Page 114 of One Lucky Hero (Men in Uniform 1)

Instead, she said, “Thank you so much for coming. I know it means a lot to Casey.”

And me.

“Of course I’d come for Casey”—he hesitated—“but I can’t stay. I just wanted to say hi.”

Disappointment sat like chalk on her tongue, the bitter taste in her mouth turning her stomach. “Oh, well, sure. I’m glad you did.”

“I just . . . ” Violet watched his throat work as he struggled and finally shook his head. “Yeah, I can’t do this.”

He spun away from Violet and walked around the side of the house. Violet could feel dozens of eyes on her, and her face burned as he disappeared.

Go after him. What are you waiting for?

But she couldn’t seem to make her feet work, until someone literally pushed her from behind. Violet stumbled and glared over her shoulder at her little brother.

“Why did you push me?”

“Because you’re just standing there like an idiot when you should be running after him.”

Sure, she’d been thinking it, but it was another matter to have her brother call her on it.

“Seriously, Vi, if you don’t hurry, he’s going to be gone, and you need him. Hell, I need him . . . to distract

you so you’ll stop making me watch those crappy movies you like.”

Violet choked on a laugh, knowing her brother was right. Not about how crappy her movies were, but the other thing.

She needed Dean.

Racing after him, she hit the front walkway as he was climbing into his truck.

“Dean! Wait!”

He paused, and as he looked around, she noted his exasperated expression and ignored it.

“I’m sorry. For how I left things—”

“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just shown up here like this.”

“But I’m glad you did—”

“Look, Violet—”

“No.” She rounded the tailgate and stood in front of him, breathing hard. “I don’t want to look anymore. I don’t want to search for reasons why things won’t work out between us. Since the moment we met, we have put everything else before being with each other, and I’m done. We’ve been thrown back into each other’s path again and again, and I don’t want to miss my last chance.”

While she caught her breath, he shook his head. “Or the universe is trying to tell us that we’re one of those couples who care about each other but can’t be together.”

“No, I don’t believe that. I think that the reason that it hasn’t worked is because we were both afraid and holding back. I know I was. I was afraid that if I let you in, you were going to be another person I put before everything I wanted, but I realized that no one was getting in the way of me living but me. And I can’t live without you.”

“You seem to be doing all right,” he said.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she laughed bitterly. “I’m not living, Dean. I had no idea what if felt like to be alive until you. I can be without you, I can go to work and school and be with my family, but it’s not complete. For the longest time, I didn’t know who I was, but I do now. I’m someone who loves to cook, and maybe I will open a restaurant one day, or maybe it will just remain a passion. I hate working at the hotline, and after the new year, I’ll be looking for something else. I don’t want to dwell on the past and continuously worry about my future. Instead of concentrating on all the drama, I want to be grateful for all that’s right in my world. Raising Casey and Daisy was the hardest thing I’d ever done until now, and you know, I don’t regret a second of it, even the bad times. I’d do it again, because they are a part of me. Just like you. Even if you get in that truck and I never see you again, that missing piece will go with you and I’ll never be complete.”

Dean’s hard expression eased a bit, and his mouth kicked up at the corner, a small smile, but it gave Violet a mountain of hope.

“Did you just tell me that I complete you?”

“In so many words, yes.”