by Emily Smith
A jarring, shrill tone came from Cassidy’s phone, and they both jumped.
“It’s him,” Cassidy said, her voice as scorched as desert sand. Her chest rose and fell, and she held the phone up to her ear, her free hand grabbing Pierce’s mercilessly. Her grip sent a grinding pain up Pierce’s wrist, but she didn’t mind. It grounded her, keeping her connected to Cassidy as if she might suddenly be pulled from the earth without warning.
“Hey.” Pierce stared hard into Cassidy’s eyes. “Whatever happens…I’ve got you.”
“Hi, Dr. Hedges.” Cassidy squeezed harder, and the room spun around Pierce. Her strength was waning. The thought of a world without Cassidy in it had been just too much for her to process. But the moment had come. And that thought was suddenly as tangible as any.
“Uh-huh.” Cassidy nodded in understanding, and Pierce searched her face desperately for a sign, any sign, as to what was being said on the other end. Cassidy hadn’t wanted to use the speaker phone. If the news was bad, she wanted to be the one to tell Pierce. Her face remained immobile though, almost plastic, and Pierce’s anxiety grew like the cancer she was now sure was ravaging Cassidy’s body. “Uh-huh,” Cassidy said again.
Pierce raised her eyebrows at Cassidy, shaking her head and shrugging, silently begging for answers. She hoped she saw the smallest hint of a smile emerge from Cassidy’s pale mouth. But hope felt like a dangerous thing in that moment.
“I see. Well, thank you for the call. I really appreciate it. Bye.” Cassidy ended the call, her jaw still limp and eyes wide as she placed the phone down on the table.
“What? Cass, what is it?” Pierce’s hands were on Cassidy’s shoulders, nearly shaking her to attention, but Cassidy’s gaze remained fixed on nowhere, her pupils engulfing most of her iris. It had been a week since the biopsy, and every minute had been more excruciating than the last for Pierce. She’d never handled uncertainty well. And now, Cassidy was making her wait even longer. An irrational anger rose up in her, and she shoved it back down. Cassidy had to do this on her own time. Pierce just hoped time wasn’t running out.
They stood in silence, Pierce staring into Cassidy’s face, which was still focused on something Pierce couldn’t see. She registered the disbelief. Pierce just couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
“It’s…benign.” And then, as quickly as she’d gone, Cassidy returned to the world, back to this moment, where Pierce was waiting with whatever scrap of patience she could find.
“What?” Pierce felt nothing. Not the crushing weight of anxiety that had been hovering for the last seven days. Not the relief and elation of the best news she might ever hear. She felt nothing. It was as if her heart was still stuck several seconds in the past, having yet to catch up with the improbable words coming from Cassidy’s mouth.
“It’s a lipoma, Pierce.” Cassidy shook her head, still clearly dumbstruck.
“A lipoma?” As Pierce spoke, the reality of it all crashed into her so forcefully her legs swayed.
“Yes.” A chain of joyful laughter like the August sunshine bubbled out of Cassidy until she was crying, holding her hands over her abdomen. “A damn lipoma.”
When it finally came, the relief was immense. Pierce wasn’t sure whether it was knowing or whether it was seeing Cassidy’s tears of happiness and amusement and surely of possibility for a future they didn’t know would come, but Pierce’s own eyes flooded, and she wept recklessly, her laughter mirroring Cassidy’s.
“All of this…this whole time?”
The laughter consumed them now until Cassidy collapsed to the floor, sprawling out onto her back in a snow angel. “The whole time.”
“So…it’s not cancer.” Saying the words aloud cleansed Pierce like a baptism. “Wait.” She lowered herself to the floor next to Cassidy, propping her head on her hand so she was looking down on her. “Are you saying you broke up with me…over a harmless fatty tumor?”
A silence fell over them. It was so quiet Pierce could hear Cassidy’s heart echoing in her chest still. The same joyful laughter that Pierce thought was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard and would ever hear again tumbled back through Cassidy’s lips. The tears, which had stopped only long enough to allow the laughter to resume, followed suit, soaking the tile floor beneath them. Pierce collapsed into Cassidy’s arms as they cried. She cried for the fear they were leaving behind, for the path fate chose not to take.
She cried for the love she never dreamt she’d find and, now, would get to keep. Forever.
THE END
About the Author
Emily Smith was born and raised in a small town in New Hampshire, where she started writing at an early age. Her grandmother was a children’s author, and she comes from a family of English teachers.
