Page 50 of The One Who Never Left: Colter

She slapped the final file closed and was reaching for her purse when she felt him—felt the weight of his attention. When she looked up, whatever was on his face told her this wasn’t small talk.

“You’re right, I need a second set of hands tonight,” he said. “Patches isn’t stable enough to leave him alone.”

Her heart skipped, just once, before settling into something warm and new.

“Okay, how long?” she asked.

“Through the night. At least.”

“I can stay a few hours. My neighbor, Ms. Tutty, can watch Lynlee. Problem is, she’s great for babysitting, but she can’t handle overnights.”

Sutton recognized the look on Colter's face before he even opened his mouth. The slight tightening at the corners of his lips. The way his shoulders squared, then seemed to think better of it. Like a man gearing up to walk barefoot across broken glass because there wasn't another way through.

It was the look of someone about to ask for something he hated needing—and hated even more that he needed it from her.

“Vivi can watch her,” he finally said.

"I appreciate that, I do." She hesitated, hating how the next words made her sound. "It's just—Vivi and I are still getting to know each other. I don't want to put her in that position."

“She’d love it. Plus, she’s great with kids and brings snacks like she’s preparing for the apocalypse. Lynlee would be worshipped.”

Sutton studied him, weighing trust against logistics, instinct against exhaustion. She’d known Vivi for only a few weeks, and while every minute with her had felt easy and natural, easy and natural didn't mean trusted with my daughter overnight. That was a different category entirely. One she didn't hand out lightly—or at all, if she was being honest.

Then again, she could sniff out untrustworthy people from a state away. It was a gift from her foster care days and that well-honed superpower was telling her that Vivi was good people.

In her heart, Sutton knew that. It was her head that was the problem. Besides her one friend in San Francisco and now Ms. Tutty, she’d never let anyone babysit Lynlee, so this would be a big deal.

“It’s okay to say no,” he said carefully, like he knew exactly how big an ask this was.

“It’s a lot,” she admitted.

“I know,” he replied, quieter now.

She glanced toward recovery, where Patches lay hooked to machines, then back at Colter. “It would be a first for both me and Lynlee.”

“I know and I hate asking but I need a second hand if things go sideways. I promised Ms. Miller I’d do whatever it took and I never go back on a promise.”

The words touched somewhere inconvenient. Because confidence was one thing, but a man who didn't need attention to know his worth? That was downright terrifying. Plus, it showed just how strong his moral compass was, and that was a trait she needed in a man who might play a major role in her daughter’s world.

She knew when her heart committed. “How long?”

“Worst case, sunrise.”

“I’ll call Vivi. I’ll just need to grab Lynlee from daycare and get her overnight bag. I’ll be gone for only thirty minutes max.”

Relief moved through his face so fast she almost missed it, like he'd been waiting on her answer longer than he wanted to admit. “Thank you.”

She met his gaze, grounding herself in what mattered. “We don’t leave patients alone,” she said. “Two-legged or four.”

As she turned away, phone already at her ear, Sutton had the fleeting, thrilling thought that trusting him didn’t feel reckless at all. It felt inevitable.

CHAPTER 19

It was official—Colter was a Grade-A jackass.

He woke to the unfamiliar weight of warmth and the very familiar ache of sleeping on a couch that had been designed by someone who hated spines.

For half a second, he thought he was still dreaming. The clinic was still caught in that sweet spot between night and the storm, before the phones rang, the doors opened, and the universe started handing out problems like party favors.