The Right Swipe (Modern Love, #1)(98)

“I’m sure you’ll get even more love in the days to come.”

“I’ll get hatred in the days to come too.” Shadows darkened her eyes.

“You might.” The people who hated him didn’t compare to the vitriol she’d have to weather. He pulled her close so he could smush her like she liked.

“No might about it. More people for sure believe me now than they would have four years ago, but that’s not saying much. There’s a nice majority who are going to be livid with me.” She inhaled. “But I figure, that’s okay. I’m glad I said what I did. I’m not alone, and with me talking about it, neither are the others.”

“I think you’re brave either way, but I’m glad you feel better, having come forward. And I’m glad he stepped down.”

“Me too.” She wrinkled her nose. “I thought I’d feel so much satisfaction at him losing the position and power he loved. Revenge, you know? But mostly, I’m happy because it means it’ll be harder for him to hurt someone else.”

Samson still wanted to punch Peter. That would be the only thing that would fully satisfy him, but this was a start. “Use me for whatever you need.”

“I’ll try to ask for help. Old habits are hard to break, you know.”

“I know.”

She got quiet. “My trust issues will probably take eons to work on.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I told you my mom was a lawyer.” Samson snuggled closer, because he could. “She used to tell me about this thing called the eggshell plaintiff rule.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m probably messing up the explanation, but basically, if you walk up to someone with a thin skull and hit them in the head, and they get hurt, you’re responsible for the damage you caused. Even if hitting someone with a normal skull wouldn’t have resulted in any damage.”

“I’m not following.”

“The lesson she meant for me to take away, is that you take a person as you find them.” He thought of how Lulu had stubbornly stuck by his father’s side. He’d been angry, sometimes with her, after the Switch. Angry that she hadn’t been more angry at his father’s fate.

Now he knew. His mother had taken life as it was. Grateful for every extra moment she got to spend with the man she loved, in sickness and in health.

“I’m patient, Rhi. I’d like it if you could give me the benefit of the doubt, not jump to conclusions without hearing me out if you’re feeling nervous about me . . . but I will take you as you are, baggage and all. The flip side is, you have to take me as I am.”

“Easy. You’re almost perfect.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “I definitely am not. I don’t really know how to be with someone like this. I’m learning, and I’ll probably get scared and freak out and mess up. I don’t know what the future holds.” He thought about one day unfolding after another with this woman. How long had it been since he’d thought about the future and not been terrified? “We can, however, communicate and be patient with one another.”

“We could.”

“In that case, will you answer my earlier question? Can we be serious?”

She gazed down at him. Her eyes were so pretty, endless pools of dark brown. “Yes.”

“Yeah?” His smile widened.

HIS HAPPINESS SCARED Rhiannon, because God knew if she’d be able to keep him looking that happy. She’d fail. Or he would. “Though I’m not the kind of woman you probably envisioned when you wrote your Matchmaker bio,” she said. “Kind and sweet and loyal.”

He stroked her arm, leaving goose bumps. “You’re all those things and more. Also . . .” He winced. “Uh, don’t tell anyone, but Tina wrote that bio.”

She huffed out a laugh, thinking of how many times she’d obsessed over those three words. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope. As of right this minute, the Crush bio you swiped right on is the only thing I’ve ever written.”

Well, damn. Damn. “How about that.”

“The Matchmaker quiz, though, I did take, and so did you.”

Rhiannon’s eyes narrowed and she recalled what he’d said, about Annabelle engineering their meeting. “Wait. Did she make us all take that questionnaire so she could see if you and I were a good match?”

“Yup.”

“Diabolical.” But she said it with admiration. Annabelle might not be a standard businesswoman, but when had Rhiannon ever surrounded herself with conventional people? “I might actually enjoy being her partner more than buying the business outright.”

“You don’t want to know our match percentage?”

“Nah. I don’t believe in it.” She yawned, but then opened one eye. “We scored high though, yeah?”

“Yeah, overachiever, we scored high.” He rolled his eyes, but high-fived her when she sleepily offered her hand.

They lay in silence for a while. Rhiannon had a million things to do, but for the first time in a long time, she felt . . . light. Like she’d gotten closure on multiple fronts, had laid down weights she hadn’t even been aware she was carrying.

He nuzzled her temple. “I’ll probably love you soon.”