Page 20 of No One But You
He didn’t look totally satisfied with that answer, but he didn’t question me, instead calling his twin and having a brief conversation that I was able to follow even though I could only hear one side of it.
“So, we’re meeting him at the medical center?”I asked, just to confirm.
“Yes, in about an hour.”He glanced over at my empty bowl.“Did you have enough?”
My heart warmed.“Plenty, thank you.”
In one of the most adorable moves possible, Max had made me breakfast and even included a cup of my favorite tea.I didn’t even remember telling him which tea I preferred, and it made me all gooey inside to think that he might have been paying closer attention to me than I’d believed.
Don’t read too much into it,Summer’s voice in my head reminded me.He’s nice to everyone.
Which was depressingly true.
I gathered my dishes and limped over to load them into the dishwasher despite Max’s protests.As long as I didn’t aggravate any of my injuries, moving around would help me, and he knew that.The cutie pie just didn’t like to see me struggle.
I brushed my teeth and made sure I had everything I might need during the day because I didn’t intend to leave the medical center unless it was with an escort.
Max wrapped his arm around me as we walked out to his dad-style minivan, and I subtly leaned closer and sniffed, trying to catch a hint of his natural scent before it got covered with antiseptic.There was a trace of something fresh and citrusy—maybe lemon—accompanied by something that reminded me of the forest.
So good.
He drove us to the medical center and let me enter under my own steam as he walked behind me with the wheelchair.I got comfortable in the same room as yesterday and tried not to cling to Max when his first patient arrived and he had to leave to examine them.
I was a little afraid I might be annoying him with my need to constantly be near someone, but he hadn’t given any indication that was the case.Perhaps he was nice enough that he didn’t mind.
Nate turned up a few minutes into Max’s appointment.He strode in, eyes full of concern.“How are you doing?”
“I’m all right.”Not totally true, but not a lie either.I was probably as good as I could be.
He sat on the chair beside the bed and pulled his notebook from his pocket.“Max said you’re scared that the person who attacked you might be angry to find out you’re still alive.Does that mean you remembered something?”
I grimaced, hating to let him down.“Not really.It’s more like a feeling.I think they wanted me dead.I’m—” I glanced at the window and stared at a trail of water as it slid down the glass.“—I’m worried they might come back.”
Nate laid his hand over mine, and when I turned back to him, he looked really awkward.Comforting people wasn’t his thing, but I appreciated the effort.
“At the moment, we don’t believe the attack on you was targeted.Based on the destruction of the hut, we think it was a case of you being in the wrong place at the wrong time.By now, whoever did it is probably long gone.”
“But they’ve been hanging around Destiny Falls,” I protested.“Connor said so, right?They’ve vandalized more than one place, so why would they leave?”
Nate rested his forearm on his thigh and leaned closer.“There’s a huge difference between vandalism and assault.Hell, you could argue this was attempted murder.My guess is, they’d have panicked and left town as soon as they were down from the hill.We’re still investigating, but I doubt they’ll be back.They won’t want to risk it.”
I sighed and shifted restlessly, wincing as my abdomen twinged.“I get where you’re coming from, but I don’t remember what they look like, so how am I supposed to protect myself if they do return?”
“For now, don’t go out alone, and let me know if you encounter anyone who makes you nervous or who is behaving strangely.You’re welcome to stay with me and Grace.She’s home most of the time, so you wouldn’t be left on your own.”
“I’ll think about it.”But I doubted I’d agree.For one thing, staying with Max was a dream come true, and while the circumstances weren’t great, I didn’t want to give it up.For another, if someone was out to get me, I didn’t want to lead them to Grace and baby Finn.What if they got hurt?
I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
TWELVE
Reason #15 why Max Braddock is husband material:
He’s protective of the people he cares about.
BAILEY
“Are you sure you want to stay here?”Max asked as he hovered in the doorway with an adorable furrow between his eyebrows.“If you really have to record today, you could use one of the rooms at the medical center.”
