Page 114 of Phoenix

He looks so handsome in his uniform and hat. There’s a bit of scruff on his chin that he slides his fingers against as he ponders what to say next.

"A very special woman once quoted Mark Twain to me. ‘Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.’ I kept repeating that in my mind over and over. Not because the words applied to that particular situation, but because her voice in my head kept me moving forward.”

My heart stops beating in my chest and tears fill my eyes before falling down my cheeks like rain.

“Courage is standing up to your demons, and if I may quote the greatest television show in history, ‘Not today.’ Thank you for the honor.”

He backs away from the microphone as applause erupts once again, but I don’t move. I’m frozen, quietly crying with a hand pressed into my chest, but also laughing. He would quote Game of Thrones right now.

I love this man so much it hurts me, and all I want to do is bolt from this chair, straight into his arms.

So that’s what I do.

I shimmy past the few people who are in the chairs beside me and step into the empty aisle. I need to get to him. I have to get to him.

“Case,” I say, louder than I intend and all eyes turn toward me...including his.

“Phoenix?” He matches my frozen stance, as if he can’t believe I’m standing here.

My eyes leave his for a moment to find Amelia and Grayson. They both seem a mixture of confused and surprised, but there are smiles on their faces.

You could hear a pin drop in this room. It’s completely silent, save for the click of camera shutters, no doubt waiting for drama to unleash.

I take a step forward, one foot after the other, toward him on that stage.

With the help of his chief, he steps off the stage and starts toward me. I pick up into a run. Nothing else matters right now except getting to him. Holding him. Touching him. Making sure he’s okay.

He’s a mere foot away from me when I begin to speak. “Case, I—”

I don’t get a chance to finish, because once he is able to get his hands on me, he pulls me into his body and lays a deep kiss directly on my lips, ending my sentence right then and there.

The world disappears around us. We are floating alone.

You know the big kiss at the end of a romantic comedy, where the couple makes up and has their big, final kiss? And the camera spins around them showing the kiss from all angles?

That’s what this kiss is like. It’s what I feel. It’s sweeping me off my feet.

When he finally ends the kiss, he keeps his hand on my cheek and caresses my lips with his thumb.

“Sorry for interrupting you. I’ve just fucking missed you—and I almost died—so if you were going to leave me again after saying what you needed to say, I at least wanted one more kiss.” He smiles that wicked grin I can’t get enough of. “You can continue now.”

But I, once again, am interrupted by the hoots and hollers of the crowd around us. At the end of the day, everyone loves a love story.

I push up on my toes and speak into his ear. “Can we talk somewhere private? I mean, I don’t want to steal you from your ceremony or anything, but...” I lower myself back to my feet and stare up into his eyes.

“Ceremony is over. I’m just expected for a dinner later this evening.” He takes my hand. “Come on, we can talk back here.”

He leads me across the front of the crowd, pausing to whisper something to the gentleman who presented him the medal, giving me a chance to finally talk to Amelia.

“What the hell, Nor? What’s going on?” She hugs me tight.

“I promise, I’ll come find you later and explain everything, okay?” I say, kissing her cheek.

“I hope not. I hope he keeps you busy and convinces you to stop being stubborn,” she says, before she swats my ass. “Go. Your man is waiting.”

I turn around to see Case and Arya waiting for me at the side of the stage. I take a breath and march toward him and slide my hand into his.

Case

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