Page 52 of Ghost

“So, how have things been with him?”

“Better than I deserve.”

“What!” she scoffed. “That’s not true.”

“But it is,” I argued. “He’s just so good. He makes me feel like my crazy isn’t so crazy.”

I leaned back in my chair, and my mind quickly drifted to one of the many times when Sutton had been so patient and understanding with me.

We’d only been therefor a day or so, and I was working in Toby’s room. I was at his dresser, putting some of his clothes into the drawer, when Sutton came in with another box. He was right behind me when his boot caught the edge of the rug, and he stumbled.

The box slipped from his hands and hit the floor with a loud thud, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I whipped around with a gasp, and the scare took my breath. Sutton stepped over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Hey, easy there. It’s just a box.”

I nodded, trying to pretend that I wasn’t on the brink of a panic attack. He brought his hands up to my face and lifted my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. He inhaled a deep breath and waited for me to do the same.

It was a simple gesture, but it brought a sense of calm that I didn’t expect. “You good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Trying to seem unphased, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled. “Just caught off guard.”

He didn’t respond, so I added, “I appreciate you bringing in the rest of his things.”

“No problem.” He stood and started for the door. Before walking out, he turned back to me and asked, “You sure you’re good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Really. It was nothing.”

He staredat me for a moment longer, then disappeared down the hall. And that was that. He didn’t push. He didn’t make me feel like I was a complete lunatic. He just gave me the space to have my moment and get through it.

It was one of many things Sutton had done for me over the past two weeks, and I was grateful beyond measure. Just thinking about it brought a smile to my face. Bridget gave me a little nudge and asked, “Hey, where’d you go?”

“Oh, sorry about that. I just drifted off there for a minute.”

“Looks like you were daydreaming, if you ask me.” She leaned in with a mischievous smile. “I think someone is a little smitten with our hot, white-haired biker.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” I reached for my coffee and took a long sip. “But I gotta say, he’s been pretty great with me and Toby. Whenever we need anything, he’s right there, and he never complains about anything—not even when Toby leaves his shoes in the middle of the living room floor or when he forgets to put his dishes in the sink.”

“Ghost is definitely one of the good ones.”

“Yes, he is.” I raked my teeth over my bottom lip as I teased, “And he looks really good without a shirt on.Like, holy moly, kind of good.”

“Yep, definitely smitten.”

“But I can’t be. It would complicate things too much.”

“And what if it does?”

“Why does he have to be so stupidly good-looking?”

“He is definitely hot.”

“And sweet and patient.” I leaned back in my chair with a huff. “And strong and confident, and when he smiles, good Lord. There are times when I have a hard time being in the same room with him.”

“Hard not to pounce him, huh?”

“The thought may have crossed my mind...”

I shouldn’t have been feeling this way, not after everything I’d been through. I should’ve had my guard up and kept him at arm’s length, but all the little things were getting to me. I just couldn’t help it. There was something so appealing about the way he was always there, even when I didn’t know I needed him. It could be something as simple as one of his reassuring smiles or simple nods of encouragement. That’s all it would take to make the weight on my shoulders seem to fade away.

And then, there was the way he was with Toby—so soft and gentle but manly at the same time. He wasn’t a pushover. He made his points, but he did it with kindness and respect. And he listened to both Toby and me—even when it was something asrandom as Toby telling him about a silly cartoon or me telling him about a favorite meal I used to make.

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