Page 23 of Lost and Found

At first, I want to ask her what she means, then I realize she’s referring to our dancing in the rain, or more like running around. I can’t hold back the smile. “Nope, healthy as a horse. I even went for a jog on the beach this morning.” I take her head between my hands and start to examine her.

“I take it you live by the beach.”

I nod my head. “Yes, it’s my backyard, technically.”

Paige sighs heavily. “I’m so jealous of you right now. I’ve always wanted to live on the beach.”

“You have?” I ask. Just another memory resurfacing in an unexpected way.

“Well, I guess I don’t know for sure, but I feel like I did,” she says, with a shrug.

“Then you probably did. The rule of thumb is to always go with your gut instinct. Normally, your body knows you better than you do.” I avert my eyes as I grab my stethoscope, because I certainly hope that’s not true. If it is, then it means I want Paige more than I’ve wanted anything, even my career.

“I feel like I pretty much always went with that anyways,” she says, with a smile.

I listen to her breathing before grabbing my flashlight and holding up a finger. I watch as she watches my finger. She’s healing normally which is a relief. “Well, Paige, it seems like everything looks good and normal so far. Dancing in the rain might just cure you yet.” I wink at her.

“Dancing in the rain can cure everything, Dr. Reid,” she says, her tone flirty. I doubt she meant for it to come across as flirty, it’s just me and my damn mind right now.

I toss my gloves, that I don’t even remember putting on, in the trash before turning around and extending my hand out to her to help her off the examination table. She hops down, but loses her balance. Quickly, and on pure natural reaction, I grab her, pulling her against me. Her hands fist into the white lab coat I’m wearing and I can feel her warm breath coming through my shirt. She looks up into my eyes and all I want to do is lean down and kiss her. It’s all I’ve wanted for a long time.

I feel her leaning into me more and more as the second’s pass by. I take a deep breath and place my hands over her and try to take a step back, but she only tightens her grip. Before I can think about it, her lips are on mine. Consuming me heart, body, and soul. I drink her in like an addict, while letting the raging fire I feel for her consume me as her tongue dances with mine in this forbidden dance of ours.

All too soon she pulls away from me and walks to the door. “Paige,” I call out to her, my voice hoarse from the relentless desire to go to her. She stops and turns around with a satisfied look on her face. “Why?”

She shrugs. “Because I wanted to kiss you and I go after what I want. We only live once and I’d rather live with the decisions I made than the what-ifs. See you later, Dr. Reid,” she tells me, as she turns around and walks out my door. This just keeps getting more and more complicated.

Chapter Twenty-One

Paige

I walk out of the office feeling proud and satisfied with myself. I could tell that Reid was shocked by me kissing him, but he also wasn’t against it. I’m not sure what came over me, except that I needed to know where he stood on this idea of us. I mean, my feelings had already formed and were continuing to grow, so it was best to know now. I didn’t want to keep holding on for nothing.

However, as I make my way back to the children’s clinic, there is a gnawing in the pit of my stomach and in the back of my head. I can’t shake it, but I feel like it’s trying to tell me something. I don’t know what, but I refuse to let it ruin my current mood. I push it aside as I enter the building.

The office is pretty empty for once, just one blonde headed little boy playing with the building blocks in the corner of the room. Suddenly, something flashes through my mind. A little blonde-headed boy with rosy cheeks running around a backyard with a toy sword. The flash is gone as quickly as it comes, but it knocks me off balance. I reach out and grip the wall for support. That was the strangest thing to come into my mind. Why would that come into my mind?

Arden comes rushing out of the back and toward me. “Are you okay?” I can see the worry in her eyes.

I nod my head. “Yeah, I just…” I trail off, unsure of how to explain what just happened to me.

“Was your appointment okay?” she asks. I know she’s trying to figure out what I’m not telling her.

“I need to sit down,” I tell her. Arden grabs my arm and leads me back to my chair behind the front counter. She rushes off and returns with a bottle of water.

“Here, drink some of this,” she tells me, as she hands me the open bottle.

I shake my head slightly. “I’m not thirsty.”

“I don’t care. You need to drink something.” She gives me the look that she normally gives Gideon when he argues with her, so I take the bottle and take a small sip. I won’t lie, the burst of cold water in my mouth feels like heaven. “Thank you,” she tells me, as she rests against the desk. “Now, you want to tell me about your appointment?”

“It was fine. There was nothing wrong. I just had this weird image pop into my head when I walked in. I don’t know why or where it came from,” I sigh, and lay my head back against the chair.

Arden’s brows knit together in confusion and curiosity. “What kind of image.” I go on to explain to her what had flashed through my mind, feeling silly with every word. Once I’m done, I look up at Arden and there is some unknown emotion there in the depths of her brown eyes. I can’t tell what it is, but whatever it is, I feel like it’s something serious. Her mouth is open like she’s about to say something before she closes it back.

“What is it?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “Nothing. I was trying to figure out what made you think that, but I’m not sure how to explain that.”

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