When she isn’t writing, which is rare, Emily works as a PA in the emergency department. She is a Boston resident and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Death Overdue by David S. Pederson. Did Heath turn to murder in an alcohol induced haze to solve the problem of his blackmailer, or was it someone else who brought about a death overdue? (978-1-63555-711-4)
Entangled by Melissa Brayden. Becca Crawford is the perfect person to head up the Jade Hotel, if only the captivating owner of the local vineyard would get on board with her plan and stop badmouthing the hotel to everyone in town. (978-1-63555-709-1)
First Do No Harm by Emily Smith. Pierce and Cassidy are about to discover that when it comes to love, sometimes you have to risk it all to have it all. (978-1-63555-699-5)
Kiss Me Every Day by Dena Blake. For Wynn Jamison, wishing for a do-over with Carly Evans was a long shot, actually getting one was a game changer. (978-1-63555-551-6)
Olivia by Genevieve McCluer. In this lesbian Shakespeare adaption with vampires, Olivia is a centuries old vampire who must fight a strange figure from her past if she wants a chance at happiness. (978-1-63555-701-5)
One Woman’s Treasure by Jean Copeland. Daphne’s search for discarded antiques and treasures leads to an embarrassing misunderstanding, and ultimately, the opportunity for the romance of a lifetime with Nina. (978-1-63555-652-0)
Silver Ravens by Jane Fletcher. Lori has lost her girlfriend, her home, and her job. Things don’t improve when she’s kidnapped and taken to fairyland. (978-1-63555-631-5)
Still Not Over You by Jenny Frame, Carsen Taite, Ali Vali. Old flames die hard in these tales of a second chance at love with the ex you’re still not over. Stories by award winning authors Jenny Frame, Carsen Taite, and Ali Vali. (978-1-63555-516-5)
Storm Lines by Jessica L. Webb. Devon is a psychologist who likes rules. Marley is a cop who doesn’t. They don’t always agree, but both fight to protect a girl immersed in a street drug ring. (978-1-63555-626-1)
The Politics of Love by Jen Jensen. Is it possible to love across the political divide in a hostile world? Conservative Shelley Whitmore and liberal Rand Thomas are about to find out. (978-1-63555-693-3)
All the Paths to You by Morgan Lee Miller. High school sweethearts Quinn Hughes and Kennedy Reed reconnect five years after they break up and realize that their chemistry is all but over. (978-1-63555-662-9)
Arrested Pleasures by Nanisi Barrett D’Arnuck. When charged with a crime she didn’t commit Katherine Lowe faces the question: Which is harder, going to prison or falling in love? (978-1-63555-684-1)
Bonded Love by Renee Roman. Carpenter Blaze Carter suffers an injury that shatters her dreams, and ER nurse Trinity Greene hopes to show her that sometimes hope is worth fighting for. (978-1-63555-530-1)
Convergence by Jane C. Esther. With life as they know it on the line, can Aerin McLeary and Olivia Ando’s love survive an otherworldly threat to humankind? (978-1-63555-488-5)
Coyote Blues by Karen F. Williams. Riley Dawson, psychotherapist and shape-shifter, has her world turned upside down when Fiona Bell, her one true love, returns. (978-1-63555-558-5)
Drawn by Carsen Taite. Will the clue
s lead Detective Claire Hanlon to the killer terrorizing Dallas, or will she merely lose her heart to person of interest, urban artist Riley Flynn? (978-1-63555-644-5)
Every Summer Day by Lee Patton. Meant to celebrate every summer day, Luke’s journal instead chronicles a love affair as fast-moving and possibly as fatal as his brother’s brain tumor. (978-1-63555-706-0)
Lucky by Kris Bryant. Was Serena Evans’s luck really about winning the lottery, or is she about to get even luckier in love? (978-1-63555-510-3)
The Last Days of Autumn by Donna K. Ford. Autumn and Caroline question the fairness of life, the cruelty of loss, and what it means to love as they navigate the complicated minefield of relationships, grief, and life-altering illness. (978-1-63555-672-8)
Three Alarm Response by Erin Dutton. In the midst of tragedy, can these first responders find love and healing? Three stories of courage, bravery, and passion. (978-1-63555-592-9)
Veterinary Partner by Nancy Wheelton. Callie and Lauren are determined to keep their hearts safe but find that taking a chance on love is the safest option of all. (978-1-63555-666-7)
Everyday People by Louis Barr. When film star Diana Danning hires private eye Clint Steele to find her son, Clint turns to his former West Point barracks mate, and ex-buddy with benefits, Mars Hauser to lend his cyber espionage and digital black ops skills to the case. (978-1-63555-698-8)
Forging a Desire Line by Mary P. Burns. When Charley’s ex-wife, Tricia, is diagnosed with inoperable cancer, the private duty nurse Tricia hires turns out to be the handsome and aloof Joanna, who ignites something inside Charley she isn’t ready to face. (978-1-63555-665-0)
Love on the Night Shift by Radclyffe. Between ruling the night shift in the ER at the Rivers and raising her teenage daughter, Blaise Richilieu has all the drama she needs in her life, until a dashing young attending appears on the scene and relentlessly pursues her. (978-1-63555-668-1)
