Naya’s laughter was contagious, and Annika found herself giggling along with her cousin. “So...maybe he’s the one?”
Naya shrugged. “What about you? Pretty hot rebound guy you’ve got yourself.”
All the lightness in Annika’s heart fell into her belly with a thud. Rebound guy? Is that what Daniel was?
Naya stared at her. “Heisthe rebound guy. You know that, right?”
When she didn’t answer, Naya pressed on. “He’s the guy who helps you get the asshole out of your system. He’s not the settle-down guy.”
“I know what a rebound guy is,” she snapped back, not bothering to hide her irritation.
Naya held up her hands in surrender and actually looked at her withpity. “We’ve discussed this. Your parents will never go for it.”
Annika opened her mouth to protest, but Naya cut her off. “Why put them through that? Why put yourself through that? They think you should be with Sajan, and after the Steven fiasco, you’re not going to convince them otherwise.”
“They’ll never trust my judgment.”
Naya nodded, shrugging. “Maybe trying it their way will work. Plus, it’s not like you needed this guy for more than that anyway, right? And it’s not like you can trust him.”
“Sure, right.” Annika forced a smile onto her face, but a deep pit formed in her stomach. Daniel didn’t feel like the rebound guy. Not at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
DANIEL
WHATEXACTLYWASthe protocol after you bared your soul to someone? As Daniel finished his shift, he found himself automatically heading toward Annika’s apartment instead of his own. He had hated having to leave her to go to work, and he couldn’t wait to see her again, so it seemed only logical to go back to her apartment. But she wouldn’t have stayed in her apartment waiting for him—that was ridiculous. She had two jobs and a life.
Truth was, Daniel couldn’t remember the last time he had looked forward to going anywhere. He had been alone in his grief, and when he wasn’t working, his mind would wander to painful corners. Work kept him away from those corners. So, he worked. And worked more, with the goal of coming home so completely exhausted that he simply fell directly into sleep.
But now, there washer. She kept those painful corners far from him, and he couldn’t wait to get back to her. It was more than just not being alone. For the first time in years he felt the desire to be in someone’s company. He didn’t justwantto know everything about her—heneededto know. He wanted to take his time learning about her, savoring her. While he couldn’t wait to get back to her, he wished time would stand still when they were together.
Emma’s voice came unbidden into his head.You want a relationship.
He did. No one was more surprised than he was.
He had left her Saturday morning for his shift. It was currently Saturday evening. Date night.
When he pulled up in front of her apartment building and saw that her car was still parked there, his stomach did a little flip. Before he could think too much about it, he found himself knocking on her door. He heard footsteps and a slight pause as she looked through the peephole—he hoped. He really had to talk to her about the lack of security in this building. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened, but instead of the warm brown eyes he craved, he was met with cold gray ones.
“Hey.” Naya pursed her lips as she examined him. “You’re back.”
“Yeah.” He looked past Naya into the apartment to catch of glimpse of Annika, but nothing. “Is she here?”
Naya stepped aside to let him in. “Yep. She has a shift soon, though. She’s in the shower.”
The friendly Naya of his last few encounters seemed to be missing, replaced by this distant version. “Is everything okay?” Daniel ventured as he walked past her into the apartment.
Naya looked him up and down, and Daniel had the distinct impression of being assessed. She frowned. “Listen, she’s been through a lot.”
He turned to face Naya. “I know.” He thought he knew where this was going. “I made a mistake, not telling her how I knew her, and I don’t intend on doing anything else to hurt her.”
This earned him a small smile. “I understand that, but that’s not what I mean.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I mean, she’s been through a lot, and what she needs is stability. Someone she can rely on.” She focused her gaze on him.
Daniel felt his stomach drop. “Yeah?” Not going where he thought it would.
“Well, you’re divorced. You have a questionable relationship with alcohol. It’s not like you’re a successful surgeon who—” Naya stopped abruptly as if she’d revealed too much.
“Wow. Say what you mean, don’t hold back. I may not beDr. Sajan Shah—” he raised an eyebrow and pointedly paused at the name, causing Naya to flush “—but I care about Annika, and I would never hurt her. And besides, she hasn’t really shown any interest in Sajan, has she?” The last bit came out a bit cockier than he’d intended, but there was a significant part of him that worried that maybe she would be better off with the good surgeon.
