I pulled the wildflowers from behind my back, holding them out like an offering. A few stems had gotten slightly crushed in my nervous grip, but the purple and yellow blooms still stood proud, untamed in their beauty, just like the woman they were meant for.
“You said peace doesn’t stay long where love is involved, but I think we can prove that wrong.”
She set aside her pen, eyes moving between my face and the flowers like she was trying to read something written in invisible ink between us. Then she reached up, took the bouquet, and brought it close to breathe in their scent.
“They’re beautiful, and unexpected,” she said softly.
A small smile tugged at my mouth. “Good unexpected, or ‘security’s about to escort you off campus’ unexpected?”
She laughed that free sound I hadn’t heard nearly enough of. “Definitely good, but you still haven’t answered my question. What brings Birmingham’s chief of police to my little spot?”
I lowered myself to the grass beside her. “I resigned. Officially. Paperwork all signed and processed as of this morning.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Wait, I knew they suspended you, but . . . resigned? Are you sure that’s what you want?”
I held her gaze, wanting her to see the certainty I felt. “I’m sure. The DOJ position is official, too. I start in three weeks.”
“Whaaat! Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I’m asking you to stay after your lecture series, Nia.”
She set the flowers carefully on top of her stacked papers, buying herself time. I recognized the gesture, having seen her use it in community forums when she was gathering her thoughts, making sure her response was measured and true.
“You’re choosing this over your badge? Over the position you worked your whole career for?”
“I’m choosing us, and the truth is that badge stopped fitting right a long time ago. Maybe it never did. I just got so used to wearing it,” I corrected gently.
The sun caught the gold flecks in her eyes as she studied me, her expression thoughtful. “And what about the work you were doing in Birmingham? The reforms you were pushing for?”
“Still believe in all of it, but now I’ll be doing it from a different angle, one with actual teeth. I want to build a life where loving each other strengthens us, not divides. I want to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep with you every night.”
Surprise flickered across her face.
“That’s a lot of certainty for a man who just walked away from everything he knew,” she commented.
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
“Who are you now? Without the badge, without the uniform, who is Ronan Banks?”
I could have given her the professional answer: ex-police chief, future DOJ investigator, law enforcement reformer. Could have wrapped myself in new titles to replace the old ones, but that wasn’t what she was really asking. And it wasn’t what I needed to say.
“I’m still a man who believes in the work, just not from behind a badge.”
For years, I’d defined myself by my job, my authority, and the respect that came with it. I’d worn the title Chief Banks like armor, but sitting here with Nia, seeing the way she looked at me, none of those titles mattered as much as who I was without them.
“You make it sound so simple.”
I lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I’m tired of complicating something that feels right just because the world says it shouldn’t.”
“I’ve spent my whole career fighting systems. I never really thought about building something instead, but now that you mention it, I’m tired, too.”
“Maybe it’s time we both tried something new.”
“I think I’d like to find out what that looks like.” Nia smiled.
I stood up first, brushing grass from my jeans before extending both hands to Nia. She looked up at me, placing her hands on mine. I pulled her to her feet with perhaps a little more force than necessary, bringing her body close enough to mine that I could feel the heat of her, smell the faint scent of whatever she put in her hair.
Her papers scattered across the grass as she rose, caught in the sudden breeze of our movement, but neither of us looked down or away. Some things mattered more than perfect order.
