Page 147 of Cuffed (Everyday Heroes 1)
“Not soon enough,” I grumble but take a little bit of what he says to heart. Maybe I did make a difference.
“And the promotion.” He shakes his head. “I’m not Chief Ramos, but I have walked in his shoes a time or two. You were technically in the wrong, but if the department is smart, they’ll take the attention and turn it into good PR. With all the bad cop stories surfacing constantly, they’ll have no problem highlighting how they had an officer who went above and beyond to protect and serve.”
“I don’t want the limelight dad. I just want my job.” I sigh.
“You’ll still have it. Take the suspension, enjoy the time off. I wouldn’t be surprised if that promotion is yours within six months to a year. If it isn’t, then it isn’t. You still get to do what you love every day. There will be other chances.”
I murmur in agreement, having a hard time believing him when I’m in the midst of the chaos.
“And then there’s Emerson. She should be hurt by what you did. Intent matters, but it isn’t all that matters. You know that. So, all she knows is your intent, even though she doesn’t know your reasons behind it. You violated her privacy, Grant. It’ll take time, but you’ll redeem yourself.”
The sound of Em’s voice when she called out my name tonight rings in my ears.
Maybe I redeemed myself a bit already. If I did, it wasn’t intentional, but then again, neither was loving her.
“Just remember when you’re building a relationship, you need to hear what the other person isn’t saying. Those are the words that are the most important.”
I remember the look she gave me tonight. The pride and the pain. The will and the want. The apology and the blame. So many unspoken words I heard loud and clear.
“Do you love her?” The sincerity in his question throws me.
But the honesty in my answer does even more so. “Yeah, I do.”
I’m not sure what I expected his reaction to be, but he just nods as if my answer is no surprise to him and gets a soft smile on his lips. “Then these little blips will be worth it. You’ll recover from the fallout. She’ll forgive you.”
“Trust is a hard thing to earn back.”
“Agreed.” He gives a measured nod. “But remember, you don’t need to know the details of her past to love her heart in the present.”
I fall silent as I mull his words over and know they are truer than I care to admit. I think of all I’ve done thus far to prove to her I w
ant her to stay and all the things I haven’t even gotten to show her yet.
“You’ve always loved that girl,” he says softly, as if he’s remembering back, and I wish I could, but so many of my memories are of her not being there. “Have you told her yet?”
“I’m not sure she’s ready to hear it.”
Or maybe I’m afraid that, if she does, she’ll run.
“You don’t give her enough credit. She’s tougher than you think, and maybe that’s where you’ve underestimated her. You have to be all in or get all out. There is no halfway when it comes to love.”
There’s nothing I can say in response so I watch as he walks to the door of the conference room. “And there’s no time like the present since she’s been sitting out in the waiting room for the past several hours.”
“What?”
“Ramos told me you were free to go when I was done with you.”
The lights of the passing cars glance across Grant’s face as he drives to his house. They paint a vivid picture of the emotions roiling beneath the surface.
Or so I can guess.
Because other than saying, “Let’s go,” before he grabbed my hand and led me from the police station, he hasn’t said a word.
He’s been on autopilot. Get in the car. Start it. Seatbelt. Drive in silence—the pulsing of the muscle in his jaw, the flexing of his hands from gripping the steering wheel so tight, the dancing of his eyes between his mirrors and the road. Pull in the driveway. Park.
The house is dark when we enter, silent except for the sounds of our breathing, and we stand facing each other for the longest of moments.
We don’t speak.
