Page 88 of The Kidnapped

“She’s okay,” Raleigh said. “She’s okay, I promise. I’ll take care of her. You don’t have to worry.”

“She won’t stop putting me first, but she needs to be put first, too.”

“I know,” Raleigh replied, putting a hand on top of Olivia’s. “She’s amazing.”

“She likes you.”

“I know,” Raleigh repeated. “She’s the one who asked me out.”

“She did? Oh, that’s great,” Olivia said with a wide smile.

Raleigh looked at her, confused, and said, “Yeah. You knew that, though.”

“I did? Did she tell me? The medicine makes me so tired sometimes. If she tells me something after I take it, sometimes, I forget.”

Raleigh nodded and said, “Right. Yeah, we’re together now.”

“But she just asked you out,” Olivia noted. “You’re together?”

Raleigh squeezed her hand gently instead of response and said, “Let me get you another sip of water, okay?”

“Sure, sweetie.”

Raleigh tucked Olivia back into bed, waited for her to fall asleep, which didn’t take long, and then walked to the guest room to check on Hollis. Seeing her leaning back against the pillows, with her eyes closed and the computer open in her lap, only made Raleigh want her that much more. No, she wasn’t ready to say the words yet, but Olivia had been right: she was in love. And while that was scary and overwhelming, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Raleigh walked to the bed and closed the computer, putting it on the table next to Hollis instead and kissing her on the forehead. It was close to the end of the day anyway. Hollis could work more later, if she needed. Raleigh would go cook them dinner and let her sleep.

CHAPTER 28

“I saw your car in the driveway,” Hollis said when she walked into the house and noticed Raleigh sitting on the sofa with her laptop.

“Hey. How was work?” Raleigh asked, looking up and giving Hollis a smile.

“Fine,” she said, sitting down next to her after dropping her stuff by the door. “A girl could get used to this, you know? Coming home to her girlfriend on the sofa like it’s a totally normal thing.”

“I know I said I was leaving by lunch, but your mom asked if I could stay. The new day nurse is okay, but she’s still new. I told her I’d just work from here the rest of the day and order in something for us all to have for dinner. I got her the chicken noodle soup from the deli and a couple of sandwiches for you and me. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course, it’s okay. But you don’t have to work from here. If she doesn’t like the new nurse, I could have come home early from work. Or, you could at least work out of the guest room or something.”

“I’m good out here. There’s a TV. I’ve been watching daytime television while I work. It’s a guilty pleasure I don’t usually allow myself.”

“Yeah? What guilty pleasures do you allow yourself?” Hollis asked with a sexy eyebrow lift.

“Oh, I don’t feel guilty about those,” Raleigh told her.

“You don’t?” she asked seriously. “Really?”

Raleigh leaned over, kissed her on the lips, and said, “No, I don’t. I can’t live how I was forever, babe. You’re too important to me to give up because of guilt. And I’m going to call the doctor Molly recommended.”

“You are?”

“I think it’s time. It’s been over a year. While group helps, I don’t want to not get help, and I don’t want to risk ruining this because I do something like what I did at the restaurant.”

“Hey, we’re good. You don’t have to worry about that,” Hollis said.

“If I go, the doctor might ask you to join me for a session because we’re together and you’re working through this with me.”

“Sign me up. Whatever you need,” Hollis replied.

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