Page 33 of Sparks Fly

“I thought I lost you,” she whispers, her voice cracking as fresh tears spill down her cheeks. “When I heard about the crash, and then you weren’t answering your phone... I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

Hallie feels her own eyes well up, the raw anguish in Kaia’s voice piercing her already struggling lungs. She brings their joined hands to her lips, pressing a kiss to Kaia’s knuckles.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” she murmurs. “It shouldn’t have taken me so long to reach out to you. If I had come to my senses sooner, I wouldn’t have even been on that train. I shouldn’t have needed my parents to help me see…”

She trails off, suddenly unsure how to put into words everything that she feels for this remarkable woman. But Kaia just smiles, a soft, knowing smile that makes Hallie forget what she was trying to say.

“I know,” Kaia breathes, her thumb stroking over the back of Hallie’s hand. “Your dad kind of let it slip while we were sitting with you. He said you had gone to see them.”

Hallie feels a blush creep across her cheeks, a sheepish grin tugging at her lips. “Ah, so he filled you in on all that, huh? I guess that saves me the trouble of trying to remember the speech I had all planned out.”

Kaia leans in closer, her breath ghosting over Hallie’s face as she asks, “And what exactly were you planning to say to me, Lieutenant Hunter?”

Hallie takes a deep inhale, her heart hammering against her ribcage as she gazes into Kaia’s warm, expectant eyes.

“I was going to say that I’m sorry,” she begins. “For being so stubborn, for pushing you away when all I wanted was to pull you closer. I thought I was protecting us both, but I was just afraid. Of how much you mean to me, of how badly I wanted to risk everything just to be with you.”

Kaia’s dark eyes widen, her lips parting in surprise as Hallie’s words tumble out. But she doesn’t interrupt, just squeezes Hallie’s hand in silent encouragement to continue.

Emboldened by the feeling of finally laying out her true feelings, Hallie pushes on.

“I love you, Kaia. I’m so desperately, hopelessly in love with you. And I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that my career means nothing to me if I don’t have you to come home to.”

The tears are streaming freely down Kaia’s face now, but she’s smiling, a breathtaking, radiant smile that Hallie has missed so much.

“I love you too, Hallie,” she whispers. “And I’m so sorry for being reckless, for putting you in a position where you felt like you couldn’t count on me. I only ever wanted to make you proud, but I hid behind my own ego for way too long.”

Hallie finds herself too overwhelmed with emotion to respond. She sighs, tilting her chin up to capture Kaia’s lips in a soft, tender kiss. It’s a kiss full of promises, of forgiveness, of a love that neither of them is holding back any longer.

When they finally part, both slightly breathless, Kaia rests her head on Hallie’s shoulder, careful not to jostle any of the wires or tubes. For a long moment, they just breathe each other in, savoring the quiet intimacy they’ve gone too long without sharing.

Kaia is the one to eventually break the silence, raising her head with a slightly guilty expression. “Oh, I almost forgot. Captain Hewitt sends his well wishes. I think he’s known about us for a while.”

Hallie’s eyes widen, a spark of anxiety igniting in her chest. “He has? What did he say to you?”

Kaia just shrugs, a small smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. “Nothing much. But when he gave me permission to leave the scene to be with you, he kinda implied that he thought something was going on between us. I don’t think we’re going to be fired the minute we walk back into the station.”

Relief washes over Hallie like a cooling balm. “Well, that’s one less thing to worry about, I guess. Can’t wait to have that awkward chat with him.”

Kaia giggles, the sound bright and soothing, and Hallie feels her own lips curve into a grin. God, she’s missed that sound. Missed the way Kaia’s whole face lights up when she laughs, when her eyes crinkle at the corners and her nose scrunches up in that adorable way.

A soft knock at the door distracts her from her smitten staring, and Hallie looks up to see her parents and brother poking their heads in, warm grins spreading across their faces as they take in the scene they’ve walked in on.

“Well, look what we have here,” Mom chuckles, her eyes twinkling with mirth as she steps into the room. “Seems like you two have sorted a few things out.”

Hallie feels a blush heat her face, but she can’t help the smile that’s starting to ache across her cheeks. “Yeah, Mom. I think we might have.”

Gavin strides over to the bed, clapping Kaia on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family, Kaia. I hope you can handle a bunch more Hunters giving you grief. Though Hallie is definitely the difficult one, so I’m sure you’ll put up with the rest of us just fine.”

Kaia laughs, leaning into the touch with an ease that makes Hallie’s heart swell. “Yeah, I think I can handle it.”

As her family settles in around her, their chatter and laughter filling the sterile hospital room with warmth and love, Hallie catches Kaia’s eye across the bed.

“I love you,” she whispers, relishing the feeling of finally being able to share what took her so long to realize.

Kaia leans down to capture Hallie’s lips with her own. “I love you too,” she murmurs. “Now, tell your brother about that time I beat your ass at suicide sprints. He doesn’t believe I outran you.”

EPILOGUE

---