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"I hope so. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Okay." I tried to look unconcerned by his departure, but I'd become very attached to him the past few days. My anchor was leaving, and I felt suddenly adrift.
Kade gave me an odd look. Then he moved forward and wrapped his arms around me.
I drew in a breath, soaking in the warmth of his embrace for a long minute. I looked up at him. "How did you know I needed a hug?"
"Because I needed one, too," he said, his gaze clinging to mine.
Something between us shifted. The hug no longer felt comfortable or friendly. It felt like something else, something exciting, tingly…
When Kade lowered his head, I couldn't resist. I wanted his mouth on mine, and it was everything I'd imagined and more. His kiss was hot, purposeful, and demanding. Kade always pushed me out of my comfort zone, and this was no exception. One kiss led to another and another. I couldn't seem to let him go, even though I knew I should.
Finally, Kade pulled back, the mix of our breath enveloping us in a sexy, warm cloud of passion.
As he opened his mouth to speak, I cut him off. "Don't say anything. Don't ruin it."
He gave me a long look, then stole another kiss and left the house. I watched him get on his motorcycle and speed away. Then I closed and locked the door, my lips still tingling, my breath a bit ragged. We'd just made things more complicated, but it was worth it.
And it was so much better to think about kissing Kade than anything else. I wanted to lose myself in a beautiful daydream about the sexy Kade Beckham and pretend for just a few minutes that my life was like it used to be, when no one had betrayed me, when I didn't have questions, when I wasn't afraid for my life.
And then my phone buzzed.
The number came up as St. Mary's Hospital.
Reality came back, hard and fast.
"Hello?" I said warily.
"This is Nurse Redding at St. Mary's. Is this Brynn Landry?"
"Yes, it is. Are you calling about my mother? Is she all right?"
"She's waking up," the nurse said.
My pulse leapt in excitement and relief. "Oh, my God. Does that mean she'll recover?"
"The doctor is examining her now."
"I'll be there as soon as I can." I couldn't believe it. My mother was opening her eyes. Maybe she could finally tell me what the hell was going on.
I ran into the kitchen to get my purse and keys and then left the house in a hurry. I jogged out to my car and jumped in, locking the doors as soon as I was inside. I wished Kade was still around, but I couldn't wait for him to come back. I needed to see my mom, and I was probably safer at the hospital anyway. Although, first I had to get from the parking structure to the building…
* * *
When I arrived at the hospital, I parked as close as I could to the entrance and then waited for a father and daughter to walk by my car before getting out. I stayed close to them, thinking there was safety in numbers, but my gaze darted in every direction as I made my way into the hospital. I didn't take a full breath until I was stepping off the elevator and walking to my mother's room.
The doctor came out of the room just as I got to the door.
"How is she?" I asked.
Dr. Ryker gave me a smile. "Much better. We removed the tubes. She's still very weak, and her mind is muddled. But all that is to be expected with a head injury such as hers. We'll run more tests over the next day or two. As the swelling goes down, she should continue to improve."
"Does she know where she is?"
"She's aware she's in the hospital. She doesn't remember being shot."
My hopes dimmed at her words. But even if my mom didn't remember the shooting, she should be able to tell me about the rest of her life.
