Page 24 of Embers of Love

“Oh no! My taste in movies is terrible. What are you into?”

“Action movies,” Josephine replied.

“Well, we should be able to find something enjoyable.”

The rest of the evening was spent watching a classic romance movie from the 80s. Somewhere along the way they’d abandoned the search for a decent action movie and settled for something familiar.

“Josephine?” Ember turned to her lover as they cuddled on the couch.

“Yeah?” Josephine looked a bit sleepy.

“I’m glad you came over.”

The hot doctor smiled. “Me too.”

For the first time in a long time, everything felt alright with the world again for Ember. The hole that had lingered in her life had been filled. She had found her place in the world, and it was by Josephine’s side.

“I love you.”

The words came unbidden. She couldn’t have kept herself from uttering them if she had sewn her mouth shut. This was not the time to worry if she had spoken those words too soon. Not with everything that had happened. The accident had shown her how easily she could lose everything. If she hadn’t survived it, that morning at the hotel would have been the last time she set eyes on Josephine. It would have been the end for them. The moment felt right.

“I’m not expecting you to say it back,” Ember added, her voice gentle. “It just felt right for me to say it right now and so I did.”

Josephine didn’t say anything in response, but Ember felt Josephine’s arms tighten around her. Ember wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but as long as Josephine didn’t leave or shy away, it was enough for her.

6

JOSEPHINE

Ilove you.

Those were words she hadn’t been expecting to hear from Ember Thompson. It had caught her off-guard, not necessarily in a bad way. Josephine missed the feeling of loving someone, of being loved by someone. After Eva, she’d thought it was going to be the last time. The breakup had broken her in more ways than she was willing to admit.

She should have said something back, but the shock and the trauma kept her jaws locked. It froze her solid where she should have responded and told Ember how badly she was falling in love with her too. She wanted to say something, anything. But, in the end, the words never came. She was paralyzed by fear. Josephine didn’t know if she should let herself believe this was real with Ember.

A part of her was terrified that what she had with Ember would slip away, leaving her broken beyond repair. The pain of losing something she cherished was fresh in her heart. It never left. For everything they felt when they were alone together, would it ebb away in the harsh light of the real world? What if Becky found out? She was falling madly in love with this amazing young woman. It felt like madness. Where could their relationship go? Her relationship with Eva hadn’t felt as strong as this. If she allowed herself to fall for Ember and she lost her too, Josephine worried she would not survive it.

It’s doomed to fail, she thought drearily. No way Becky would be okay with me dating her daughter.

Everyone knew how protective Chief Becky Thompson was over Ember. Plus, the betrayal would almost guarantee that their friendship would be over. Perhaps even her time in Phoenix Ridge, as well. If people realized what she had done, they would hate her, no doubt.

But she couldn’t bring herself to leave Ember. She held on to her lover tighter, hoping she would understand the kind of dilemma she was in and the pain that still ravaged her soul, leaving behind scars that had yet to heal fully.

Ember understood. She held Josephine back tighter. She could feel her empathy radiating through her touch. Even without words, the two lovers had no trouble communicating. Josephine had only known her for a short time, but it felt like their souls had been linked together for eternity.

Her exhaustion eventually overcame her. She fell asleep, pressed up against Ember on her couch. They’d forgotten about the movie completely and just held each other. The night passed by quickly…

“Ember? Are you still asleep, sweetie?”

Josephine jumped. That was Becky’s voice. Ember was a little slower to rouse. It took a little bit of nudging before her eyes opened up completely.

“Ember?!” Becky called out again.

Ember’s eyes finally gained focus as the situation registered in her mind.

“I’ll get rid of her,” Ember whispered. “Give me a minute.”

“Where’s your bathroom?” Josephine asked.

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