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At one point he said, “Can you send me that one? I’m going to add it to the wall.”
It was a particularly nice action shot of Taryn feeding Sophie cake as she sat in Evan’s lap. All three of them were so happy.
Cora nodded and said, “Sure. Email or text?”
“Just text it, please,” he said, as he rattled off his number.
“Sent,” Cora said.
“Oh jeez,” Jamie murmured looking past her to Taryn, who now peacefully slumped in the chair, asleep.
Grinning, Cora said, “I guess that’s our cue to leave, huh?”
“Looks like it.”
Together, they walked downstairs to the main living room to see Evan bidding good-bye to Christine, Bruce, and their children.
When he spotted them together he asked, “Hey. Where’s Taryn? Wasn’t she up there with you?”
“Fell asleep,” Cora said. “She’s currently resting peacefully against a pile of cushions by the fire. So I figured that was my cue to leave. Besides, I’ve got an early patient tomorrow.”
“I’m gonna head out, too, Ev. Thanks for the great meal. It’s great to be home.”
“Give me a minute and I’ll walk you down,” Evan said, holding up a hand.
“Go retrieve your wife, Evan,” Cora said. “I can make it to my car just fine.”
“I’ll walk her to her car, Ev. Go get Taryn,” Jamie said.
Cora rolled her eyes and said, “I can get to my car on my own guys.”
Both men gave her that same, annoyingly patient look as if to say, “Humor me.”
“Whatever,” Cora said, giving in. “I’m just saying this isn’t exactly a rough neighborhood.”
After Evan had hugged them both, they stepped out on to the main landing and started down the stairs. They were both silent as they descended the stairs and made their way onto the street. Maybe he was remembering the first time they had done this. She couldn’t be near him and not remember.
The attraction between them had been instant. She couldn’t help but smile as she remembered the walk to her car. He’d taken her hand in his as they rounded the corner. He’d given her a light kiss on the cheek after they had reached her car. When he’d backed away, she had reached out to tug him back against her. God. His mouth.
When they exited the building, he said, “Getting a huge sense of deja vu here.”
“Me, too,” she agreed, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “By the way, this is me.”
She gestured to her car, then added, “That’s why I said I could make it by myself.”
“Point taken,” he said, grinning.
She dug her keys out of her bag and unlocked the doors with the clicker. After she had shifted the bag, she said, “It was nice seeing you again.”
“It really was,” he said. “I was worried it would be awkward.”
“Well, aside from your entire family staring at us any time we got near each other...” Cora said with a smirk. “Totally fine.”
He studied her for a moment and then asked, “Could I have a hug?”
She nodded slowly, then set her bag down on the car and closed the distance between them.
He reached out and took her into his arms. Seconds later, her cheek was pressed against his chest and his chin rested gently on the top of her head. For long minutes, neither of them spoke as they held each other much more tightly than was required.
