If you need anything, ever, I’m only one call away.
H
A number sat below the one letter that I knew very well belonged to Huntley.
I needed that repellent because I had a feeling that even with my insecurities, he was going to be a damn hard man to keep at a distance. With my troubled past, distrust, andintention of staying away from all mankind when it came to an actual relationship, there was a possibility that he could still worm his way in a lot closer than I ever intended any guy to get to me.
He was already invading my thoughts.
Chapter Four
HUNTLEY
I wasout of my mind.
And she was out of my league in my opinion.
Never had I thought the first woman I’d be insanely attracted to would not only hate the idea of me being around, but not want a man in her life at all.
I fully understood why she felt that way without having all the details.
Most men would walk away and not put a second thought into a woman with probably more baggage than an airport’s lost and found department.
But I wasn’t most men.
And River wasn’t just any woman.
Her past, the baggage, all her sorrow, pain, insecurities, and fear, were what made her who she was today. River also may have been lost at one time, but she clearly was making a life for herself and for the kids that needed her. I wanted to be there when she truly found herself completely.
The draw to her was strong, my feelings came on fast, and I felt this insane need to protect and care for her.
I’d gladly carry any of the baggage she wanted me to.
All she needed to do was lay it at my feet and I would without doubt take the brunt of it all.
Forher.
Chapter Five
RIVER
The weekend had comeand gone way too quickly.
Normally I loved going to work and my job. Honestly, helping people didn’t feel like a job at all. But I was exhausted and had a lot on my mind.
I tapped my pen against the top of my desk in almost perfect rhythm with my thumping heart as I stared down at my phone, the new contact listed on the screen taunting me.
My cell only held the equivalent of personal numbers that I could count on one hand—such as my kids, sister, and her husband Bronson.
And now Huntley’s.
Instead of just keeping the paper he’d left his digits on, I’d entered those numbers into my phone almost as if it was…what?
I was afraid to admit the words that had come to mind but for some strange reason, I was feeling them.
A lifeline.
I felt like I was stuck in a version of the game showWho Wants to Be a Millionaire,and the hostjust asked me if I wanted to use one of my lifelines, one option being to phone a friend.
