Not a carjacker.
So much worse.
TheAdamWoofis standing outside my car.
And yes, he looks like a man who could chop woods while reciting poetry and make forest creatures swoon.I’m not going to sneak a picture for Harper or Julie or… me.
I yank off my beanie, fluff my honey-blonde (no longer pink) hair then immediately slap my hands over my face.Not exactly agame-changing peek-a-boo,but hey, worth a shot.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”Is that the tone of someone who’s asking if I hit my head or if I’m still in remission?
I’m not ready.I’m nowhere close to ready.Let’s face it, I’ll never be ready.Even if I lived to a thousand years and did therapy for a million hours.My car engine makes a concerning noise that definitely won’t support my escape plan.
“Ugh-ugh.”
“Have you seen a chihuahua?”
His voice is deeper than I remember.More...everything.
I peel my fingers away from my face one by one, hoping he might disappear.No such luck.He’s still here.Still devastating.
“Adam.”His name crawls out of my throat as the chicken squeaks once more.Because of course, the first time we meet in person I’m holding my dog’s support chicken toy.
He studies me silently, probably cataloging every change since we last connected (my face is fuller, my hair is my natural color, my brain’s gone offshore), while I fumble for words.
“So.Ugh, hmm.Hi.”Great words, Eve.Wonderful.
His lips twitch upward.“Really?Hi?”His voice wraps around me like honey and heat and a healthy dose ofwhat-the-fuck.
“Yep.Hi.Hello.”Words and I used to be acquainted.Friends, really.
He crouches next to the car so we’re eye-level and yep, this is where“I could get lost in his gaze”makes actual sense.An ocean of regrets and remorse right there.
“Are you okay?”Ha.There it is.Thetone.This is why Claire’s Hallmark movie magic is bound to fail.I’m not Hallmark material.I’m the cancer survivor with neuropathy, too much baggage and scars.As I said, pure Lifetime movie.
“Eve?”His tone is filled with tension.Oh right, the question.
“Yep.I’m good.Healthy,” I murmur and his jaw seems to relax.“Totally fine.”Because nothing says“fine”like my stomach spinning around and my heart doing flips Simone Biles would be proud of.Why does he have a gruff jaw now?Can I touch it?
Nope.No touching.Bad nurse, bad.
I brush my fingers in my hair instead and remind myself to breathe because that blue gaze of his is peeling layers of my past that would put me on the naughty list and my exhale is caught somewhere between my lungs and the North Pole.
“Thank fucking everything,” he rasps.Because despite everything, he’s still decent.And because of everything, I want to either lean closer or crawl under my Great Dane.
Instead, I sit even straighter, force my lips into… nope, not a smile.Say hello to the Joker—Eve Foster Edition.
My Bluetooth crackles back to life.“Eve?”Claire’s voice tightens with what sounds suspiciously like guilt.“Say something.”
“Yep.Good.Here.”I speak in code now.
“Oh good.”She breathes out.“Because there’s so much ahead.Like what I was telling you about your Hallmark movie era.I thought I should wait… but … I can’t wait anymore.Your new boss?I’m pretty sure he’s Adam’s father.”
“Yep, that Adam...”Julie confirms as Harper exclaims, “VoiceGasm in the actual flesh!”
Claire continues, “Remember that picture you have of him?I only realized it yesterday when I browsed old pictures on the clinic’s website.Dr.Harrison had a picture of his entire family… and, well… I tried to call—”
“She’s aware,” VoiceGasm says, deadpan.
