“I’ll call a fucking Uber then.”
“Take my car.” He rushes forward, his hand in his pocket as he undoubtedly grabs his key. “I’ll get Blair to give me a lift tomorrow. Even if I do have to get up at the ass crack of dawn.”
I pause, his generosity throwing me off guard, and yet he was always like that. I shouldn’t be surprised.
“Thanks.” I take the handout. “I’ll leave it at the hospital. I’ll be going in to visit my teammate early in the morning.” The thought of Reed momentarily stills me, and I subtly pinch my leg, pulling myself out of it.
“Anytime, man.” Cade tosses me the keys without a second thought, and their weight feels heavy in my hands.
“Thanks again. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“And if not, let’s not make it another seven years.” He smiles warmly before waving and heading back inside, completely trusting me with his brand-new Chevy, despite the fact that I’ve been a dick all night.
With a huff, I make it to the truck unscathed, staring at the steering wheel once I’m inside. I hate trucks. They’re big and bulky and should goddamn protect you, but they don’t.
Cade doesn’t even need one.
Taking a deep breath, I bounce my shoulders and turn over the ignition, taking off down the road without looking back. Just like I did all those years earlier.
I drive the long way, avoiding my childhood home, and I’ve just turned the corner when a perfect little picket fence comes into view.
And as if I need another opportunity to torture myself, I slam on the brakes.
CHAPTER FOUR
Blair
Aloud pounding wakes me from my restless sleep, and I fight against my twisted sheet, assuming it was a dream. Until it happens again. Louder this time.
“Open up, Blair,” Zane’s deep voice rings through the house, and I freeze, trepidation clenching my heart. “Please.”
His voice softens and my head screams at me to stay quiet, to do all that I can in the name of self-preservation. But my heart always wins out, and today is no different.
Throwing a hoodie over my pajamas, I tiptoe to the front door and peek through the window, catching Zane pacing on my porch, a hand raking through his hair as he mutters to himself. I watch with rapt attention, taking in his familiar moves. But when he shakes his head and turns to walk away, panic runs through me, and without giving it the thought it deserves, I throw the door open, calling out in a loud whisper. “Wait!”
Zane spins so fast he almost falls over. “Blair?” My name floats from his lips and the sweet sound makes me almost forget the past.Almost.
“What do you want, Zane? You shouldn’t be here.” He shouldn’t even know where I live.Fucking Cade.
Zane snaps out of his stupor in time to run forward, his large foot jutting out to block the door in case I try to close it. “I just want a minute. That’s all.”
His pleading eyes suck me in, and before I can think better of it, my shoulders drop. “One minute.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s start with why you’re here.” I fold my arms over my chest as if it’ll protect my heart, and like the observant guy he is, Zane notices, sighing before he speaks.
“For whatever reason, you walked back into my life today, and I couldn’t leave without checking in on you.”
“As you can see, I’m fine. Great even. No need to worry.”
“Blair?”
“What?”
Zane tries to push the door wider, but I hold firm. This is about as far as I can handle. “I’m a nurse at the hospital you were taken to; there was a high probability of you being my patient.”
“Are you hearing yourself? That hospital ishuge. And you’re not supposed to be a nurse. Yet, the first time I step foot in Jacksonville again, I’m hurt and sent to the exact hospital you work in. That’s not a coincidence.”
