Chapter 14
By the following Thursday, Blaze had officially become a problem.
Not in the casual sense.
Not even in the fun, flirtatious sense.
He had become the kind of problem that slipped quietly into Johanna’s daily life until suddenly he was everywhere.
Morning texts waited before she even opened her eyes, lunch deliveries arrived because Blaze insisted she forgot to eat, and late-night phone calls somehow stretched for hours without either of them noticing.
And there were the nights that they lay in each other’s arms after making love until the wee hours of the morning. Both of them too sated to care about sleep.
But best of all… Blaze didn’t look uncertain. He looked genuinely happy. As if loving her again came naturally to him.
That was the part beginning to scare Johanna most.
Because she was starting to believe him.
The Beaumont Hotel buzzed with activity by lunchtime when Johanna stepped into the lobby carrying event folders against her chest. Employees hurried across polished marble floors while guests wandered slowly through the oceanfront property admiring floral displays, towering windows, and views of the water beyond the terrace.
Johanna had spent the entire morning navigating Sedona Beaumont’s carefully curated chaos.
What had started as a temporary favor was beginning to feel like a long-term assignment, especially after yet another wedding planner quit.
It was only the first week of March, and with the wedding still months away in July, Johanna was slowly coming to terms with an unfortunate reality: she was probably going to be trapped in this logistical nightmare until Sedona finally walked down the aisle and said, "I do. "
She turned the corner and found Bianca near the concierge desk arguing with a florist while simultaneously answering emails on her iPhone.
“Absolutely not,” Bianca snapped into her headset. “I am literally looking at the flower arrangement you sent over. The bride requested ivory roses, not winter white. Those are two completely different shades.”
Johanna smiled despite herself.
Bianca looked up, spotted her instantly, and pointed across the lobby. “Your man went upstairs looking for you.”
Heat warmed Johanna’s face. She was still getting used to hearing those words.
Your man.
She turned around and was heading back upstairs when the elevator doors opened and Blaze stepped out.
“That man is going to be the death of me,” she muttered at the sight of him.
He was wearing dark gray sweatpants, sneakers, and a matching hooded sweatshirt layered beneath a black jacket. The casual outfit somehow made him look even more masculine, like he’d walked straight out of a firefighter fantasy without realizing the effect he had on women.
Johanna honestly didn’t think the man understood how distracting he was.
Blaze crossed the marble floor toward her with confident strides while Bianca openly watched him like she’d purchased front-row tickets to a romantic movie, and she fully intended to enjoy.
“Hey, baby.”
The deep affection in his voice curled through Johanna instantly.
She smiled despite herself. “Hey.”
Blaze leaned down and kissed her in the middle of the hotel lobby like he’d been doing it for years.
Like she belonged to him.
Bianca clutched her chest dramatically. “Jesus. The two of you are making the hospitality staff uncomfortable.”
Blaze grinned without looking away from Johanna. “Hello, Bianca.”
Bianca laughed while waving them off dismissively. “Go to lunch before I start charging y’all for public romance.”
She snatched the folders from Johanna’s hand before turning away and immediately barking new instructions into her headset.
Blaze’s hand settled low against Johanna’s back, the touch spread awareness through her instantly.
“Come on.”
God help her, she was getting used to him again.
That realization followed Johanna all the way to the waterfront restaurant a few blocks from the hotel.
That was becoming a problem.
Lunch started easily. Comfortably. The way things always seemed to when she was with him.
One minute they were ordering drinks. The next, they were arguing over wedding logistics like they'd been doing it for years.
Blaze teased her relentlessly about color-coded wedding spreadsheets while Johanna laughed at his complete inability to understand why centerpiece placement mattered.
“It matters because aesthetics matter,” she argued.
Blaze looked deeply unconvinced. “Baby, people are gonna eat chicken and dance regardless.”
"No. People are going to remember whether the ballroom looked elegant."
"They absolutely are not."
"They are," she countered.
"They are not."
"They are."
Blaze leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "This is exactly why men stay out of wedding planning."
Johanna laughed. "No, this is exactly why women don't let men plan weddings."
"And men everywhere thank y'all for your service."
They laughed together while sunlight danced across the water beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows where sailboats drifted lazily against the docks. The restaurant buzzed with quiet conversations and the clink of silverware against plates, but somehow Blaze still felt like the center of everything.
