Page 57 of Hearts & Embers

She spoke quietly and I listened.

"He didn't try to convince me that firefighting was safe because we both know that would have been ridiculous. He didn't pretend bad things never happen either."

The honesty in her voice left little room for misunderstanding.

"What did he tell you?"

Aurora rested her hands together in her lap.

"He reminded me that life doesn't come with guarantees."

The answer sounded exactly like something Cole would say.

"He talked about firefighters."

A faint smile appeared.

"Then he talked about people who weren't firefighters."

I remained silent because her to continuing felt more important than interrupting.

"He reminded me that people get hurt doing ordinary things every day. People die from illnesses. They die in car accidents. They die crossing streets."

Aurora's gaze met mine.

"I spent days being angry because I realised he was right."

Understanding settled immediately. Not because I agreed with every part of the argument but because I recognised the conclusion she had reached.

"The problem wasn't really your job."

The words emerged carefully now.

"The problem was that I love you, Jasper."

The confession landed harder than anything else she'd said. She continued before I could respond.

"I kept trying to convince myself that walking away would somehow protect me from the possibility of losing you."

Her eyes never left mine.

"The more I thought about it, the less sense it made."

Aurora took a slow breath.

"There’s no guarantees in life but if I walk away now, I’d be guaranteed of losing you and your love."

For several seconds neither of us spoke. The words settled heavily between us because they carried so much truth. Eventually I shifted closer.

"Aurora."

Emotion flickered across her face.

"I love you, Jasper."

"I think I've loved you ever since I saw you sitting in that beat up car."

I reached for her hand and she immediately threaded her fingers through mine. The simple contact felt more meaningful than I could explain.