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“Couldn’t be her brother or her husband, or they would have filed a missing report at this point. And if they file a missing report, chances are Ethan would have come across her profile and called me,” I say aloud. “Then, where does the piece belong on the puzzle board?”
What if… the person is someone close to Lily, but they died from a gunshot wound?
Hell.Maybe her mind was dealing with grief, and at some point, it couldn’t. Maybe it snapped and shut off like a valve, and she got… I shake my head.
Theories.
That’s all I have. And I can’t paint a picture from my theories. I have always dealt with facts or reality, helping my clients go through the worst by predicting possible situations from already existing events.
Lily makes a sound, and I turn to see her eyelids fluttering and her eyes darting back and forth under her eyelids.
“Don’t,” she whispers. “Don’t. Please.”
Her voice takes on a pleading tone that tugs at my heartstrings and I unconsciously reach out to touch her cheek, desperate to ease the discomfort and help her sleep better.
“Shh,” I whisper, rubbing her cheek with my thumb. “You’re safe, Lily. You’re safe with me.”
She whimpers some more, a few words that I can't make out, but soon settles down and continues snoring softly. A smile touches my lips as I watch her.
This… this is all I want. Lily, always with a smile on her face, not worrying about when she’ll get her memory back or what she might find. A picture—unbidden—of Lily and Madison sitting together and conversing while I watch them with a grin on my face pops into my head.
Almost like a family setting.
With a sigh, my thumb caresses the spot behind her ear, making a trail to the round curve of her chin. My eyes go to her lips—soft, pink, and slightly parted.
Throwing away rational thoughts and logic, I let my thumb hover over her bottom lip, just a whisper away from touching.
I bet kissing her would feel like the clouds but with a touch of heaven.
My head drops lower until I feel her breath on my cheeks. Then I jerk back, suddenly snapping back to rationality and reality.
“Shoot,” I scrub my face.
Almost. I almost crossed the line.
I should probably have her go to her room, so I don’t do something stupid. I tap her shoulder gently, then shake her when tapping doesn’t work.
Lily opens her eyes groggily.
“Where—oh,” she lifts her head. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep on your shoulder. I’m sorry.”
I shake my head.
“It’s okay. It’s alright. You needed it. I’m glad I could offer a shoulder.”
She smiles, and my heart lights up. The very thing that makes me want to lean in to kiss her. I clear my throat.
“I should probably call and find out when Madison will be home.”
“Yes,” Lily gets up. “That. I’ll… I’ll be in my room. Taking that nap.”
The tension between us, sizzling in the living room’s air, is palpable.
Before I do something I’ll end up regretting, I walk towards the living room door and out of the cabin, shutting the door firmly behind me. I don’t stop walking until I get to the car, into it, and then I drive away from the cabin.
It isn’t until I get to the hospital that I finally stop to take a series of deep breaths, trying to calm my pounding heart.
That could have gone south.
