Page 72 of Just One Kiss

Did she remember the promises they’d made to each other right here in this place?

Man, he missed the simple, peaceful relationship they’d shared. He’d had nothing like it—not before or since.

He looked at her, doing nothing to hide the longing he felt.

“You’re right. We should call it a night,” she said abruptly, standing and winding up the cord on the vacuum cleaner. “It’s getting late and Jaden will be home soon.”

He moved out of the way so she could descend the ladder, aware that the good memories from their past had the same effect on her that the bad ones did.

And that was something he had no idea how to change.

18

Josh:I know it’s 3:00 a.m. but are you up?

Carly:Yes.

Josh:Me too. Worried?

Carly:Trying not to be.

Josh:I keep thinking of every verse I’ve ever read in the Bible about not being anxious and God caring about sparrows. Somehow I’m still sitting here begging him to watch out for our son.

Carly:You’re praying?

Josh:Feels like the only thing I can do right now.

* * *

The day of the surgery, Carly woke up early.

They had to be at the hospital by six in the morning, so she’d set her alarm for five, and she was pretty sure she’d only been asleep an hour.

It might seem like her medical training would come in handy at a time like this, but she was finding her knowledge of all the risks of surgery did more harm than good.

She shook Jaden, who wanted no part of being awake, then headed downstairs to make a cup of coffee when a light rap on the front door startled her.

She pulled her short robe around her body and tied it, then went to the door and peered outside.

Josh stood on the porch, clean shaven and showered, wearing a pair of jeans and an old Michigan State T-shirt she thought she recognized from high school.

She opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Brought you this.” He held up a to-go cup of coffee from Hazel’s Kitchen along with a brown paper bag. “You still like chocolate chip muffins, don’t you?”

He remembered? She reached out and took the bag, opened it and stuck her nose inside, inhaling the buttery, chocolatey scent.Heaven.

“You didn’t have to do this,” she said.

“I know. I wanted to. Is he up?”

Carly shook her head.

“Can I come in? I want to see him before we head over.”

She clutched the cup of coffee to her chest. “Josh, I think maybe we need to talk about something.”

He frowned, but surely he knew what she was going to say.

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