Page 158 of Counting On You

Now it’s breaking at the sight of him.

Kade Wright is perfection. He looks so beautiful he must be made of sin.

“Vicky.” He speaks my name gently and I can feel myself melting. He closes the last few inches between us and lifts his hand to brush a strand of hair out of my face. “You’re back with him.”

His voice is calm, resolute, there’s an undertone of anger.

I bite my lip hard, but the pain doesn’t stop the heat gathering between my legs.

He’s sexy when he’s angry.

I can’t help but wonder whether his lips taste the same, whether his touch could still send me over the edge.

“Look at me.” His tone is harsher. “You’re back with him, Vicky.”

It’s a statement. Not a question.

The words echo in my head. They don’t make sense until I catch his glance. It’s the same glance he used to give me during our group therapy sessions.

The implication is so ridiculous I can’t help but laugh.

“You think I’ve run back to Bruce?”

“Isn’t that why you’ve been avoiding my calls?”

I suck in my breath, wondering how he could possibly come to such a conclusion when all I want to do is to rip off his clothes and squeeze in a quickie before my sister’s wedding.

It’s been months since I even thought of Bruce. He’s been erased from my mind, and someone else has taken his place: Kade.

His name, our memories—they’re everywhere, around me, inside me.

“I’m not back with Bruce,” I say. “I’m not with anyone. Why would you even assume that? He’s gay!”

Suspicion reflects in his eyes. “You thought you were in love with him, and he might still be in the closet.”

This is the time to tell Kade how I feel about him. But I’m not ready to admit my feelings, my fears, my hopes. Saying it all when he was in a coma was easy, because deep inside I doubted he heard me. Revealing my feelings when he can hear me would only make me sound desperate, particularly since I’m pregnant.

“I won’t let you shut me out,” Kade says.

“I wasn’t planning on doing that.”

There’s a long silence.

When he speaks again, I’m amazed by the softness in his voice. “I know that you took care of me.”

I saw that one coming. “It’s no big deal. Anyone would have done it.”

“Not really. Not to the same extent.” His fingers touch my cheek gently, the soft caress making my heart flutter in my chest. “Chase said you were by my side every single day. That you worked overtime and rejected his offer to get paid for your time.”

“It’s nothing, Kade.” My breath barely makes it past my lips. I fight the urge to lean into his touch. “You didn’t have to fly all the way here to thank me. A simple thank-you card would have sufficed.”

“Chase said you were by my side day and night, reading aloud, keeping my senses stimulated, doing everything you could to wake me. You advised him not to listen to the doctors when they claimed I might not make it. If not for you, I might not have woken up. We both know that.”

I blink in succession to fight the tears gathering in my eyes. I remembered those dark moments when my own doubts threatened to take over. Seeing him alive and well, I’m glad I didn’t give up.

Kade’s hands cup my face, forcing me to face the intensity of his eyes. “I know you were afraid that you might lose me, Vicky. I know your fears are the reason why you’re avoiding me.”

I let out a pent-up breath.

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