15
RYAN
The knock on the door is hesitant, so I know it’s not Hudson. It’s probably the nurse, or the physio come to nag me about the missed session today.
“Come in,” I mutter, bracing myself for another reprimand. I almost wish they would just kick me out already and leave me be.
But then the door squeaks open, and a small voice speaks. “Stinky.”
Curious, I sit up to find Paige and her son in the doorway.
“Can we come in?” She doesn’t wait for an answer, clearly as pushy as her brother.
Paige sweeps into my room like she owns it, bringing in sunshine and fresh air. For a moment, I forget to breathe. Her hair, longer than I remember, is tangled by the wind, and her cheeks glow. I drag my gaze away before she catches me staring.
A new shame creeps up my body as she scans the room. Hudson’s been keeping it neat, but he hasn’t visited yet today, and there are dirty dishes in the sink, local papers that the nursekeeps leaving sitting in a pile on the beside table, and yesterday’s clothes in a heap on the floor.
I brace for her pity, but Paige just frowns. “You need some air in here.”
She moves through the room as if she’s been here a hundred times, hips swaying as she wrestles the window open with one hand while balancing the kid on her hip.
I remember those hips pressed to mine, and the memory hits so hard I have to look away.
“You want a coffee?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer, just strides to the kitchenette, fills the jug, and puts it on to boil, all one-handed. As she moves through the space, the boy’s head turns to stare at me, his wide brown eyes locking onto mine with unapologetic curiosity. He’s clasping a large orange maple leaf in his hand, and he waves it like a flag.
“Why are you here?” My voice comes out as a croak. It’s the first time I’ve spoken to anyone today.
“You didn’t show up for work, and Joel needs shit done.”
She opens up cupboards until she finds the mugs. They’re shiny and new, like everything here. After she selects two, she spoons instant coffee into them.
The water boils, and she pours the water into the mugs, sniffing the milk before adding it to both. Then she turns around and looks at me for the first time.
“And I thought we should talk.”
The smell of coffee fills the room, rich and warm. For a second, I could almost believe this is the morning after, not three years later. The only thing missing is her smile over the rim of her mug.
Paige reminds me of what I once was, a man who an attractive woman would want to spend the night with. Now, I’m nothing, and I hate that she sees me like this.
My head hits the pillow, and I stare at the ceiling. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
She scoffs, and I hear her shifting the child around and placing him on the floor. He mumbles something, and next thing I know she’s by the bed, bringing the scent of coffee and grass cuttings with her.
“I disagree.”
She sets the coffee on the bedside table and fumbles around by the bed. There’s a mechanical whirl, and the top of the bed starts tilting.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I say, surprised. I roll over and wince as I roll onto my stump. She holds the bed controller out of my reach. But she doesn’t know there’s a built-in one on the side of the bed.
I push the down button, and the top of the bed changes direction, moving back to a flat position. I glare at her as I keep my finger on the button.
But instead of glaring back, she smiles. “Hah! Got ya to look at me.”
As she drops the remote back on the bed, her hand brushes my arm, and my skin lights up like a live wire.
It shouldn’t. Not after everything. But her laugh—God, I’d forgotten that sound—stirs something inside me I thought was dead. For a moment, I’m back in the hotel room, kissing her thighs as she tries not to laugh while ordering room service.
