Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“How do you feel after the shower?” I asked.
She gave me a soft smile. “Better. I don’t think I stink anymore.”
I laughed. “I didn’t want to lie to you, sweetheart.”
After slipping up onto one of the stools at the kitchen island, she said, “You always were that way. It’s one of the things I admire most about you. I know you’ll always tell me the truth.”
I placed some cooked bacon on a napkin and got to work making the eggs. “Still like them over medium?”
“Yep.”
The room grew quiet before Adelaide cleared her throat. “Gannon, we should probably talk.”
Glancing at her, I asked, “About what?”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “Oh, I don’t know. You sleeping with me last night. Us confessing that we love each other. You seeing me naked, and me trying not jump on you so I can have my way with you.”
My heart kicked up a bit, and I turned to study her. “Have your way with me, huh? I like the sound of that.”
She tilted her head and shot me a look. “Seriously, Gannon. Do we simply pick up where we left off?”
I leaned forward. “Why not? I never stopped loving you, Addie, and I don’t think I ever will. The fact that we’ve both dated other people shouldn’t mean anything. That’s all in the past. I’m ready to focus on the future.”
She waved off my comment. “I don’t care about past lovers or whatever you want to call them. I’ve never felt this way about anyone other than you. It’s just…should we go slow, or…”
I flipped the eggs and then focused back on her. “Adelaide, we didn’t do anything last night. You were sick, you asked me to stay, and I did. I held you while you slept. Yes, I undressed you and had to fight some urges of my own when I saw you naked, but we’re two adults who share a past together. Why shouldn’t we be able to pick up exactly where we left off? If I hadn’t joined the Navy, we might never have broken up. We’ve lived our lives and always said we would see where our paths took us. They brought us right back here. To Seaside. To each other.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly. “I had a pretty vivid dream about you last night.”
That made my heart do a weird little flip in my chest. “Did you now? I hope we had fun in it.”
“Oh, we had fun. A lot of fun.”
I shook my head and winked at her.
After a few moments, she let out a sigh. “I’m worried about my dad, and how hard he and my mom work at the Grill. He’s a big part of why I’m home. But I also missed you, Gannon. I missed your smile, the feel of your hands on me. I missed the way you kiss me and the way we make love. I tried not to compare every guy I dated to you, but it was impossible. I finally had to admit that I needed to come back home to see what could happen. Though…not just with us, but also with my life. I feel so lost right now.”
That threw me for a loop. If there was one thing I knew about Adelaide, she always had a plan. Everything neatly laid out. Her college career, where she would move and work. So, to hear her say she felt lost was surprising. “Lost? Did you not enjoy your job?”
Adelaide sighed. “I did. Something was missing, though. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret my decisions. I honestly don’t. But the last couple of years, I felt like I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. And now that I’m back in Seaside, one part of that emptiness feels like it’s gone. At least it does when I’m with you.”
I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her I felt the same way.
She cleared her throat and went on. “But standing here in my parents’ kitchen, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do next.”
“What about the hospital? You don’t want to go back to nursing?”
She slowly shook her head. “I don’t think so. And that’s why I feel so lost. Maybe non-patient care is where I want to be. But then will I miss patient care? I don’t know what to do.”
She closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and exhaled before she went on. “I had this idea that when I left Boston I’d find something in the health field and step away from patient care. Now I’m wondering if that’s really what I want. I do know that I don’t want to do labor and delivery anymore. I loved it, but I think I need a change.”
I walked over to her and kissed her forehead. “The first thing you need to do is stop stressing, Addie. Take a deep breath and realize you don’t have to have it all figured out right now. I know that isn’t your personality and that you like to have a plan, but maybe this one time in your life you can see where fate takes you.”