Run To You

door. If he was just going to leave, why had he come? Why was he here? Why hadn’t she asked him?
    The hard wood felt cool against her bare shoulders and she wiped away more tears. How had he tracked her down? Sadie and Vince were the only two people who knew where she was, and she doubted her sister would give Beau any info. That left Vince, or else Beau had tracked her cell phone. She closed her eyes and rested her head back against the door. He’d probably tracked her.
    A loud bang brought her upright and her eyes wide open. Another loud bang, followed by several big pops, made her jump so hard her spine made a cracking noise. Outside, it sounded like a shootout was going down in the parking lot and she ran to her window. She pushed aside the drapes and stared down at the thick white and gray smoke rising from the lot. For a brief second she thought maybe a car had exploded, then Beau walked through the smoke, arms loose at his sides as he looked up at her window.
    “Flashbang,” she whispered as he stopped just below and tilted his head back. He’d brought her flashbang.
    Another crackle like the Fourth of July sent her racing from the room. She flew out the exterior door and down the steps, toward Beau like she had that day she’d run from two mobsters. Only this time, there was only Beau, standing in front of smoke like he was descending from a cloud. No fancy hearts or flowers. Just flashbang and him.
    She stopped ten feet away. Suddenly unsure.
    “Someone told me that I give excellent flashbang.”
    “I think I said wonderful.” The strong smell of sulfur burned her nose and stung her eyes.
    He smiled and didn’t seem affected at all. Maybe because he loved the smell of flashbang. “Then I’ll have to work harder.” He closed the distance between them as a few people stuck their heads out of the motel. “I’ve missed you, Stella.”
    She tried not to smile or let his words make her think he cared about her. Oh wait, he did care about her.
    “You’ve led me on a chase trying to track you down. Vince wouldn’t tell me where you were for fear Sadie would gut him.”
    She folded her arms beneath her breasts as a breeze carried the smoke away. Thank God.
    “Aren’t you afraid someone will see all this smoke and call the police or fire department?”
    He grinned. “I flashed a badge and told the girl working the front desk that I’d be checking out the motel’s security. Not to get alarmed if she sees or hears anything unusual.”
    “Like bombs and smoke?”
    His grin got even wider. “Exactly.”
    She’d rarely seen that grin. Which she had to admit was pretty handsome. “Why are you here?”
    His grin faded and his eyes moved across her face. He simply said, “I love you.”
    Her arms fell to her sides and she was afraid to blink. Afraid this was all a dream. “You said you didn’t love me.”
    “I’m an idiot. I thought love happened like bullets and flashbang.” He waved the smoke away. “I was wrong. It happens one smile at a time. One beautiful, torturous smile at a time. One look into your eyes. One touch of your hand. The sound of your laughter.” He closed the small distance between them and took her hands in his. “I’m a Marine, and I expected something that was so life-changing as love to slam into my chest and knock me to my knees.” He smiled and raised her knuckles to his lips. “Instead it started out soft and small. Sweet. Like you.”
    Okay. She liked that. That was good. That and the kisses across her fingers. She’d never seen this Beau. She could get used to him.
    “Here I am,” he said, and ran his hands up her arms to her shoulders. “Slammed in the chest and knocked to my knees. I love you, Estella Immaculata. I want to look into your eyes and feel your touch for the rest of my life. You gave me the best gift I’ve ever received. You gave me you. Marry me. Not because we had sex and I feel responsible, but because I love you.”
    Oh God! She couldn’t breathe. Her heart grew too big. She was going to faint for sure this time. “It would really suck if you did all this,” she said and waved a hand toward the flashbang canisters, “and I said no.”
    He gave her his best Sergeant Junger look, but a smile creased his eyes. “Your joke isn’t funny.”
    She laughed anyway. “Yes,” she answered. “I’ll marry you.”
    He picked her up so that her gaze was level with his. “Promise you won’t run from me again like you ran from Vince’s