Dane(70)

She giggled and it was music to my ears. "Well, if we're going with the 'back from the dead' metaphor …  No one can wake up after being in a coma for a decade, hop out of bed, and then run a marathon. You need to learn to walk again. So think of this period as you adjusting to life. I'm still here, Dane. I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to lock me down for fear I won't last. Don't hold onto me like I'm your last hope-just hold my hand and we'll take nice, slow steps until we're ready for that marathon."

"Slow steps?" I laughed and ran my hand over her bare ass.

"From here on out," she said and rolled her eyes. "No moving in together anytime soon, and definitely no diamond rings or chapels or little pink plus signs. Okay?"

I drew her leg over my hip, my erection flush with her folds. "Well, if we're taking a water break at the sex station, then I might as well get my fill." I wagged my brows at her, making her giggle.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me on top of her. "Fill 'er up, Dane."

I dropped my face to the crook of her neck and laughed, our bodies shaking with humor. "You're right … you're not very quick-witted."





16





Waking up with Eden in my arms was surreal. It was better than any dream I'd ever had of her, and the best night of sleep I'd had in forever.

Before kissing me, Eden excused herself to the bathroom. I used the time to get dressed and check my phone. I'd left it in the pocket of my work pants when we changed for the beach last night, and it was on vibrate. So if anyone had called, I wouldn't have known.

I had several missed calls from Gabi, and she'd left one voice message. There were other missed calls from a local number around one this morning, but no messages were left. I assumed Gabi had gone to a hotel or something and used the phone from there to try to get ahold of me. I didn't want to listen to her message, but just because I'd walked out on her didn't mean I no longer cared about her well-being.

So I listened.

I made it about halfway through, hearing her cry and beg me to come back to talk, before I deleted it. It was enough to know she wasn't in danger, but I didn't care to hear the rest. Eden came out of the bathroom with a robe covering her body as I set my phone on the charger.



       
         
       
        

"Everything okay?"

I glanced at her and immediately felt the weight vanish. My cheeks burned with the smile taking hold of my lips, and I knew it was all because of her. "How in the world do you know when something is off? Do I scowl or something?"

Her eyes flitted around the room while a faint blush colored her cheeks. "No. I can't explain it … it's just in your demeanor. Like you're quiet or something." She shook her head, shrugged a little, and smiled. "I don't know, Dane. But tell me, what's going on?"

I pressed my lips to her forehead and moved toward the bathroom with my bag in hand. "It's nothing. I was just checking my voicemail."

Understanding softened her gaze. "Gabi? Is she okay?"

Eden amazed me. Even now, after everything, she still worried about Gabi-maybe she worried about how it affected me, but still, it was concern nonetheless. "Yes. She's fine. She left a message, crying about needing to talk, and I deleted it. Now, enough of her for the remainder of the weekend."

We both got dressed and went for a walk on the beach. It was hot and crowded, so we didn't last long before heading back up. Eden offered to make sandwiches for lunch, but I wanted to take her out. In the end, we settled on take-out to eat on the couch while watching a movie.

I grabbed my phone from the charger to order food and noticed more missed calls from a local number, but still no messages. I shook it off, assuming it was Gabi calling again in the hopes I'd answer. But as soon as I went to look up menus, my phone vibrated in my hand. Another local number, similar to the others.

Against my better judgment, I answered.

"May I speak with Dane Kauffmann, please?" a woman with a soft tone asked.

I cleared my throat, instantly nervous, and said, "This is Dane."

"Hi, Dane, my name is Tricia McDonald, and I'm with Southwest Regional Hospital. I'm calling about a patient, Gabriella Rios, who has you listed as her emergency contact. At this time, I'm unable to discuss any information with you over the phone, but if you can come down, we can fill you in."

I ran my hand over my face and groaned inwardly. As soon as she said she was from the hospital, I knew it was Gabi, and deep down, I struggled with what to do. I couldn't help but believe this was just another cry for help to get me to listen to her. When it came to Gabi, I didn't know what to believe anymore. I opened my eyes and found Eden standing in the doorway to her bedroom, watching me with sad eyes.