A Miracle for the Flirtatious K-9 Handler (Love in Sweet Bloom #10)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Emily stared at the empty coffee cup on her desk, the steam from her forgotten beverage now dissipated. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of Paul and how spectacularly they had messed up their relationship.

They had shared a few laughs and moments that made her think for a moment that they might have a real chance at something special. But after this morning’s awkward encounter, she couldn’t help but feel like they’d lost whatever connection they were building.

“Hey, Em,” Cora texted, an alert popping up on Emily’s phone. “You okay? I heard about the fight you had with Paul this morning.”

She looked at the screen with weary eyes. Great, there were rumors already spreading all over town. Just what she needed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just…thinking.”

“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about anything,” Cora responded.

“I don’t know how it happened so quickly,” she texted back. “One moment, we were talking and laughing, and the next, everything crumbled around us.”

“Your ex is what happened.” Emily could hear the contempt in her best friend’s text. “He has a knack for messing things up for you.”

“I know. I was trying to tell Charlie exactly that after church yesterday, but Paul saw us together, and it all got messed up. I tried to explain what happened to Paul this morning, but I must have said something wrong.”

There was a pause for a moment before Cora finally responded. “Or maybe it’s not about what you said, but what you didn’t say,” she suggested. “You’re pretty guarded when it comes to your personal life, especially with guys who wear badges.”

Emily knew Cora was right. Her past experiences dating a man in uniform had left her wary and hesitant to open herself up again. She had vowed never to date another man with a badge, and she’d bailed the first chance things got difficult. And yet, her heart seemed intent on picking Paul over and over.

“Maybe you’re right,” Emily texted back, realizing that her fears and insecurities were holding her back from pursuing happiness. “If I let my past dictate my future, I’ll never be happy. So, what do I do now?”

“Face your fears head-on,” Cora advised. “Talk to Paul. Be honest with him about how you feel. The worst that can happen is that he doesn’t feel the same way, and then at least you’ll know.”

“Right,” Emily agreed, determination settling in her chest. “I won’t let my past hold me back any longer.”

“Good,” Cora typed in all caps. “Now, get yourself a fresh cup of coffee and get back to work. You can talk to Paul when you’re off the clock.”

“Thanks, Cora,” Emily typed with gratitude.

As she focused on her duties as a dispatcher for the rest of her shift, Emily couldn’t help but feel a sense of hope swelling within her. She knew that facing her fears and talking to Paul would be difficult, but it was a necessary step if she wanted to give their budding relationship a real chance.

“Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself, steeling her nerves for the conversation to come as she turned off her computer and headed out of the office.

Emily stepped out of the sheriff’s department, feeling lighter than she had in a long time. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the town as she took a deep breath and prepared to find Paul and have the most important talk of her life.

“Emily,” a familiar voice called out, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around to see her ex-boyfriend, the source of so many of her insecurities, walking toward her with a sheepish smile.

“Can we talk?” Charlie asked, running a hand through his hair nervously. “I wanted to continue our conversation from yesterday.”

“I don’t really see the point,” Emily snapped.

“Well, I do, and I’m not letting you leave until you hear me out.

“Fine,” she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “What do you want?”

“Look,” he began, taking a deep breath. “I made a mistake, okay? I screwed up, and I want you back. I’ve got this amazing job in Dallas, and I want you to come live with me there.”

“Are you serious?” Emily scoffed, incredulous at his audacity. “You really think I’d uproot my life for you after how you treated me?”

“Emily, I know I wasn’t the greatest boyfriend when we were together—” he started, but she cut him off.

“Wasn’t the greatest? You were horrible. You always put yourself first, never considering what I wanted or needed.” Emily felt anger boiling within her as she confronted him, memories of their failed relationship flooding back. “You didn’t care about my feelings, only your own selfish desires.”

“Emily, I can change,” he pleaded, desperation in his eyes. “Please, just give me another chance.”

“Sorry,” she said coldly, finally letting go of her past hurt. “But that ship has sailed. It’s over, for good.”

“Is it because of that other guy? The new K-9 handler Sheriff Hart hired? I heard the two of you have been carrying on for the past month or so. I guess a leopard doesn’t change its spots. Once a badge bunny, always a badge bunny.”

Emily’s jaw dropped, her face flushing with anger. “How dare you? You have no right to judge me or my relationships. And for your information, Paul is twice the man you’ll ever be.”

Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “Oh really? Then where is he now? Shouldn’t he be here defending your honor?”

As if on cue, Paul’s voice rang out behind them. “Is there a problem here?”

Emily turned to see Paul approaching, his brow furrowed with concern, with Maddox right by his side. Relief washed over her at the sight of him.

“No problem,” Charlie said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Just catching up with my girl.”

Paul came to stand beside Emily, his presence reassuring. “Well, from what she’s told me, she isn’t your girl anymore.”

“Or yours, either,” he stated with a vengeful cackle. “If Sheriff Hart doesn’t watch out, she’ll be going after the new rookie soon enough.”

Emily’s eyes flashed with anger. “That’s enough, Charlie. You need to leave. Now.”

Paul stepped forward, his jaw clenched. “You heard her. Walk away before this gets ugly.”

Maddox growled, sensing the tension in his partner’s body.

Charlie sneered but took a step back, sensing he was outnumbered. “Fine. Have fun with your new boy toy, Emily. Just don’t come crawling back to me when you end up ruining this, too.”

As Charlie stalked off, Emily let out a shaky breath. She turned to Paul, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry you had to hear all that.”

