Chapter Ten
Jamie
The day felt endless. Time crawled so slowly it sometimes seemed to slip backward altogether.
But I was fine. Everything was okay. The hours only dragged because I was stuck between four hospital walls, watching my father sleep, and Hunter was too busy to reply to my texts.
At least, those were the lies playing on a loop in my head.
Truth was, things were far from fine, and I was nowhere near good. Time felt like a vacuum because worry plagued me, stretching every moment thin.
My father hadn’t spoken a word. He hadn’t acknowledged me at all. But I’d learned his open eyes didn’t mean he was actually with me. Less and less of his time was spent lucid, and I clung to the hope that it was the medication, not the disease.
That uncertainty sent me spiraling back to the same question I’d been asking myself since I arrived. Why was I here without my son? What kind of mother leaves her child behind?
But even those heavy thoughts weren’t the ones undoing me most.
No. It was thoughts of Eric pulling me under.
The fact that he occupied so much space in my mind felt absurd. I barely knew him, and yet I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Couldn’t stop replaying the kiss we’d shared.
The sensation was imprinted on my lips, my whole body still high from the brief contact.
Worse still was the conversation I’d managed to avoid. Somehow, I’d escaped explaining the mess that was Dylan. My history with him remained buried, and part of me desperately wanted it to stay that way. The idea of laying all of it bare for Eric made my stomach knot.
But without that talk, what chance did I have of ever feeling his mouth on mine again?
That kiss had crowded out everything else. My father. My son. My carefully constructed resolve.
Everything.
The guilt was blinding. But the pleasure…oh, the pleasure.
It lingered, vivid and undeniable. Unlike anything I’d felt before. I hated how easily my mind wandered from that single kiss to all the places it could have led, and all the places it still might.
No matter how hard I tried to stop it, the desire refused to loosen its grip.
My thoughts were still drifting somewhere scandalous when Nurse Judy swept into the room, her smile so bright it felt accusatory.
“Jamie dear, it’s almost dinnertime, and there’s a remarkably handsome young man in the hallway who says he’s here to take you out to eat.”
“What?”
“I wouldn’t keep him waiting if I were you.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “He’s a fine-looking man. If you don’t hurry, another woman might try and steal him. A woman like me maybe.” She laughed, thoroughly pleased with herself.
Not waiting to see if Judy’s enthusiasm would wake my father, I slipped into the hall.
Eric was waiting just outside, leaning casually against the wall again, arms crossed over his chest like he owned the space simply by standing in it. The sight of him sent a jolt through me, equal parts relief and excitement.
“What are you doing here?” The question was sharper than I meant it to be, an attempt to mask the ridiculous thrill blooming in my chest.
“It’s been less than twenty-four hours, and you’ve forgotten already?” He smirked, pushing off the wall to move closer. “I promised to feed you. We made a date, remember?”
He looked at me like he always did, like he was reading more than I was saying. Like he knew all the ways I’d been fantasizing about him.
The glint in his eye made my pulse stutter.
Shit. I was such an open book for this man, it was ridiculous.
“I could eat.” I shrugged, aiming for casual and missing by miles.
His warm hand closed around mine without hesitation, already turning us toward the elevator like the decision had been made the moment he showed up.
Even as my feet followed him, my mind stayed stubbornly fixed on everything but food.
Somehow, we ended up at a table, drinks sweating onto coasters, a plate set in front of me.
“This is seriously the best hamburger I’ve ever tasted,” I mumbled around a mouthful of half-chewed meat and bun.
Yes, it was a burger place, but not some greasy, overrun chain. It was the kind of place that took its food seriously. Still, the meal wasn’t the best part.
Eric watched me eat, openly amused, his attention fixed on me in a way that made my pulse trip. He lifted his milkshake, lips closing around the straw, his gaze never leaving mine as he took a slow sip and dragged his tongue across his lower lip afterward.
My blood pressure spiked. The man had a way of making everything look sexy. Even eating.
And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
A woman at a nearby table kept glancing over, her eyes lingering on the line of his broad shoulders.
The server had already made three unnecessary trips to our table, her questions directed at Eric with a smile that was a little too bright.
Even the guy at the corner booth had looked up from his phone more than once to steal a glance.
If Eric was aware of the attention, he didn’t show it. His focus stayed locked on me, like I was the only person in the room worth looking at.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” His smile was easy, the look in his eyes making it clear he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
We still hadn’t talked about yesterday. He hadn’t pushed, but the weight of it sat between us. There was no doubt he’d overheard at least some of my conversation with Dylan. But how much did I need to explain?
How much of myself was I ready to unpack?
Not much, if I was being honest. Still, telling him the truth felt like the right thing to do.
If things were normal, if we hadn’t met under fluorescent lights in a hospital cafeteria at one of the worst moments of our lives, I would’ve already said it all. But my hesitation wasn’t just about sparing him my baggage.
The real reason was less noble.
I liked the way he looked at me. The assurance in it. The way he made me feel capable and fragile at the same time, strong without having to pretend I wasn’t tired. He held me in a kind of quiet regard that felt rare.
“Can I ask you something?”
I swallowed thickly, the food sliding painfully down my throat and settling heavy in my stomach. I nodded anyway. Whatever he was about to ask felt inevitable.
“Are you really going to stay at your dad’s place?”
“I hadn’t thought about it before yesterday,” I admitted. “But I’ve got a room up at the resort that I’ve barely used.”
“Copper Ridge Resort?” His tone didn’t change, but something in his gaze sharpened.
“Yeah. It’s not exactly budget-friendly but I didn’t want to be right in town.” I exhaled, decision crystallizing. “I think I’ll save the money and stay at the house.”
“Good.” The word came out firm, satisfied. “It seemed to hold some good memories. Being there might help you sort through the rest.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“I’ll take you back to the resort and help you move your things.” He said it like it was already decided, like the most natural next step in the world.
The offer was too easy to accept.
And that was the problem.
I couldn’t keep relying on him to bail me out of trouble, even with something so simple. I wasn’t helpless. I was complicated. And some of those complications weren’t pretty.
He deserved better than a half-formed version of me.
He deserved the truth.
Just not here. Not with strangers all around us and no space to breathe. Not with half the restaurant stealing glances at him every few minutes. I needed somewhere I could speak freely, where Eric could react however he wanted, and I could run if needed.
“I’d like to go somewhere else first.” I met his gaze, pulse ticking faster. “If that’s okay.”
He leaned back in his chair, studying me with that intense focus that made me feel like prey. “Yeah. Of course. Where to?”
“Let’s go for a walk.”