Their food arrived moments later.
Johanna barely glanced at the grilled chicken salad sitting in front of her before reaching for the slice of key lime pie.
Blaze noticed instantly. "You really are out here eating dessert before actual food."
Johanna took a bite anyway.
The tart citrus melted across her tongue. "Pie makes me happy."
"That sounds unhealthy."
She lifted one shoulder. "It sounds emotionally intelligent." The laugh escaped before she could stop it.
The corner of Blaze's mouth twitched.
"What?"
His eyes softened. "That look."
Johanna frowned. "What look?"
"The one where you stop overthinking and just enjoy yourself."
The tenderness in his voice caught her completely off guard.
Suddenly the pie wasn't nearly as interesting as the way he was looking at her.
Like seeing her smile was somehow his favorite part of the day. The thought settled somewhere deep inside her chest.
Before she could dwell on it too long, she sat her fork down.
"I have a surprise."
Blaze immediately looked interested. "I'm listening."
Johanna smiled.
"I booked us a honeymoon suite in the Poconos next weekend."
His eyebrows shot upward. "Are we planning to elope?"
She laughed. "No, silly but it was the only room they had on short notice at the discount rate."
For some reason Blaze looked ridiculously pleased by it.
"We used to talk about going and I just thought..." Johanna shrugged lightly. "It might be nice to get away. No wedding planning or fire emergencies. Just the two of us.”
His expression softened immediately.
The teasing disappeared.
Blaze reached across the table and laced his fingers through hers. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we go."
Her heart gave an embarrassing little squeeze.
Naturally, she ruined the moment. "Oh, well if that’s the case, I heard there's a flea-infested motel about ten minutes from here."
Blaze barked out a laugh loud enough to turn heads from nearby tables. The sound was impossible not to join.
By the time their laughter faded, tears had gathered in the corners of Johanna's eyes.
Blaze squeezed her hand.
"I'd love to spend the weekend in the Poconos with you."
A smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah?"
"Absolutely."
Then his grin returned. "Just as long as you promise not to put me on skis."
Johanna laughed. "Deal."
"Good. Because I plan on surviving this relationship."
She rolled her eyes. But her hand stayed exactly where it was. Wrapped securely inside his.
His cell phone vibrated. Johanna glanced down at the table and saw the screen light up with a call from Seattle. Blaze looked at it too. Then his expression shifted. It was subtle but enough for her to notice.
Blaze hesitated and released her hand before answering. “This is Carter.”
His voice changed at once. It was professional and guarded.
Johanna wrapped both hands around her iced tea glass while Blaze listened quietly for several moments.
Then—
“Yes, I appreciate that.”
A pause.
Another one.
“Yes, I received the relocation package, but I haven’t had a chance to review it yet.”
Johanna’s stomach tightened instantly.
Relocation package.
Blaze leaned back slightly in his chair as he said, “Yes, it’s a very attractive offer.”
The restaurant suddenly felt too warm, the air pressing against her chest while pieces slowly started fitting together in her mind.
Johanna stared across the table while pieces slowly started fitting together inside her head.
Strong offer.
Relocation.
Seattle.
And just like that, old fear came rushing back hard enough to steal her breath.
Because years ago, Blaze used to talk about Seattle like it was some firefighter fantasy brought to life, while Johanna listened quietly beside him, pretending his excitement didn’t terrify her.
Even back then, Johanna understood one painful truth: one day Blaze Carter would leave Sheraton Beach, and there was a very real chance he might leave her too. In the end, both fears had come true.
Blaze ended the call after promising to respond sometime next week. Then he placed his phone face down.
Johanna stared at him across the table. When Blaze looked up, his expression had sharpened with quiet awareness. There it was. The look that told her he already knew exactly where her thoughts had gone.
“Was that the fire department in Seattle?” She tried to sound casual and failed completely.
Blaze went still for half a second before finally nodding once. “Yeah.”
The tightness in Johanna’s chest deepened. “Sounds like they made you a job offer.”
Blaze leaned back slowly in his chair. “I interviewed months ago. A final offer came through a few days ago."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the glass.
“A few days ago,” she repeated softly.
Before us.
Before Baltimore.
Before waking up in his arms.