“Night, Kane.”
I’m trying to fight back the tears that so desperately want to fall. The sun rose several hours ago, and now it’s time for Kane to leave.
I made him throw on Cole’s sweatshirt over his shirt, layering it under his coat for a little extra warmth on his ride home. I’lldeal with Cole’s wrath later, if he even notices it’s gone in the first place.
He digs into one of the pockets in his coat, pulling out a plain metal band.
“Are you proposing to me?” I ask, fluttering my eyelashes at him.
He gives me a sad smile. “No, but I want you to have this. I found it a few years ago. For some reason, it felt special.”
He picks up my hand, eyeing my fingers. The ring is bigger than most of them, so he slides it on my thumb. It’s a perfect fit.
“I knew it was special because I was supposed to give it to you, and you, sweetheart, are very special.”
“Fuck,” I groan, swatting his chest and swiping at the few tears that fall at his words.
“I know this can’t go any further than this,” he says quietly.
As much as we might want to explore what this could be, there are too many obstacles in our way, the biggest being the distance between us and what that would mean for our sons.
He takes a deep breath before continuing. “But I’m glad I wound up in Aspen Springs last night.”
I wrap my arms around him, burying my face against his chest as a few more tears fall. I can’t help it. I don’t want this man to leave.
With his hands on either side of my face, he kisses me deeply one last time. Then he walks out of my house and back toward the bar.
My fists clench at my sides as I fight the urge to sprint after him. I stand in the open doorway long after he disappears around the corner with one final wave. Only when I realize how cold I am do I close the door.
I wander back to my bed, snuggling into the pillow he slept on last night. Traces of amber hit my nose. I close my eyes, letting myself grieve what will never be.
CHAPTER ONE
Abby
My stomach growlsas I rest my head against the nurse’s station counter in the emergency room.
I haven’t eaten anything since before my shift started this morning. This is the first moment I’ve had to breathe all day.
Still, I love working in the ER. Each day is different, and I never know what to expect. Each case is a challenge that keeps me on my toes.
Some would probably view that as a nightmare, but to me, it just works.
“Abby,” Becks, my charge nurse, calls from behind me. Her actual name is Rebecca, but I’m pretty sure she would end anyone who dared to call her that.
I love Becks, but she’s a tad stuck in her ways. Rightfully so—she has been doing this job for over twenty years.
I make a noise of acknowledgment, my head still resting on the counter.
“Go take care of the patient in room four, and then I swear you can go have your lunch. I can hear your damn stomach trying to eat itself from all the way over here.”
I stand, turning to face her. Becks is in her early fifties, her slowly graying hair cut in a pixie she once told me she chose because she couldn’t be bothered to do anything with it.
She is a character, and I fucking love her.
I glance at the clock on the wall behind her. “I’m pretty sure we’re getting closer to dinner now.”
She just rolls her eyes. “Room four,” she says, spinning in her chair to face her computer.
