Page 43 of Light on Love
Lifting her chin, he examines her face where she had been struck. “Are you okay?” he asks, worry in his eyes. She responds by pulling him in to a kiss. Her lips are desperate for him, a moment ago thinking she was kissing him for the last time. Laurel leans back and runs a hand down his neck to his chest. Her palm lays flat over his heart, as if she needs proof that he’s truly alive and in front of her.
“I love you,” she murmurs. “I love you, Brett.”
He leans his forehead against hers in relief. “God, that feels good to hear. I love you, so much, Laurel.”
—
Brett stands with his arm around Laurel, keeping her tucked in close, as he confers with the authorities in the kitchen. They called Captain Ireland already, he and Ray jumped on a flight immediately, en route to get Laurel. Currently, the local authorities are cataloging the scene and collecting the body. The plan is for Laurel to return to Virginia to give her official testimony at the captain’s insistence. A team of military police were dispatched to Harrison’s home in Virginia as well, finding and collecting the information needed for a SEAL team to locate and take down the terror cell he had been working with.
It’s all happening in an instant, and Laurel is overwhelmed by the idea of being whisked back to the East Coast. She’s notready to be apart from Brett. He rubs her arm and guides her to sit at the island as the officer finishes his questions and walks away.
“How are you feeling, honey? I’m so sorry I let him get in, that it got to that point. I’m sorry you had to witness someone being killed.”
Laurel wraps her arms around his waist and rests her face against his chest. “Brett, you saved my life. You have nothing to be sorry about. And… I feel relieved, which is then making me feel guilty. I’ve seen worse from the operations I’ve watched, but it’s different in person.”
Brett kisses her gently, “it’s very different in person. And it’s okay to be relieved. He was hunting you, making you live in fear and threatening your life. There’s nothing for you to feel guilty about.”
His phone goes off, alerting them to Ray and the captain’s arrival.It’s too soon, they got here so fast, she thinks with dread as her escorts approach. She’s anxious that she hasn’t gotten any time alone with Brett to talk about what happens after this.
Ray rushes across the room to them, clasping both her and Brett into hug.“You guys good?” he asks.
Laurel nods wordlessly. Brett though, responds with his war fighter persona securely in place, “I’m never on the wrong side of a firefight, brother.”
Ray chuckles and nods, “my guy.” Then he turns to Laurel, “I told you he’d keep you safe.” He clasps Brett’s shoulder, “a legend.”
Captain comes to stand beside Ray, “thank you, Hayes, for protecting our extraordinary analyst.” He shakes Brett’s hand then turns to Laurel, “let’s get you packed and get going. I want to close this fast.”
Her legs move, despite her brain caught in a fog, and the captain follows her towards the stairs to get her bags. Laurelstops to look over her shoulder at Brett who had been roped into a conversation with Ray. He lifts his eyes to meet hers, the sadness she’s feeling mirrored in his look.
25
Laurel sits on the bench outside the conference room. On the other side of the door, they are preparing to collect her testimony. She adjusts her black and brown herringbone blazer and drums her fingers against her thigh, clad in black tailored pants.
Glancing down at her heels, she feels a pang of sadness that they aren’t her cowgirl boots sticking out from under jeans. She’s nervous, and barely slept last night, her townhome feeling foreign and cold. The city was so loud, and she had stared at her phone for an hour trying to decide if Brett would want to hear from her. Unsure of what to say, she eventually gave up. She had texted her brothers instead, telling them she was home, and then put her phone down, crying herself to sleep.
She tries to push Brett from her thoughts, telling herself to focus on the testimony she’s about to give. But why hadn’t he contacted her since she left yesterday? Then again, she was too nervous to contact him. What would she say after they admitted to loving one another and then she was swiftly rushed away from him? She didn’t even know if he wanted her to come back, or in what capacity. Had he considered them together during those months?
In an effort to refocus, Laurel reaches for the stack of files on the bench beside her. She opens the top one to begin reviewing. Inside the cover though, she’s surprised to see a bright orange post-it note.
I love you.
I’ll keep loving you.
When you’re ready, come home.
Laurel reads the three sentences scrawled on the orange square in Brett’s handwriting, her breath hitching. Then she reads them again. The third time her eyes scan the note, she is starting to tear up.
“Dr. Montgomery, they’re ready for you.”
Laurel looks up at the uniformed man in the doorway. She quickly slides the note in her pocket, collects her files, and follows him inside.
—
“A deal is a deal. And you earned it. The board was extremely impressed in your testimony too, you’re a real asset.”
Laurel looks up at the captain, seated in his office after going on record. Anasset. The word rattles in her head.
That’s what Harrison had called her. The captain still isn’t considering her a team member, but rather a tool. Despite enjoying her work, this life now feels emptier than before.