Her eyes became glassy. “That might be the most romantic thing I ever heard.”
He was sick of having the table in between them. He needed her closer, much closer. Enough to feel her body, to wrap his arms around her. Close enough that he could press his lips to hers and kiss her until they were both out of breath.
So he did exactly that. Within a moment she was in his arms, cupping her hands around his neck. She kissed him the way he was kissing her, as though neither of them wanted to stop.
When they finally parted – forced by a need for oxygen – she was smiling as broadly as he was, her eyes bright and her cheeks plump. He loved that expression on her face – loved the face itself. And in his heart he knew that he’d tell her just how much he loved her, sooner, rather than later.
* * *
Ember pulled her car up in the school parking lot, pulling the keys out of the ignition, and passing them to Lucas. Until they went and picked his car up after school, hers was the only vehicle he had. “It feels weird coming in at this time,” she said. The fact was, she didn’t want to go in at all. She wanted to take him home, curl back up with him in her bed, and fall asleep in his arms the way they had last night.
After everything that had happened, she wasn’t sure she could stand to be apart from him again.
“I bet it does,” he agreed. “But at least you only have a few hours until you can come home again, and I’ll be waiting here for you.”
And wasn’t that an amazing thing? The knowledge that he’d be here waiting was what she needed to get through the day.
Realistically they’d both have to get used to waiting a lot. Between his shifts and her office hours there would be times where they’d be apart a lot, but those times alone would be filled with the knowledge that they’d be together again soon. Ember was pretty sure she could cope with that.
“I could get used to you picking me up,” she said, grinning at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to jack in the whole firefighting thing and become my personal chauffeur?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Be your kept man?” he said, a wicked grin spreading out across his lips. “Yeah, I think I could stand for that.”
Except he wouldn’t. She knew that, because she knew him. He was as independent as Ember, as dedicated to his profession as she was, too. That’s why they fit together so perfectly. Leaning across the car, she pressed a light kiss to his cheek. “I’ll see you after work, Lieutenant.”
“That you will. Have a good afternoon, Miss Kennedy.” He tipped his head to the left and captured her lips with his. “Don’t work too hard, I have a few plans for this evening.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I do. I figure it’s my turn to take care of you.”
She liked the sound of that, liked the knowledge that he’d be waiting for her. It made her chest feel full, and sent her thoughts spinning. She leaned in for one final kiss, pressing her lips to his cheek. “I love you,” she whispered, then pulled away and opened the car door, fully intending to jump out of the car and leave him with those final words.
But before she could leave he grabbed her hand. She turned to look at him, taking in his serious expression as he stared back into her eyes. “I love you too,” he told her, the sincerity in his voice clear. “So much.”
Was it possible for her smile to get any bigger? She wasn’t sure it could. As she left the car and walked over to the school building, the knowledge of his love filled her up.
She couldn’t wait for this evening. Couldn’t wait for the rest of their lives to begin. As individuals they were strong – they’d both proved that – but together they were indestructible.
No matter how many mistakes they’d made, this flame between them couldn’t be extinguished. It kept growing and growing, and thank goodness for that.
She was happy to let it burn.
Epilogue
“Am I late?” Ember’s mom asked as she walked across the beach, her shoes sinking into the soft sand. “I couldn’t find anywhere to park, it’s busy out here. You’d think it was the middle of summer, not September.”
Ember looked up from the tables she’d been setting. Ally had let her borrow them from the café for the afternoon, letting her set up all the food and drink, ready for people to arrive. “Nope, you’re right on time. Here, take a seat.” She pointed at one of the beach chairs she’d laid out. It was supposed to be a small party, but it had kept growing and growing until she’d lost count of all the people who were coming. It felt good to know she and Lucas had so many people that cared about them. She was delighted that so many of them wanted to share his birthday celebrations with her.
“Do you think he suspects?” her mom asked, putting her bag onto the sand beside the chair, then slumping down.
“Not a thing,” Ember said, shaking her head. “He finished work this morning then headed straight to bed. I’m going to call him in a while and tell him to meet me here for an early evening swim.” She licked her lips, tasting the salt that was clinging to them. “Hopefully he won’t be too shocked.”
“I can’t believe you’ve managed to keep it a secret,” Ally said, slumping down on the chair next to Ember’s mom. She’d just closed up the café for the evening – an early finish so she could celebrate with the rest of them. “Especially in a town like this. I swear half the people know more about me than I do, the jungle drums are powerful here.”
Ember gave her a soft smile, wondering if Ally was referring to all the gossip going around about the café. According to those in the know, it was on the verge of closing for good, thanks to all the money it was losing.
“Well I’m glad we’ve managed to keep it under wraps,” Ember said. “After all the hard work everybody’s put in.”