by Ws Greer
“Oh, my god, Malcolm,” Evelyn whispers shakily as she drops the pillow on the floor and scurries across the floor to me. When she reaches me, she drops to her knees and wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me into an embrace. “I’m so sorry, Malcolm. I’m sorry. I love you so much. I've missed you so much. I love you.”
As tears begin to overtake my eyes, I slide down out of my chair and kneel in front of her, and we hug while on our knees on the floor.
“I love you, too,” I tell her, and wrapping my arms around her feels like I’m being let out of prison after years of bondage.
“I’m so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I can't believe I left you in your time of need. Can you ever forgive me?”
“I already have,” I say. “You'd been shot in the shoulder and almost murdered in a house fire. You were upset and scared. It’s not everyday your boyfriend’s ex tries to kill you. I understand your fear and emotion.”
“Yeah, but are you okay? You've been through so much—your house literally burned down, your ex-girlfriend died, you lost everything, Malcolm. Have you been okay?”
We manage to separate enough to look into each other’s eyes. “Well, I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been a real struggle. I've had days where I've broken down and didn't leave the hotel room at all. I've had to buy all new clothes, and I’ll have to buy all new furniture once I close on a house, but as you can see, I'm back at work and doing a little better now. I see light at the end of the tunnel, and having you here makes the light so much brighter now. I’m going to be fine. I’m just glad to see you.”
We pull each other into another embrace, and I take a moment to breathe all of her in. I still don't know what will happen between us after this moment, but whether this is the beginning of a new us or the proper ending of the old, I want to cherish this. I settle into the feeling of holding her—of loving her, and drink it in. I now know that this is what love feels like, so if we’re over after this, if love ever finds me again, I’ll know how it’s supposed to feel.
After a moment of hugging, we pull apart again. Evelyn looks into my eyes and smiles from ear to ear.
“Malcolm,” she says. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I reply.
“Yeah?”
“No doubt about it.”
“Okay … well, are you seeing anyone?”
“What?” I blurt with a chuckle. “Of course not. I've been a mess! I couldn't date if my life depended on it.”
“Right, of course,” she answers, giggling to herself. “I don't know why I asked that. Okay, well, I've missed you so much. Is there any chance you'd like to start over? We can take it slow. I know you're going through a lot still, and I am too. Our connection is so deep, and we’ve been through more in a few months than most people go through their entire lives together. Over the last month, I realized I don't want to be without you. I'd love it if we could just start from the beginning. Is that asking too much right now? If it is, I understand. Just know that I’ll be here whenever you're ready. I’ll be here waiting for you, Malcolm. I don't care how long it takes. Okay?”
I feel a rush of excited adrenaline surge through my veins as a smile overtakes my mouth. I run my fingers through her hair before caressing her face.
“Evelyn,” I begin. “You don't have to wait for me. I’m the one who has been waiting for you.”
Evelyn smiles as her skin starts to flush red. “Are you sure? You really don't mind starting over?”
I mirror her smile and lift my right hand, holding it in front of her as if waiting for a handshake. “Hi. My name is Dr. Malcolm Colson. I'm a therapist. It’s nice to meet you.”
Somehow, Evelyn’s smile grows even wider, just before she takes my hand and shakes it gently. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Colson. I’m Dr. Evelyn Monroe, and I’m also a therapist.”
“Wow. How ironic that we have that in common. Feels like fate, doesn't it?”
Evelyn giggles. “Yeah, I’d say it does.”
We look into each other’s eyes for what feels like the best version of forever, before I grab a fistful of her shirt and pull her in for a passionate kiss that has been long overdue. The two of us sit on the floor and let our tongues and bodies get reacquainted.
This is where we’ll be, wrapped in each other’s bodies until we consume one another. Touching, kissing, scratching, fucking, loving. We’ll be stuck here, too full of passion to stop, too in need of each other to pull away long enough for us to drive to my hotel, too desperate for each other to think straight. For who knows how long, this is how we’ll be. This is where we’ll be. Right here. Together. In love.
THE END
Acknowledgments
This is the final book in this installment of The Therapist series, and I’m honestly sad to see it go. I’ve wanted to write these books for so long, and to see them being published now is sort of bittersweet. Thankfully, everything I wanted to write in this series has come to fruition, and I'm proud of every page.
Malcolm turned out to be everything I envisioned for him—he's brilliant and annoying as hell at the same time, the best at giving advice and the worst at taking it, and I know he has made quite a few of his fans furious. My wife’s edits on each of these books was always hilarious, because I could tell she both loved and hated Malcolm. One second he’s saying the smartest things, the next second he’s doing the dumbest things—and I loved it! So, if Malcolm drove you nuts throughout this series, just know that it wasn't an accident, but I still love you.
As for who I have to thank, the list is pretty short. It’s not that I'm unappreciative of the people who have helped me, it’s just that there are so few who are involved in my process these days, the names are few.
My biggest thank you has to go to my wife. This journey has been both of ours, and your insight and help was infinite throughout this series, as it is in my life. As usual, we tackled this together and made it fantastic, and I appreciate all of your help. Thank you for always being there when I need you.
I have to give a gigantic shout out to Give Me Books. You were monumental in the rollout of this series. We’ve been in contact a lot over the last six months, and I appreciate all of your hard work in helping me bring this series to light. I look forward to working with you all again in the future!
Thank you to Celeste, Lyndsey, Kizzy, Courtney, and Kaylee for beta reading for me. Your excitement never failed to hype me up, and you gave me hope for each release in the series. I appreciate all of you.
And as usual, I have to thank every single person out there who calls themself a fan of mine. I’ll never get used to having people love what I do, but I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you so much for supporting me, and please continue to do so, because I have an endless array of stories in me that will keep you entertained for ages. Stay tuned.
Represent …
More From WS Greer
Thank you for purchasing Toxic (The Therapist #4)! Please leave an honest rating and review wherever you purchased your copy. It’d be very much appreciated!
Check out these other titles from WS Greer…
Defending Her
Boss
Loose Cannon Series
Frozen Secrets
Red Snow
Love & Chaos Series
Madman
The Carter Trilogy
Claiming Carter
Becoming Carter
Destroying Carter
Italian Mafia Romance
Kingpin
Long Live the King
About the Author
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