Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
I drop to my knees in front of Josie and take both of her hands in mine. She stares at me with a yearning hopefulness over what I might say.
Therefore, I must make it good, since I don’t want to disappoint her. “I’m sorry, Josie. I should’ve never said those things to you. It was nothing but my insecurities getting the better of me.”
Josie sits up from the couch and leans forward so her face is close to mine. “Aiden had a different theory.”
“Oh yeah? What was that?”
Josie raises her hand and touches her palm to my cheek. Her thumb grazes the skin just outside the corner of my eye, and it might be the best feeling in the world.
She whispers sweetly, “He thinks you acted the way you did because you love me so much that you truly only wanted to make sure I had the best life has to offer me.”
And once again, her ex-boyfriend sort of comes through for me. “I don’t know if I can be everything to you, Josie. But I want to be everything that I can possibly be. I want to be exactly what you need.”
“Why would you ever think you couldn’t be enough?”
“I swear to you that I don’t think Aiden was causing trouble,” I say by way of explanation. “But he was telling me about you, and I was learning things that I had no clue about. Like the fact that you’re a plotter and a planner and you like your life to be orderly. And that you want a family and a white picket fence and you want it sooner rather than later. And hell, he told me that when a patient dies you don’t want to be hugged and you don’t want to cry. That you want to be pushed back into the fray again so you can get right back up on your horse, and I didn’t know that. I hugged you and I almost made you cry. There’s a lot of things I did wrong. A lot of stuff I just don’t know. I thought that I was wrong for you.”
Josie’s eyes turn warm as she gives me an empathetic smile. “Oh, Reed. Just because I’m a plotter and a planner doesn’t mean I can’t be spontaneous. You’re the one who showed me I can, and I love it. You’ve shown me how to have fun. And you know what? I adored it when you pulled me into your arms because I was upset that patient had died. I’m always expected to be so strong and not allowed to show emotion, and yet you were letting me do that in the safe environment of your arms without any judgment. It was very special that you provided that to me, and I want it again.”
I know the look on my face is utterly stupid as I take in her words and can’t help but be completely bowled over by them. “So you’re essentially saying I was giving you what you needed?”
She laughs softly while she nods her head. “Oh yeah. You were giving me exactly what I needed.”
Chapter 28
Josie
“Josie,” Reed calls out from the base of the stairs. “I’m back.”
I drop the towel onto the floor and slide under the sheets of my bed. “Upstairs,” I return loud enough he can hear me but with soft promise in my voice.
He jogs up the stairs, and I can tell by the cadence he’s taking two at a time. My lips curve into an expectant grin.
Reed’s eyes land on me, flashing with keen interest to in bed waiting for him. He had to take Stacy to the airport. I’d declined meeting her because I was still mortified I’d called her Business Barbie. Reed assured me that she was not offended, but I still couldn’t look her in the face. So, while he was doing that, I took a long, hot bath with the firm resolution that we were going to spend the rest of the day in bed celebrating our reunion.
“Get her dropped off all safe and sound?” I ask him as he sits on the edge of the bed to take his shoes off.
“Yeah,” he says as he gives me a quick glance over his shoulder. “I also stopped by Marek’s on the way back.”
This catches my interest and I sit up against the headboard, pulling the sheet up with me to cover my chest. Sex can wait a few minutes. “How is he?”
Reed’s head turns back to focus on his shoes and socks. When he has them removed, he stands up and pulls his T-shirt over his head. I try not to ogle him, and it’s made easier by the worry in his voice and on his face when he turns to me. “No clue. He wasn’t there. Gracen said he took off three days ago with Holt and she hasn’t seen him.”