Reckless Surrender :: Chapter Thirty Four

Bo shook Hope gently, "FancyFace…"

Hope jerked in her sleep and pulled away.

"Hope, wake up." Bo shook her again.

"What?" Hope mumbled, "What's wrong?"

"It's time to get up." Bo replied, "We're going to be late."

Hope peered at the alarm clock on the nightstand, "Bo, it's 4:30 in the morning! Late for what?!"

"Your first jog," Bo smiled at her through the moonlight that lit up their bedroom.

Hope threw her pillow at him, "Get away from me."

Bo laughed out loud, "Come on cadet. We must build stamina."

Hope sat up and glared at him, "I'm a Detective."

"Are you?" Bo raised his eyebrows, "What happened to being a housewife?"

Hope scowled at him, "Hard to do when I don't have a husband."

Bo chuckled as he watched her stomp out of bed to get dressed, "Your choice, not mine."

He dodged her nightgown as it came flying his way. He admired her body quietly as she dressed. Memories of the night before flooded him.

Hope huffed as she pulled her hair up into a pony tail, "I can't believe you're making me do this."

"Prepare to feel alive, FancyFace." Bo grinned at her, swatted her on the butt, and pointed to the door, "Let's go!"

Hope exhaled slowly, but obediently made her way out of their bedroom, down the stairs, and out the front door.

"Today, we're doing one mile and then thirty minutes on the bag." Bo announced, "Ready?"

"I'm going to croak," Hope mumbled to herself. She hadn't been jogging in a million years. It was early. She wanted to be in bed, but a part of her couldn't help the anticipation and excitement that suddenly started to brew in the pit of her stomach.

She fell into a slow jog next to Bo. The moonlight illuminated the road they ran on. She was impressed that he was actually making time to help her get her confidence back. It didn't take long for her body to ache and her lungs to burn. She cursed herself. She was out of shape.

"How you doing FancyFace?" Bo asked. His jog looked effortless.

Hope rolled her eyes, "I feel like I'm dying. Not alive."

Bo laughed as Hope huffed, "It'll come. One mile. It's not far. We'll be done before you know it."

"There are other ways to feel alive," Hope mumbled, "Without clothes."

Bo shot her a look and smiled, "I don't think you need any practice in the bedroom cadet, but I'll happily participate in anything with no clothes required."

Hope laughed and shoved her shoulder into his side, "I am not a cadet."

Bo winked at her, "Whatever you say Detective."

They finished Hope's first mile in 10 minutes. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as they came to a stop in the driveway.

"Ready for the bag?" Bo asked. He handed her a bottle of water he'd left on the back bumper of his old pick up truck.

Hope took a long drink. She still couldn't believe she was up running at 4:30 in the morning, but she kind of liked it, "Brady, I don't know how to use that thing."

"That's what I'm here for." Bo laughed, "I'll teach you."

Hope's eyes widened in mock terror as she followed him into the garage. They sat in silence as Bo gently and securely wrapped her wrists with boxing tape. Hope watched his technique intently.

"Bo, I'm sorry." Hope confessed.

"For…?" Bo questioned. He didn't look up at her, he only continued his work. He held her right hand with care.

"Last night." Hope shrugged sheepishly, "I let my insecurities get the best of me."

Bo stopped and placed her hand in his lap. He held it with both hands, "Don't be. How will we ever get passed the things that brought us down if we shove them under the rug? We have to confront this stuff head on. We had a tough discussion last night, but we're doing okay today. Right?"

Hope swallowed slowly and absorbed his words, "Right."

Bo kissed her wrapped hand and grabbed her unwrapped left one, "What's bothering you?"

Hope shrugged, "Nothing. I'm just… I don't know."

Bo caressed her cheek, "You feel guilty?"

"Kind of," Hope nodded, "But I'm also still trying to process that we didn't have a blow up fight. You made me stay. I didn't leave. You're not acting resentful."

"You don't trust this?" Bo asked in understanding, "You're waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Hope felt the instinct to pull away from him to hide. She fought the urge with everything she had. Bo watched her knowingly and pulled her gently into his lap.

"We fell in love when we were kids." Bo sighed, "I think a lot of old habits die hard. We've grown up quite a bit and learned from our mistakes. It's scary. I think we're going to do a lot of scary things that surprise both of us… but they'll make us stronger and better than ever. We just have to trust each other, and we have to stay. No matter what. Neither one of us gets to walk away when things get tough."

"Do you trust me?" Hope almost whispered, somewhat scared of his answer.

"Yes." Bo answered without hesitation.

"Why?" Hope questioned, "After everything you said last night… I hurt you. I break your heart."

Bo smiled, "But you also represent everything good that has ever happened to me. You're my partner. I need you, even if I have a history of pretending that I don't. Am I scared? Sometimes. But I know that it's scarier to live without you."

Hope half smiled. She had a lesson to learn in that. They were better together than apart. Trusting him was the only option, and deep down she knew she did. Because like him, she knew that everything good that ever happened to her was because of him. Their life together was the adventure she craved. His love was what she needed. She kissed him, ready to burst with love and gratitude.

"Ready to kick some ass on this bag?" Bo asked as he put the finishing touches on her left hand.

"I love your confidence in me," Hope almost laughed as she stood up. Nerves lit up inside of her.

Bo stood behind the bag eyeing her, "We good?"

Hope nodded once with confidence, "We're good."

Bo smiled, "Show me what you got."

Hope smiled at him and inhaled deeply before letting her fists fly.