Page 58 of Burning Hearts
Cade rolled onto the bed beside me until his forehead found mine. I could smell the salt of his skin mixed with hotel soap and the lingering scent of whatever this new thing was.
“Hey,” I said, my brain pleasantly short-circuited.
“Hey,” he said back, voice rough around the edges.
We stayed exactly where we’d landed; moving felt like tempting fate.
“You good?” he asked.
“Better than good,” I said with a smile.
We lay there in the soft buzz of afterglow, breathing like we’d finally caught up with ourselves. Cade reached for the tray and grabbed two waters.
“Hydrate,” he murmured, as if it were non-negotiable.
“Yes, sir,” I said, and only realized how it sounded after it was out.
We sank back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. I let the glass rest on my chest and watched it rise and fall.
Cade looked over, hair a mess, and said, “I don’t have words I trust yet. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and make it smaller than it is.”
My heart jumped but I tried to play it cool. I’d been hoping it wasn’t insignificant for him.
“You don’t have to name it tonight,” I said. “We’re allowed to just… be in it.”
That got me a soft laugh. He slid his hand across the quilt until his fingers found mine and stayed there.
Warm, solid, real.
“Off the record?” Cade asked.
“All of it,” I said. “No cameras, no comments. Just us.”
He stared at the ceiling for a moment.
“I’m not confused,” he said finally, his voice low. “I’m careful. I know what I’m choosing.”
“Good,” I said with a smile. “Careful works for me.”
His thumb traced slow circles over my knuckle.
“Tomorrow, I’m the same guy,” he murmured. “I keep people steady, I keep the town calm.”
“And tonight?” I asked.
He turned his head, met my eyes without flinching. “Tonight, I stay,” he said. “If you want me to.”
“Yeah,” I answered, softly. “I do.”
The hotel buzzed around us, the door stayed shut, and our hands stayed exactly where they were.
For once, I didn’t need a script or a segment title. I knew what this was.
EPILOGUE
ELLIS - THREE MONTHS LATER
The Riverfield Jubileealways made Main Street look beautiful. Someone tested a mic at the bronze peach, kids ran around in paper crowns, and a marching band tuned in the distance.
