The Nurse's One Night to Forever

But she’d been as prickly as a briar bush for fear of getting hurt. And ultimately she’d pushed him away. And hurt him. Hurt herself, too.

She closed her eyes. What had she done?

She needed to tell Justin that she missed him so much she felt as if she’d lost a part of herself. Not going out with him and the boys today had hurt so much.

Cassie’s description ran through her mind. She did feel that way about Justin. All those ways. She couldn’t imagine going through life without ever seeing him smile at her again, without hearing her name on his lips, without placing her hand over his heart and feeling the strong beat there. The beat that was for her.

Because Justin cared about her.

At least he had.

She had to go to him. She didn’t know what would happen, but she’d tell him she missed him, that she was sorry she’d shut him out for fear of getting hurt. Tell him that being without him hurt. She didn’t have a plan beyond that, but at least it was a start.

She’d only taken a few steps when she stopped.

Sitting in her driveway was Justin’s Jeep.

CHAPTER TWELVE

FOR THE MILLIONTH time Justin asked himself what he was doing in Riley’s driveway.

He hadn’t had to bring the necklace to her tonight. He could have just given it to her at work the following day. So why had he gotten dressed and driven straight to her house? Better yet, why had he been sitting in her driveway for the past five minutes?

There was enough glow coming from behind the house that he knew he’d find Riley out back. Was she lying on the hammock where they’d made love? Or was she perched beneath the fairy tree she loved so much?

Bark. Bark. Bark.

Justin glanced through the windshield, made out Riley’s outline in the dim light. Riley was there, holding Daisy, but bent to let the dog free. Daisy immediately took off toward him, yapping frantically and jumping up into the Jeep.

“Hey, girl,” he greeted her when Daisy leapt up into his lap and began licking his face. Despite his tension, Justin laughed. “Yeah, I missed you, too.”

He loved on the dog for a second, then took a deep breath as he glanced back toward where Riley had been standing.

She was gone.

Great. Had she gone into the house, or around back again? He’d wondered if she’d let him in, or if she’d take the necklace and then tell him to leave again. He had Daisy. She’d have to talk to him long enough to get her dog back, to hear him out as he told her what was in his heart.

“Okay, girl, let’s go talk to your mom and hope she’s as happy to see me as you are,” he said, before moving her from his lap to the passenger seat. “What are the odds she’ll greet me like you did? Jumping in my lap and licking my face would be one heck of an icebreaker.”

“Is that what you want?”

Shocked at the unexpected question, Justin glanced up. Riley stood near the driver’s side.

“Me to jump in your lap and lick your face?”

Stunned that she’d heard his comment, that he’d not known she was there and had said something so stupid, he scowled at Daisy. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to give me notice when someone walks up to the car?”

“Apparently she was too busy licking you to notice.”

“Apparently,” he agreed, taking in everything about Riley.

She wore a loose T-shirt and yoga pants. Her hair was up in a ponytail and not a speck of makeup covered her face.

“You’re beautiful,” he said.

Not exactly what he’d meant to say, but true.

“Thanks, but I’m still not doing a Daisy impersonation by jumping in your lap and licking your face.”