Page 16 of Committed to You

I take a sip of water. “Okay. When are you planning on moving?”

“The plan is for me to be on the ground no later than two weeks. The sooner, the better. I fly back to New York tomorrow and can return Friday if you can line some places up?”

“Yes, I can do that. If you don’t close on something in two weeks, will you need a temporary place?”

“I can get a hotel or stay with Noah, depending on how long you think it’ll take to close on something. Your bed is my first choice though.”

My face flares with heat. “And we were doing so well.”

He holds his hands up in the air. “What? You can’t blame a guy for trying.”

If only I could get the cells in my body to stop being excited at the thought of him trying.

4

Chase

Seven Months Prior

“Xander and Charlottehave been in an accident.” Noah’s worried voice comes through the phone.

“What?”

“Charlotte just called. She’s in shock, and we don’t know all the details, but she said Xander is going into surgery.”

“Jamison and I are at the hospital for a meeting. Let me find out the details, and I’ll call you back,” I tell him.

Several hours pass. Noah is flying into New York from Chicago and should be here soon. Jamison and I are pacing the hallway, waiting to hear more about how Xander and Charlotte are doing, but they are both in surgery.

One of the head nurses from the surgery department comes out to give us an update just as Noah walks in with Piper and her friends Quinn and Vivian.

At first, I don’t even look at the girls because Noah, Jamison, and I are all asking questions about Xander and Charlotte. Since we were all paramedics together, we know the staff at the hospital well and also the medical jargon.

After the nurse gives us a full update, Noah introduces us. And that’s when my heart about beats right out of my chest.

The only thing I should be thinking about is Xander and Charlotte. I had never met Piper’s friends. But the moment I lay eyes on Vivian, my pulse throbs harder, and the hair on my neck stands up.

While Piper and her friends are the definitions of “beautiful people,” Vivian steals my breath with her bright brown eyes, olive skin, and overall Mediterranean appearance. Like the other girls, she has been crying and wears hardly any makeup, but she can outshine any runway model.

When her eyes lock into mine, the most luscious lips I’ve ever seen curve upward, and my heart beats in my neck.

“Hi,” she softly says.

“Hey.”

The nurse comes back out, and I have to tear my eyes away from her. The next few minutes are a bit chaotic as Piper has a panic attack for reasons unknown. We all go across the street for coffee and come back to the hospital in time to receive a call from the nurse telling us Xander is out of surgery, but he is in a medically induced coma. Charlotte finally gets out of her surgery. She’s having a hard time about Xander. Noah and I step out into the hall, leaving Vivian and Piper with her.

Noah and Piper showed up with bodyguards following them around. I point to his security. “What’s that all about?”

“Kramer Sampson had Piper and I followed last time we were in town.”

My head about snaps off my neck. “Why?”

“I can’t get into it.”

I glare at him. “Noah, you know Kramer Sampson isn’t someone to be messed with.”

“Preaching to the choir, Chase.”

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