Page 21 of Blind Date With a Cop
“Yes, you do.” She returns to her chair, calm but unyielding. “You need to see him. Once you see him alive, strong, with no tubes, no wires—you’ll stop crying. I guarantee it.”
“Maybe,” I whisper. “Maybe not.”
Rene sighs. “Because you’re my best friend, I’ll give you one last chance to do this on your own. But if you don’t, I’m texting Blake, and he’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
“Don’t you dare.” Panic surges through my stomach. “I’m not ready. Look at my face—it’s a mess. I’ll call him tomorrow, I promise.”
“Nope.” She stands, walking to the door. “I gave you time. Now, I’m taking charge.”
“I’m not calling him today!” My voice cracks. “I need to think about what to say.”
She sets her hand on the doorknob, looking back at me. “When I open this door, you’ll be furious with me. But one day, you’ll forgive me.”
“What—”
She opens the door.
Blake steps inside, his arm in a sling. He’s a little pale, but he’s alive. So achingly alive.
Rene slips out, shutting the door behind him.
I clutch my chest. Breath stutters out of me in a sob I can’t hold back.
“You,” my voice cracks, broken and raw, “you could’ve died.”
In two strides, Blake is there, wrapping his good arm around me, holding me tight against the steady beat of his heart.
Then I fall apart—in a mess of ugly, unstoppable tears.
And he never leaves.
Chapter Sixteen
Blake
Cassie is a mess in my arms—sobbing, hiccupping, her nose pressed against my chest, tears soaking through my shirt. But I don’t care. I’ve never held anything so precious.
“Shhh, baby,” I murmur, pressing my lips to her hair. “I’m right here. I’m okay.”
She shakes her head, her voice muffled and broken. “You almost died, Blake. You almost?—”
“I didn’t,” I cut in gently but firmly, pulling her tighter against me. “I’m here. Breathing. Holding you. And I swear to God, Cassie, I’m not going anywhere.”
Her shoulders quake, and something inside me snaps wide open. I can’t wait another second. She has to know.
I cup her face in my good hand, tilting her chin until her wet green eyes meet mine. “Listen to me. The second I saw you—before I even knew your name—I knew you were mine. And every day since then? Every word, every laugh, every kiss—it’s sunk deeper. You’re under my skin, baby. In my blood. In my bones.”
Her lip trembles, tears sliding fresh down her cheeks.
“I took a bullet last week, and lying on that street, the only thing I saw was your face. The only thing I thought was,God, don’t let me leave her.” My throat burns, but I push through. “Life is short, Cassie. Too damn short. I don’t want to waste one minute of it without you. I want you. All of you. Every day. Every night. I want to fall asleep holding you, and I want you to be the first thing I see in the morning.”
“Blake…”
“I know my job’s dangerous,” I press on, because she needs to hear this. “Being a cop, it’s who I am. But if you told me right now to walk away, I would. I’d hang up the badge tomorrow because you matter more. You are my life now.”
She shakes her head quickly, gripping my shirt. “No, Blake. I would never ask you to give that up. It’s who you are—it’s what you were born to do.” She sniffles. “Rene told me…you could be a cop, or a brick mason, or an electrician, and life could still take you from me. And honestly, I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
Her eyes blaze through her tears, and my heart damn near breaks with the force of it.
