Page 60 of Starting Back
“Oh, for sure.”
I laughed with Buck until his smile faded.
“As I said, whatever happened between you two seemed to be good for her. But now that you’re here…” He sucked in a long breath and let it out slowly. “She’s a little blindsided at the moment. I’m not sure how much she shared with you, but she’s been through a lot. I’d hate to have to kick the ass of the only other male nurse here.”
I smiled and nodded. I’d worried about Kristina whenever I let myself think about her. I was glad she had someone who cared about her enough to threaten me.
“I know she has. You won’t have to.”
Especially since this surprise may have fucked up everything.
“Can I give you a little advice? It’s none of my business, of course, but you’ll learn soon enough that everyone around here likes to pry without any remorse, especially when it’s about people they care about.”
“Good to know.” I chuckled as I put away the last of the charts. “And go on.”
“Kris has never had anyone fight for her. Prove to her that she’s worth it. Yes, she’s a little shocked to see you again, and it may be a battle at first. But if you really want her, show her. She’s stubborn, but please don’t give up on her. That’s all I’m saying.”
He held up his hands and backed away.
“You can take a break now if you want. I think Kristina is in the break room taking hers.”
“You guys hear everything too, I suppose.”
I laughed at Buck’s innocent shrug.
“I may have lingered outside when you stalked off to follow her to make sure she was okay. Good luck. You’re probably going to need it.”
I watched Kristina from the doorway of the break room, focusing on the bottom of her coffee cup as she swirled it around. I smiled, remembering how she’d done that with the drinks I’d given her at the bar. I’d wanted to tease her about making sure she’d gotten the last drop, but I was too lost in those green eyes to care about anything else.
She was every bit as beautiful as I remembered, but I hated the guarded stance she took with me now. When she lay naked next to me, she was open, warm, and breathtaking.
She trusted me then. And now, she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
“This seat taken?” I asked and slid into the seat across from her.
“Nope, you can sit anywhere you want.” She looked up with a tight smile, both her hands wrapped tightly around the empty paper cup in her hand.
“I wanted to text you so many times. I’ve looked at that damn photo so often I have us memorized.”
She jerked her head toward me, confusion pinching her brow. “I did too. I always thought about you and wondered if you still lived in Florida. Seeing you here, in this tiny little town, is something I never expected.”
“Can you hear me out for a few minutes? Please.”
“Leo,” she said before exhaling a long breath. “I’m fine. Yes, I’m a little weirded out to have you here, but I’ll deal with it.”
“My uncle had a stroke. My cousin called the night it happened and told me I had to fly back right away. And even though I call every week, I didn’t know how sick my aunt was until I saw her.”
She brought her hand to her mouth.
“Oh God, Leo. I’m so sorry. How are they now?”
“My uncle has a long road ahead, but he’s moving in the right direction. My aunt has Parkinson’s, but we moved them both into the assisted living facility in town.”
“The one on Maple? That’s a great place. Brand-new.” Her eyes widened as she gave me a slow nod. “So you moved back up here for them.”
“Yes. For all of them. I thought by staying like some kind of despondent nomad, I wouldn’t risk caring about anything too much. Almost losing the family I had left finally snapped me out of it.”
She’d started to snap me out of it back in July. The main reason I didn’t contact her after that day was that I didn’t want to get even more attached to her.
