Don’t go in with preconceived notions. I’m pretty sure they’re going to love you as much as I do.”

Taking a step closer, he tilted her face up to his and kissed her again. Mia’s hands rested against his chest. He felt so solid and strong.

“You keep doing that and we’re going to miss my suitcase,” she said a little breathlessly once his lips left hers.

Cradling the fingers of her left hand in his, he examined them, frowning. “How are they?”

Although her nails had mostly grown back, the scar tissue underneath was evident, the keratin ridged and bumpy when it should be smooth. It was strange. Most of the time, her fingertips were simply numb, something she was slowly adapting to. But occasionally she felt a sharp flare of pain, an undead nerve vocalizing its outrage.

“The same,” she said mildly. “The doctors have done about all they can do.”

Compared to all those other women, she knew that she was the lucky one. She thought of Rebecca, Penney, Joy. Eric touched her face, his gaze questioning. Mia was unembarrassed by the tears in her eyes.

“I’m just so glad to be here, Eric. I’ve missed you so much.”

Only her suitcase broke the spell between them as it appeared on the carousel amid other passengers’ luggage. He stepped forward and dug it out, then pulled it on wheels with her carry-on stacked on top of it. As they went past the two-story, glass wall that provided a view of planes taxiing on the runway beneath a lavender, early-evening sky, they talked about his most recent case—a string of murders that had taken him to Portland, Oregon. Eric had been gone for a week and a half, acting as a consult to the local police there.

In the parking garage, he put her luggage in the trunk of his car, then opened the passenger-side door for her and went around to the other side. Before starting the engine, however, he turned to her.

“Whether or not this job works out, I’d like you to go ahead and move up here, Mia. As soon as possible.” His expression was earnest. “I don’t want to wait any longer to be with you.”

Over the past several months, they had talked about so much during their regular phone calls. His cases, her return to the daily grind of news reporting, and what they both wanted from life. Eric had a crucial job at the VCU, no one knew that better than her. She understood his hectic schedule and heavy travel requirement, but if they lived in the same city, they would see each other more. Mia also wanted a deeper connection to him. She wanted to wake up in his bed every morning and share a home with him. They’d made the decision that she would be the one to relocate.

“I also know you’ve been toying with the idea of doing something different,” he mentioned carefully. “Maybe not being a reporter anymore.”

Despite the interview she was in town for, it was something else they had discussed. Mia was back at work and functioning, and she’d been seeing a trauma counselor. Grayson had returned her to her former crime beat. But there was no denying that what she’d gone through had impacted her. She felt as though she was at a crossroads in her life.

“A lot of journalists make the move into media relations,” he continued. “Instead of reporting news, they start disseminating it.”

“I get the feeling you’re talking about something specific.”

He looked at her in the car’s darkened interior. “There’s an inner-city arts program in D.C. It includes dance. It’s gotten some pretty decent grants and donations but it needs publicity to keep the funds rolling in. They’re looking for a media relations director.”

Mia felt her heart bump at the unexpected opportunity.

“If you’re interested, my father can get you an interview, maybe even while you’re here. He sits on its board. Your background combined with your media skills—I think you’d be a good fit. It’s just something else to consider.”

“I’d like to talk to them,” she said, grateful. “Thank you.”

He leaned over and kissed her again. Then he started the engine.

As he pulled the car from the garage, his fingers intertwined with hers on the armrest. Mia felt her throat tighten a little at all the changes occurring. She had lived in Jacksonville her entire life. She would miss it in so many ways. Will and Justin, her San Marco apartment, the ocean and sandy beaches that were minutes away. All of it was part of her.

But there were also bad events in her past that she was ready to leave behind. She had a chance to start a new life here with the man she loved, and D.C. was an exciting place.

They were moving in together. It was a step she had never taken before with anyone. But for the first time, she had truly given over her heart and her trust. Mia gazed at Eric’s profile as he drove. She understood that she was his chance to start over, too. All she wanted was the best for him. To be with him.

It was a leap of faith, she knew, but nothing had ever felt more right.