The air between us felt charged, heavy with possibility and want and everything we'd been trying to ignore since the moment he'd walked back into my clinic.
Easton's gaze dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes, a silent question.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I should pull away. I should remember all the reasons this was complicated, dangerous, impossible.
But I'd almost lost my daughter today. Life was too short. Too fragile.
I leaned in…
A soft whimper from the bed made us both freeze.
Casey shifted in her sleep, her small face scrunching up, one hand reaching out as if searching for something. "Mom?" she mumbled, not quite awake.
The spell shattered.
Easton pulled back immediately, dropping his hand from my face as I turned toward Casey.
"I'm here, baby," I murmured, stroking her hair. "Right here."
Casey settled, her breathing evening out again almost immediately.
When I looked back at Easton, he'd moved back to his chair on the other side of the bed. The careful distance between us felt like miles.
"I should—" He cleared his throat. "I should let you get some rest."
"You don't have to go."
"I know." Everything we'd almost done hung in the air between us. "But we both need sleep."
"Easton—"
"It's okay, Palisade." His voice gentled, though I could hear the underlying steel. "We both need to think about… everything."
He stood, grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair, his eyes leaving me a message I shouldn’t think about. But before he left, he paused at the door.
"For what it's worth," he breathed, "I'm not sorry. About tonight. About any of it."
Then he was gone, leaving me alone with my daughter and the ghost of what almost happened.
I settled back into my chair, Casey's hand in mine, my lips still tingling from a kiss that never happened.
And I had no idea if that made it better or worse.
Easton
The next morning, I stood outside Casey's hospital room, my phone pressed to my ear while coordinating the last details with Beck.
"Three o'clock at the arena," I confirmed quietly. "Keep it low-key. No media circus. This is for her, not for the press."
"Got it, man. The guys are already excited. We're bringing gifts."
"Gifts?"
"Well, yeah. She's our honorary member now, right? She needs the full treatment."
I smiled despite my exhaustion. "Alright. Just… keep it chill. She's been through a lot."
"We've got this. See you soon."