Paul’s expression softened. “Hey, it’s okay. Are you all right?”

Emily nodded, wiping at her eyes. “I will be. I just... I can’t believe he showed up like this. Everything was perfect before he had to go and ruin it.”

“It doesn’t have to be ruined if we don’t want it to be,” he whispered as he gently wiped another tear from her cheek. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Emily hesitated, then nodded. “Actually, yes. There’s a lot I need to say to you. Can we go somewhere more private?”

“Of course,” Paul said. He gestured to his car. “Want to take a drive?”

Emily smiled gratefully. “That sounds great.”

As they walked to Paul’s vehicle, Maddox trotted alongside them, Emily felt a weight lifting from her shoulders. The last of her walls crumbled, and she was finally ready to open up and let Paul in completely. She knew there would be challenges ahead—their jobs weren’t easy, and opening her heart again was scary. But looking at Paul, she felt ready to face whatever came their way.

They drove in comfortable silence for a while, the sun sinking lower on the horizon. Emily gathered her courage, knowing it was time to lay all her cards on the table.

“Paul,” she began, her voice soft but determined. “I’m sorry about this morning. I should have explained things better. The truth is, I’ve been guarded because of what happened to me in my past, and at the first sign of trouble, I took it as a chance to bail. But I don’t want to let my past hold me back anymore.”

Paul’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry, too. I have to admit, seeing you two together threw me off a bit. I jumped to conclusions without giving you a chance to explain.”

“It’s okay. I probably would have done the same thing if it had been reversed. But just so you know, I was telling Charlie yesterday that I had moved on with my life and was happy, but he followed me to my car and wouldn’t let up. I finally got away from him, but I was so upset I needed time to calm down. Then I went to tell you I overreacted at the ice rink, but that didn’t go well.”

“I know. That was my fault,” Paul told her with a shake of his head. “I let my hurt pride get in the way of listening to you. I won’t do that again.”

“I guess Charlie didn’t believe me when I told him I was over him, so he came here today to convince me to go to Dallas with him.”

“Well, I’m glad I got there when I did.”

Emily nodded, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over her. “Me too. I was handling it, but I’m glad, in the end, Charlie saw we were a united front.”

Paul glanced at her, his expression softening. “Emily, I want you to know that I don’t think of you the way Charlie implied. You’re not just some ‘badge bunny’ to me.”

She felt her cheeks flush. “I know. And I hope you know that’s not who I am. My past with Charlie...it made me wary of getting involved with anyone in law enforcement again. But you’re different, Paul.”

He reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad you feel that way because I care about you, Emily. A lot.”

Her heart skipped a beat at his words. “I care about you too,” she admitted softly. “More than I’ve cared about anyone in a long time. And that scares me a little.” She looked over at Paul and took a deep breath. “I’m really happy that we’re giving this a chance, but I think we need to be honest about the challenges we’ll face, especially at work.”

“Absolutely,” he agreed, his thumb gently caressing her knuckles. “We both know that dating a coworker can be...complicated.”

“Definitely,” she sighed, her mind filling with thoughts of whispered comments and disapproving glances from their colleagues. “And with you being a K-9 handler and me being a dispatcher, it’s not like we can keep our relationship a secret for long.”

“True.” Paul nodded thoughtfully. “But we can handle whatever comes our way as long as we’re open and honest with each other.”

“Exactly,” Emily said, her green eyes shining with determination. “I don’t want any secrets between us. And that means we have to talk about our insecurities and fears, too.”

He leaned in closer, his brown eyes filled with warmth and understanding. “I couldn’t agree more, Emily. I promise to always be there for you, no matter what.”

“Thank you, Paul,” she whispered, touched by his sincerity. “That means so much to me. I have to admit, I’m still a little scared because of what happened in my past. But I know that you’re different, and I trust you.”

“Your trust means everything to me,” he said earnestly. “And I understand your fears. I have some of my own. Like, what if my focus on my K-9 duties gets in the way of our relationship?”

“Then we’ll work through it together,” she assured him, squeezing his hand. “We just need to be open about how we’re feeling and make sure we’re always communicating.”

“Agreed,” he said, a genuine smile gracing his lips. “I’m confident that if we put in the effort and support each other, we can overcome any obstacles and build something truly amazing together.”

“Me too,” Emily replied as Paul pulled the car over to the side of the road.

He turned to face her fully, his eyes locking with hers, his gaze intense and sincere. “Emily, I want you to know that I’m all in. Whatever challenges we face, whatever obstacles come our way, I’m committed to making this work.”

Emily felt her heart swell with emotion. “I’m all in, too, Paul. I don’t want to let fear hold me back anymore.”

He leaned in closer, his voice soft. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

When she didn’t move away, Paul’s lips met hers. A surge of warmth and contentment washed over her as she melted into his kiss, feeling as though all the pieces were finally falling into place.

When they finally pulled apart, both slightly breathless, Emily couldn’t help but laugh softly. “I think Maddox approves,” she said, nodding toward the backseat where the German shepherd sat, tail wagging happily.

Paul chuckled, reaching back to pat Maddox’s head. “He’s a good judge of character.”

Emily couldn’t help but laugh. “So, what now?” she asked.

Paul grinned. “Well, I was thinking we could grab some dinner. Maybe take Maddox for a walk in the park afterward? Start this thing for real.”

“I’d like that,” Emily replied, her heart feeling lighter than it had in years.

And as they drove back toward town, Emily knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together. And for the first time in a long time, she was excited about what the future might hold.