Page 53 of Embrace Me Forever

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Please, Georgia-May, stop apologizing,” he says, desperation coloring his tone.

I hold my breath, the density of his pain pressing between us. “I just can’t bear to see you punish yourself for things beyond your control.”

“Flo having an affair was on me, and her taking a bullet for me…that was more than my fault. It was a grave error in judgment she paid for with her life. Maybe somehow, she knew. Women have this inexplicable intuition, don’t they? She begged me not to fly to California. And I ignored her.”

“I wasn’t there with you and Flo. I can’t pass judgment, but I have my convictions. She chose to be with your neighbor, to spend that night with him while you were away. You can’t shoulder her choices.”

“You don’t need to defend me, Georgia-May.”

“Oh, but I do. Because it’s clear you can’t protect yourself from your own demons!” I retort, my voice fierce with resolve.

He looks at me, his gaze cutting as he shakes his head slightly, his free hand reaching out to brush my chin. The brief touch whispers a chill through my veins, the sensation lingering far longer than the contact. “What do I do with you, Georgia-May?”

Perhaps he’s unaccustomed to someone as forthright as I am. For those I cherish, I don’t mince words. “I’m being honest withyou, Blake. It’s just me. Is this why you think we can never be? Because you fear I might betray you? Or are you terrified that I’ll meet the same fate as her?”

“If I’m being completely honest, both. Those fears have crossed my mind, and I don’t believe I’m worthy of someone like you,” he admits, his voice soft yet fraught with tension.

Now, he’s meeting my openness with his own. I appreciate his honesty, but it ignites something fierce within me. “Blake, everyone meets their end one day. And for the record, in my twenty-six years, I’ve only ever loved one man—Coco’s father. He died before he could even meet her. Don’t dare question my loyalty. You managed to move past your wife’s betrayal, yet you stall at the threshold of our happiness? It’s clear she didn’t deserve your devotion, Blake.”

He draws me close as if I might break. “Georgia-May, you are a magnificent, brilliant woman. But my heart—it’s like a heavy beast, asleep yet somehow still painfully aware. Since Flo’s death, I’ve been numb, lost to any feeling. It’s as if that beast opened one eye, glanced at the world, and whispered, ‘I can’t,’ before returning to its terrible slumber. Until you.” His voice lowers, vulnerable yet earnest. “Now, the question remains, Georgia-May, do you still want this beast?”

But then, the sharp ring of his phone cuts through our moment. Blake’s expression darkens immediately. “Come on, we’ve got to go!” He pushes me to hurry.

He scoops Coco from the stroller, cradling her with a tenderness that belies his sudden haste. With ease, he folds the stroller and slings it over his other shoulder as I scramble to keep up.

We rush back to our car, breathless with anticipation, as Blake flicks his phone to speaker mode. Ryker’s voice fills the space, tense and alert, “Someone’s been lurking around theneighborhood where Georgia-May’s sister lives. Can’t pinpoint if they know the exact house yet, but we need to stay sharp.”

Blake assists me in securing Coco into her car seat, his movements quick yet careful. The line with Ryker is still buzzing in the background. Suddenly, Blake cuts in, “Ryker, pull out now and head to—” He then turns to me. “Where does your sister’s ex live?”

I share the address.

“Guard Anne and her boyfriend,” Blake orders firmly. “We’re not going back to that house.”

While I remain by Coco’s side in the back seat, Blake ignites the engine, and the car lurches forward. He drives with controlled haste, skillfully fast enough to evade danger but gentle enough not to wake Coco, who is miraculously still ensconced in sleep.

He quickly makes another call, this time to Clayton.

“Blake, what are we going to do?” I ask after he ends the call.

“We’ll fly to L.A. and stay at my place,” he states firmly. “Whatever Coco needs, I’ll make sure it’s arranged.”

“Okay. But we’ve got to stop by our house first. Coco needs her medications,” I plead, worried as I recall they’re running low. But that’s something to deal with another day. “Also, her toys, the ones she simply can’t be without.”

In the mirror, I catch a glimpse of Blake’s empathetic gaze as he agrees to head back home. It’s a testament to how deeply he cares for Coco, always putting my little girl first.

He gives me a heads-up on what to expect. “It’ll be quick and safe, just in and out.”

As we step back into the house, apprehension hits me. For the first time, I see Blake with a gun in his hand, his movements calculated and protective. He wraps an arm around me, his body a shield as he scans the room with vigilant eyes, a full three-sixty-degree sweep ensuring our safety.

Suddenly, the quiet is shattered by the front door bursting open. A man in a balaclava storms in, gun raised. Blake’s voice cuts sharply through the chaos, “Take Coco to your room, now!”

As I hurry away, the sound of a scuffle erupts behind me, and Coco stirs in my arms. Desperate to shield her from the terror, I turn on her favorite show on the iPad, the volume up to mask the noise.

With my back pressed against the bedroom door, my body shakes as I listen to the scuffle beyond. A thud resonates through the floorboards. Someone has fallen, but who? Tension coils tighter within me until I hear Blake’s fierce declaration from the hallway, “Tell your boss, he touches her, he dies!” The certainty in his voice brings a surge of both relief and dread.

Then I hear footsteps. “Georgia-May, it’s me,” Blake’s strained voice comes from the other side of the door.

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