Blaze finally grabbed the phone.
But he didn’t answer.
He waited until the voicemail picked up before tossing the phone back onto the console harder than necessary.
Another missed call.
Another decision he kept refusing to make.
Blaze headed back toward the marina while ocean wind swept through the dark streets of Sheraton Beach. Earlier rain still slicked the pavement, reflecting storefront lights in blurred ribbons of gold and blue. He drove without music because his thoughts already sounded too loud. The truth was becoming impossible to ignore now.
A few weeks ago, he would have accepted Seattle without hesitation. A lieutenant position. More money than he’d ever earned. Career advancement and everything he used to think mattered most.
For years, Blaze chased success with relentless determination because he believed accomplishment would eventually quiet the doubts that had followed him since childhood. Every promotion, every new challenge, every goal achieved felt like another attempt to outrun the insecurities his father left behind.
Now, instead of thinking about career milestones, he found himself replaying the sound of Johanna's laughter across a candlelit table and the way her eyes softened whenever she forgot to guard herself.
Couldn’t stop replaying the sound of his name in her mouth tonight.
Braxton.
Nobody called him that anymore except his mother. But hearing Johanna say it again damn near knocked the air straight out of his lungs.
Blaze tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he crossed the marina bridge.
Because somewhere along the line, the dream changed. Or maybe he did.
Seattle used to feel like possibility. Tonight, it felt like distance.
And for the first time in his life, Blaze Carter wasn’t sureambition was worth losing love twice. That realization followed him all the way home.
His rental sat near the water overlooking rows of dark boats rocking gently against the docks. Usually, he loved the quiet out here. Loved the isolation. The house gave him space to think after long shifts and hard calls.
Tonight, the place just felt empty.
Blaze killed the engine but stayed sitting there staring through the windshield while moonlight shimmered across the marina outside.
He could still taste Johanna on his lips. Still feel the softness of her body pressed against his chest. And God help him… he wanted more.
He wanted the life that came after the grand gestures. The quiet mornings. The familiar routines. The comfort of knowing Johanna would be waiting for him at the end of the day and the privilege of falling asleep beside her at night.
For years, he convinced himself men like him didn’t get those kinds of endings.
Men like him chased things, worked for things, and lost things.
His father proved that early.
But tonight, standing beneath moonlight with Johanna wrapped in his arms, Blaze realized something.
For the first time in his life, Blaze wasn't sure which future mattered more.
The dream he'd spent years chasing.
Or the woman he'd never stopped loving.
Chapter6
Johanna Bennett woke up irritated.
