Page 41 of Taken from Her (Phoenix Ridge Police Department #4)

"Your apartment or my houseboat. Or something new that belongs to both of us." Lavender felt excitement building as possibility took shape. "The houseboat is too small for two people long-term, but I love living on the water. Your apartment's practical but doesn't quite feel like home."

Diana leaned forward. "What would feel like home?"

"Space for both of us to work. A kitchen where we can cook together.

Room for Saffron and Basil to claim their territory.

Views of the harbor but also the community.

" Lavender's voice carried growing certainty.

"Somewhere that feels like an extension of what we've built together instead of a compromise between what we had separately. "

"That sounds..." Diana paused, testing the words. "That sounds like planning a future."

"Isn’t that what we're doing?"

"I think so." Diana's smile was tentative but genuine. "I want to wake up next to you more mornings than not. I want to solve cases with your insights and facilitate community meetings with your emotional intelligence. I want to build something that makes both of us better."

Lavender felt tears threaten from overwhelming recognition that they were choosing each other, not just for now but for whatever came next.

"What about the work? Your department, my café, and the collaborative approach we've developed?"

"We keep building on it." Diana's voice carried professional excitement alongside personal commitment.

"Even when it's complicated?"

"Especially when it's complicated." Diana leaned closer, her free hand finding Lavender's cheek. "Simple never taught us anything worth knowing."

"The community will have expectations. About us, about what our relationship means for Phoenix Ridge's future."

"Let them. We'll exceed every expectation because we're stronger together than apart." Diana's certainty was absolute. "Whatever comes next, we face it as partners."

Lavender leaned into Diana's touch, feeling the last of her emotional walls dissolve. Not the protective barriers that kept her safe during community crises, but the personal defenses that had prevented her from believing she could have both meaningful work and deep love.

"I'm in love with you," she said, the words carrying weight beyond previous declarations. "Not just attracted, not just grateful for what we've built. I'm completely, permanently, build-a-life-together in love with you."

"I'm in love with you too." Diana's voice was steady, certain. "I want everything. Shared mornings, collaborative work, community that accepts us as family, and a future that honors both our commitments."

Lavender closed her eyes, absorbing the certainty in Diana's voice and the recognition that they'd survived not just external threats but internal fears about their compatibility and sustainability.

When she opened her eyes, Diana was studying her face with an expression that carried both tenderness and determination.

"What are you thinking?" Lavender asked.

"That I've never wanted anything the way I want this. A shared purpose and life that serves something larger than my own achievements." Diana's smile was soft but fierce. "I want to love you and serve this community for the next thirty years."

"Thirty years?"

"At least. Maybe forty if we take good care of ourselves."

Lavender laughed, the sound carrying joy and possibility. "That sounds like a plan worth making."

"Then let's make it."

Outside the hospital windows, Phoenix Ridge stretched toward the harbor where their life together waited.

Not just resumed routines, but new territory built on everything they'd discovered about partnership, collaboration, and the courage required to love someone completely while serving something larger than themselves.

The monitoring equipment continued its steady beeping, but Lavender barely heard it anymore. All her attention focused on the woman beside her and the future they were finally ready to build together.

The evening shift brought unexpected visitors. Lavender heard familiar voices in the hallway—not just community members this time, but the distinct cadence of police radio chatter and the efficient footsteps of people accustomed to tactical coordination.

Diana looked up from her tablet where she'd been reviewing discharge paperwork. "Sounds like my team."

"And mine," Lavender added, recognizing Georgia's authoritative tone directing what sounded like an impromptu logistics operation.

Detective Julia Scott appeared in the doorway first, followed by Captain Michelle Reyes and Detective Morgan Rivers. Behind them came Georgia, Sam, and Elle, all carrying bags that suggested coordinated meal delivery.

"Chief," Julia said, relief all over her face. "How are you both holding up?"

"Better," Diana replied, standing to greet her team. "Status report?"

"Federal prosecutors are calling it the most comprehensive trafficking bust in West Coast history," Michelle said, settling into one of the extra chairs nursing staff had quietly provided. "Your community intelligence approach is being studied by departments in six states."

Morgan opened her laptop, excitement breaking through her professional restraint. "Media requests are coming in from law enforcement journals, community policing advocacy groups, and academic researchers. Everyone wants to understand how Phoenix Ridge developed such effective collaboration."

"That's Lavender's achievement as much as mine," Diana said, her hand finding Lavender's automatically. "Community trust doesn't happen because police decide to be trustworthy. It happens because community leaders create space for partnership."

Georgia unpacked containers that filled the room with the scent of homemade soup and fresh bread. "Well said, Chief. Though I suspect this partnership goes deeper than professional collaboration."

Julia's smile was knowing. "We've noticed some changes in the chief's approach over the past few months. She’s been more intuitive and effective with community members."

"Changes for the better," Michelle added. "The department's never been more effective or had better community relations."

Lavender felt warmth spread through her chest at hearing Diana's professional family validate what they'd built together. Not just personal happiness, but recognition that their relationship enhanced their service to others.

"How's the community processing everything?" Morgan asked, addressing Lavender directly.

"Stronger than before the crisis," Lavender replied. "The safety networks worked exactly like they were designed to. People knew what to do, how to coordinate with law enforcement, and how to support each other during trauma."

Sam nodded enthusiastically. "The buddy system and communication protocols you and Chief Marten developed probably saved lives beyond just the kidnapping. People feel safer because they know how to keep each other safe."

Elle leaned forward in her chair. "The café's become a model for other communities too. We've had calls from LGBTQ+ organizations in Portland, Seattle, even San Francisco asking about replicating what we've built here."

"What you've built together," Georgia corrected, her sharp gaze moving between Diana and Lavender. "Personal excellence is admirable, but partnership creates something neither person could achieve alone."

Julia laughed. "Georgia, are you giving relationship advice to the chief?"

"I'm recognizing a successful collaboration when I see it." Georgia's expression carried satisfaction at being proved right about something. "These two make each other better at everything they do. Personal happiness that serves professional excellence and community wellbeing."

Diana's hand tightened around Lavender's. "Georgia's right. Lavender makes me a better chief, and I hope I make her more effective at community leadership."

"You do," Lavender confirmed. "Having institutional resources that actually support our informal networks instead of competing with them changes everything about how community care works."

"Speaking of institutional support,” Michelle said, “there's been discussion about formalizing the community liaison position. This would make collaboration part of the official department structure instead of just an innovative practice."

"What would that look like?" Diana asked.

"A new community advocate position with real authority, budget allocation for collaborative programming, and official protocols for partnership between formal and informal networks.

" Morgan's technical mind worked through implementation details.

"Essentially, making what you and Lavender developed into a replicable policy. "

Lavender felt her excitement building. "That could transform how public safety works in communities that need alternatives to traditional policing."

"It could," Julia agreed. "But it would require the right people in leadership positions. People who understand both institutional requirements and community dynamics."

"People like you two," Sam said directly.

The suggestion hung in the air, loaded with possibility. Not just continuing their current collaboration, but expanding it into something that could influence broader approaches to community policing and public safety.

"That's a conversation for when everyone's recovered from recent trauma," Diana said diplomatically. "But the potential is intriguing."

Georgia stood, beginning to pack empty containers. "In the meantime, the community's planning a celebration feast for this weekend. Nothing overwhelming, just everyone expressing gratitude for your safe return and recognition of what you've accomplished together."

"Both communities?" Lavender asked.

"All of Phoenix Ridge," Michelle replied. "The police department, lesbian community, local businesses, city government. Everyone whose lives have been improved by what you've developed."

"Is that overwhelming?" Julia asked, studying Diana's expression.