Page 102 of Tasting Fire
Cash tightened his hold on her. “How many lives do you think you’ve saved over the years?”
“I have no idea.”
“And when will it be enough?”
Her face turned up to his. “What do you mean?”
“When will you have saved enough people to make up for the fact that no one saved your dad?”
She was silent.
“Because you’re trying to even up something that’s not a scoring game. And by doing that, you’re setting yourself up to lose. Every damn time. Tell me something, Em. Do you even like tactical medicine?”
Surprise flared in her eyes. “I love it.”
The immediate rebound of her answer told Cash she was speaking the truth. “Then that was his gift to you. That’s the gift his death gave to the world. Tactical and emergency medicine became a passion for you.”
“You’re telling me that I should take that and leave all the other baggage behind.”
“As much as I might want to sometimes, I can’t tell you what to do. You have to look into your heart. Into the brave, fierce part of you for the answer. You can’t let the grieving little girl make all your life decisions.”
“God, Cash, maybe you should’ve been a shrink.”
“Thanks, but I’ll leave that to Tessa.”
“He would like you, Cash. My dad. Maybe he’d even agree with you. That I need to let that little girl go. The scared and sad one.”
“You get to choose, Em.”
His words trickled through her like cool spring water. She got to choose. Her life. Her way. “I choose being enough, just as I am,” she finally said, hearing the wonder in her own voice. “I choose joy and fun and play. I choose hard work and passion, even if I fail sometimes.” She slid her hands up his torso to cover his cheeks. “And Cash Kingston, I choose you.”
Forget belly scratches. If she’d commanded that he sit, stay, and roll over, he would go belly up, no questions asked.
“I…ah…think those are some good choices.”
“And I’m staying in Steele Ridge. Whoever isn’t happy about me being here isn’t going to bully me into giving up what I’ve found here.”
“And what have you found?”
“Purpose, meaning, friendship… love.”
Cash closed his eyes to ward off the sharp bite of painful hope in his chest.
Emmy’s lips brushed his, stopped the breath in his lungs. “I love you. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay years ago, but—”
The painful hope transformed into a bright ball of sunshine. The past didn’t matter anymore. Only how they felt about one another now.
He hauled Emmy off her feet and carried her into the greenhouse. With one arm, he swept away a trio of terra-cotta starter planters, barely hearing them scatter to the ground and shatter. Without ceremony or gentleness, he plopped Emmy onto the teak potting bench. He braced his hands on either side of her hips and looked into her eyes. “Say it again,” he demanded.
“I. Love. You.”
Something inside him snapped. Justpop.He grabbed the hem of her tank top and ripped it over her head. Next came those sexy little shorty shorts. Out from under her ass, down her legs, and off her bare feet. “Lift up.”
“What?”
“You’re sitting on wood.”
She rocked one side to another, and he shoved her tank top under her butt. Then he yanked her forward, pulling her off balance so she was forced to hold on to him. His hands gripping her amazing ass, he kissed her.
