“I know.” I rested my forehead against his, tightness ballooning in my chest. “But there are so few people I can turn to here, and I just lost two of them in one day.”
Too much was changing too fast. Some of it was good, some of it was nerve-wracking. Either way, I could barely keep up.
“You have me.”
“I know,” I repeated, softer this time.
“Good. And for the record…” Rhys’s lips tilted up into a small smile. “I’ve never been happier to be wrong. Fuck personally involved. That’s not good enough. I want to be in your mind, in your heart, and in your fucking soul the way you are in mine. You and me, princess…”
“…Against the world,” I finished. The tightness in my chest no longer had anything to do with Elin and Mikaela.
“That’s right. You’re never alone, princess,” he whispered against my mouth. “Remember that.”
Rhys and I hadn’t officially celebrated yesterday’s victory yet, but as he kissed me, I realized we didn’t need champagne and fireworks. We’d always been best when it was just us, no pomp and circumstance required, and the best celebration was being together without having to hide.
No shame, no guilt, no impending vote or tough conversations with soon-to-be ex-friends and ex-employees hanging over our heads.
Just us.
That was all we needed.