Olivia’s Awakening by Ronica Black. When the daring and dangerously gorgeous Eve Monroe is hired to get Olivia Savage into shape, a fierce passion ignites, causing both to question everything they’ve ever known about love. (978-1-63555-613-1)
The Duchess and the Dreamer by Jenny Frame. Clementine Fitzroy has lost her faith and love of life. Can dreamer Evan Fox make her believe in life and dream again? (978-1-63555-601-8)
The Road Home by Erin Zak. Hollywood actress Gwendolyn Carter is about to discover that losing someone you love sometimes means gaining someone to fall for. (978-1-63555-633-9)
Waiting for You by Elle Spencer. When passionate past-life lovers meet again in the present day, one remembers it vividly and the other isn’t so sure. (978-1-63555-635-3)
While My Heart Beats by Erin McKenzie. Can a love born amidst the horrors of the Great War survive? (978-1-63555-589-9)
Face the Music by Ali Vali. Sweet music is the last thing that happens when Nashville music producer Mason Liner, and daughter of country royalty Victoria Roddy are thrown together in an effort to save country star Sophie Roddy’s career. (978-1-63555-532-5)
Flavor of the Month by Georgia Beers. What happens when baker Charlie and chef Emma realize their differing paths have led them right back to each other? (978-1-63555-616-2)
Mending Fences by Angie Williams. Rancher Bobbie Del Rey and veterinarian Grace Hammond are about to discover if heartbreaks of the past can ever truly be mended. (978-1-63555-708-4)
Silk and Leather: Lesbian Erotica with an Edge edited by Victoria Villasenor. This collection of stories by award winning authors offers fantasies as soft as silk and tough as leather. The only question is: How far will you go to make your deepest desires come true? (978-1-63555-587-5)
The Last Place You Look by Aurora Rey. Dumped by her wife and looking for anything but love, Julia Pierce retreats to her hometown, only to rediscover high school friend Taylor Winslow, who’s secretly crushed on her for years. (978-1-63555-574-5)
The Mortician’s Daughter by Nan Higgins. A singer on the verge of stardom discovers she must give up her dreams to live a life in service to ghosts. (978-1-63555-594-3)
The Real Thing by Laney Webber. When passion flares between actress Virginia Green and masseuse Allison McDonald, can they be sure it’s the real thing? (978-1-63555-478-6)
What the Heart Remembers Most by M. Ullrich. For college sweethearts Jax Levine and Gretchen Mills, could an accident be the second chance neither knew they wanted? (978-1-63555-401-4)
White Horse Point by Andrews & Austin. Mystery writer Taylor James finds herself falling for the mysterious woman on White Horse Point who lives alone, protecting a secret she can’t share about a murderer who walks among them. (978-1-63555-695-7)
Femme Tales by Anne Shade. Six women find themselves in their own real-life fairy tales when true love finds them in the most unexpected ways. (978-1-63555-657-5)
Jellicle Girl by Stevie Mikayne. One dark summer night, Beth and Jackie go out to the canoe dock. Two years later, Beth is still carrying the weight of what happened to Jackie. (978-1-63555-691-9)
Le Berceau by Julius Eks. If only Ben could tear his heart in two, then he wouldn’t have to choose between the love of his life and the most beautiful boy he has ever seen. (978-1-63555-688-9)
My Date with a Wendigo by Genevieve McCluer. Elizabeth Rosseau finds her long lost love and the secret community of fiends she’s now a part of. (978-1-63555-679-7)
On the Run by Charlotte Greene. Even when they’re cute blondes, it’s stupid to pick up hitchhikers, especially when they’ve just broken out of prison, but doing so is about to change Gwen’s life forever. (978-1-63555-682-7)
Perfect Timing by Dena Blake. The choice between love and family has never been so difficult, and Lynn’s and Maggie’s different visions of the future may end their romance before it’s begun. (978-1-63555-466-3)
The Mail Order Bride by R Kent. When a mail order bride is thrust on Austin, he must choose between the bride he never wanted or the dream he lives for. (978-1-63555-678-0)
Through Love’s Eyes by C.A. Popovich. When fate reunites Brittany Yardin and Amy Jansons, can they move beyond the pain of their past to find love? (978-1-63555-629-2)
To the Moon and Back by Melissa Brayden. Film actress Carly Daniel thinks that stage work is boring and unexciting, but when she accepts a lead role in a new play, stage manager Lauren Prescott tests both her heart and her ability to share the limelight. (978-1-63555-618-6)
Tokyo Love by Diana Jean. When Kathleen Schmitt is given the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of AI technology, she never thought a failed robotic love companion would bring her closer to her neighbor, Yuriko Velucci, and finding love in unexpected places. (978-1-63555-681-0)
BOLDSTROKESBOOKS.COM
Looking for your next great read?
Visit BOLDSTROKESBOOKS.COM
to browse our entire catalog of paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks.
Want the first word on what’s new?
Visit our website for event info,
author interviews, and blogs.
Subscribe to our free newsletter for sneak peeks,
new releases, plus first notice of promos
and daily bargains
SIGN UP AT
BOLDSTROKESBOOKS.COM/signup