Page 59 of Finding Forever

I could drown in the longing in Eric’s eyes. For a man determined to begin a new life and find happiness, his words should have made me feel like the luckiest person alive. But I was terrified.

Terrified of making a mistake, of reading too much into the gentleness on his face, the smile that always made my stomach twist in knots.

Eric’s fingertips brushed my jaw. “I never thought I’d care about anyone again, but I was wrong. When this is over, would you like to go on a date with me?”

“A date?”

“You know… where two people go to the movies or out to dinner. Or we could do something else. There are plenty of river rafting tours we could join or there’s a rock-climbing wall beside the community center that’s challenging.”

“I’ve never been rock climbing.”

“We could do that.”

“No. I mean I don’t want to go rock climbing.” My brain had turned to mush, and nothing made sense. “I thought you didn’t want to date anyone?”

Eric’s smile disappeared. “So did I. But sometimes life has a funny way of showing you what’s important. And you are important.”

For someone who was falling in love with Eric, I was suddenly very nervous. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if how you’re feeling is a reaction to being under a lot of stress? What if?—”

“I’m not asking you to marry me, Riley.” Eric’s soft voice calmed me in a way nothing else could. “If we don’t enjoy spending time together after this is finished, we don’t need to see each other again.”

“Do you know how depressing that sounds?”

Eric smiled. “Is that a yes to a date?”

I kissed his cheek. “It’s a yes to a date that doesn’t involve a gun or a climbing wall.”

“I’ll have to be creative.”

I shook my head. “Just be yourself. That’s all I’ll ever need.”

forty-two

ERIC

I picked up the stick Sherlock dropped at my feet. “Do you want me to throw this?” I asked, my voice tinged with affection.

Sherlock froze, his excited eyes never leaving my face. Fetch had always been one of our favorite games. He was quick, too. As soon as the stick left my hand, the German Shepherd sprinted across the yard, snatched the piece of wood off the ground, and sped back to me.

“Good boy,” I praised, a smile tugging at my lips.

Sherlock’s tail swished back and forth, waiting for the next round of playtime. I brought back my arm and flung the stick into the trees. If the stalker was stupid enough to stand on the edge of the clearing with an ex-police dog tearing toward him, he wasn’t as intelligent as anyone thought.

Sherlock disappeared into the trees, and I sighed. The last two days had been hard on all of us. The long walks Sherlock loved were a thing of the past. We couldn’t afford to be caught too far from the house. So, regardless of his sad brown eyes, we hadn’t ventured beyond the trees on the far side of the yard.

But there was good news. Despite everything, Riley was making great progress on the canvas he brought with him. My manuscript was rolling along nicely, and Alex was pleased with the work he’d finished. Even though we were making good use of the time away from Sunrise Bay, I knew it couldn’t go on forever.

I looked at my watch, then back at the forest. Even with Sherlock’s curious streak, he should have returned by now.

The front door of the house banged open, and Alex rushed outside. “They’ve found him!”

I stared at my friend. “Chapman?”

Alex nodded. “Detective Jameson called. Chapman was pulled over in Broomfield for not stopping at a red light. As well as the driving infringement, they’ve charged him with two counts of breaking and entering.”

I couldn’t believe the police had found him. “When did they take him into custody?”

“About an hour ago. There’s more news. You were right about the phone records. Leith and his stepbrother have been calling each other. The police are searching both of their apartments.”

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