One to Chase (One to Hold 7)

I take a bite of scrambled eggs and cheese with caramelized onions and earthy mushrooms wrapped in a thin crepe.

“Mm!” I groan. “This is delicious!”

It’s meaty and lightly salty with a velvety tang from the cheese. He grins and sips his coffee. Passing the lady cash, he picks up a tiny breakfast bagel.

“Why is mine so much bigger?” I laugh, pushing his arm as we lean against the standing bar.

“You don’t have to finish it.” He lifts a fresh strawberry from his cup of fruit and holds it near my mouth.

I lean forward to bite it, and a bit of juice covers my bottom lip. Heat flickers in his eyes, and he wipes it with his thumb before pressing his mouth to mine, sending shimmers of joy through my insides.

My voice is thick when I speak again. “We could’ve shared.”

“No.” Smokey hazel moves from my mouth to my gaze. “It’s for you. It’s my favorite.”

Pulling the wrapper down, I hold it to him. “Take a bite. Go on!”

He follows orders then playfully groans. “So good.”

“Yes. We could’ve split it.”

“But I’ve got this little guy,” he says, waving the tiny ham, egg, and cheese sandwich.

“Not enough for a growing boy.”

Leaning into my ear he whispers. “I’m fully grown.”

And I’m on fire. “Yes you are,” I whisper back.

A quick kiss and he polishes off his meal. “Come with me.”

I take my last bite and toss the rest, catching his outstretched hand. We head deeper into the market until we reach a flower stand. The scent of assorted floral arrangements fills the air. Enormous bunches of white and lavender hydrangeas overflow shiny silver buckets. He leads me past lilacs and tulips to a bin holding tissue-pink peonies. Quickly he scoops out a bouquet and steps to the register. Minutes later, they’re in my arms.

“Beautiful!” I sigh, sniffing their delicate, sweet scent.

“We can stop and grab a vase.” My hand is in his again, and we’re walking back toward the lake, toward the hospital. “Put them in your mother’s room. They’ll help her feel better.”

My lip catches in my teeth, and I swear I have to kiss him again. We haven’t stopped touching or kissing each other since we opened our eyes this morning, and I’m not ready to stop now—especially when he thinks of Sylvia this way.

I’m so in love with all of it, and at the same time, itching at the back of my mind is the other woman who’s stolen his time and attention these last several days. We have to talk about her. We will talk about her tonight over dinner.

“It’s such a nice morning.” His arm is over my shoulder, hugging me tightly to his side. “I’ll probably walk to work.”

“What about your car?” He left it parked in front of Sylvia’s building.

His beard lightly scuffs my temple as he kisses my brow. “I’ll get it when I take you to dinner tonight.”

We’re at the entrance, and I turn to face him. His arms surround me, and he only looks deep into my eyes. So many things I want to tell him, but he only kisses me. Our noses touch, our chins touch, and our lips hold each other’s. We’re not making out at the entrance to the hospital, but the sweetness of his kiss is enough to flood my panties with heat.

I’m sure my cheeks are flushed when he straightens again, his eyes fixed on my mouth. “I’ll pick you up at seven. Text me where you are.”

A quick nod, and he’s gone. I’m walking on clouds all the way to Sylvia’s room, vase forgotten. When I reach the door, however, I stop in my tracks, completely shocked.

“Bill!” It’s a whispered exclamation.

My reclusive uncle, my father’s younger brother, who never leaves the horse ranch he owns in Great Falls, Montana, is standing outside my mother’s door talking in a low voice to Stuart.

It’s a familiar sight. As much as my oldest brother has always been exactly like our father, he’s always been closest to this relative we never see. Both Stuart and Patrick would spend weeks every summer with him, working and doing God knows what. I was always with our mother.