Don’t go there.
He tore his mind away from thoughts of Tara’s laugh, her gorgeous brown eyes, her soft skin…
Evan woke for the second time that morning when the nurse entered to check his vitals and deliver a late breakfast. “Good morning,” she said, her voice cheerful.
His hazel eyes were bright but wary, andhe didn’t speak.
Jeff’s heart twisted. “Morning, buddy.” Kids were resilient. He could only hope that with a lot of therapy and even more love, his son would come out of this okay. “How’re you feeling?”
“My arm hurts.”
“I know. I think the nurse has something to help make you feel better.” If Jeff could’ve taken his son’s pain as his own, he’d have done it without hesitation.
The womannodded and smiled. “Just give it a few minutes.” She replaced Evan’s IV bags, made some notes in the computer, and left.
According to Jeff’s conversation with Dr. Kayani earlier, barring infection, Evan should be able to go home tomorrow.
Home.
Jeff had been waiting so long to have Evan back in his life, to return with him to Colorado and his little house a few miles from CU, which was currentlycovering its own mortgage as a vacation rental. They could be there by early April and Jeff could return to school during the fall semester.
Except he’d need to get a job until classes started. If he wasn’t in school, he wouldn’t have health care and the GI Bill wouldn’t pay his mortgage.
Without health insurance, how would he take care of Evan?
Jeff didn’t have to pay Olivia’s fees anymore,but most of his income from Steele had gone to the investigation. If he used all his savings to cover living expenses now, he’d have no buffer in case it took him a while to find a job after graduation.
He grimaced. He’d never expected the search for Evan to go on this long, so he hadn’t considered the implications of the timing when it finally ended.
Returning to Steele for the spring andsummer was the easy solution. The pay and benefits were generous. If he stayed with Steele, there’d be no break in Evan’s care, and he could get him a therapist too.
By taking on pen tests and security investigations instead of playing bullet-catcher, Jeff’s travel could be limited, and he wouldn’t risk making Evan an orphan. Or having guns in the house.
The other guys at Steele somehow reconciledtheir jobs with having families, but he couldn’t do it. His son had lost enough already, and Jeff had come far too close to losinghim.
Jeff’s dad—a former geneticist who’d retired from teaching high school biology a few years ago, and was on a flight from Colorado Springs at that moment—might be willing to stay with them to watch Evan during the day if Jeff rented a big enough place, maybea townhouse in Annandale or Springfield.
Except Evan had been dragged around by Bridget for months. He needed some stability in his life. After his ordeal, wouldn’t it be best to take him straight home?
Not to mention, if they moved to Virginia for the next few months, Jeff would have to see Tara again.
Shitty as it sounded, he’d felt free to be with her because they weren’t going to worktogether anymore. But if he went back, he’d have to face her with new knowledge. Like where to kiss her to elicit those sexy-as-hell breathy moans. The glow of her naked skin. That she liked it a little bit rough.God help him.
More than that, he knew that she was so much more than a pretty face. Compassionate, thoughtful, good with children—with everyone, really—smart, tough.
Still a citygirl, but not afraid to get dirty.
Pretty damn perfect.
His stupid heart sped up at the idea of seeing Tara regularly. Was four months enough time to explore whether things could work out permanently between them?
Jesus, how could he even consider it? Evan was priority one.
Maybe she could be good for Evan, too. With her cheerful outlook, she might be able to help his son deal with thisnightmare, much as she had helped Jeff. Or was he manufacturing excuses to be with her?
“Are you going to give me away?” Evan asked, breaking into Jeff’s thoughts as he toyed with his toast.
“What?” Jeff gripped the handrails on the bed. Where had he picked up that idea? “Of course not. Why would I?”
