Page 35 of The Long Walk Back

‘So, no dating, ever?’ she asked, both delighted and terrified by the fact that he was so inexperienced in this area.

‘Nope,’ he said, looking right at her. ‘I have had my fair share of women, but you know the life, it’s best to have no attachments.’

Kate ignored the uneasy feeling that punched through her gut.

‘Till now,’ he added then, putting his hand over hers. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand in lazy circles, and taking her hand in his, kissing her palm.

‘You mean that? I mean, we didn’t really have the best start, did we?’

Cooper pulled her closer to him on the sofa, putting his arm around her. She caught a whiff of his aftershave as he tucked her into his side. The warmth from his body made hers tingle.

‘We didn’t have the meet cute of legends, no, but who does? We’ve been through a lot together, and we know what we want. I do, anyway.’

She squeezed his hand. ‘I saw the effect I had on you when we first met,’ she teased. Her face dropping when she thought of the hate in his expression when he’d woken up. After the surgery.

He dropped a kiss onto her lips. ‘That day wasn’t a normal day. My feelings since that day have changed so much, I wouldn’t recognise them now. I just want you to be sure, before we do say anything else, that this is what you want. I’m not capable any more of being alone; I can do it, but I don’t want to. You and Jamie are very important to me.’

Kate’s heart leapt. He was answering everything that she had wondered about, the questions that had kept her up at night, the ponderings that she had uttered to herself. She wanted him just as much, and she felt relieved that they were finally talking about it. ‘I don’t want to be alone any more either, Thomas. I… feel safe with you. You calm me down with one look. A touch of your hand.’ She squeezed his fingers with hers to illustrate her point. ‘I wish we could have more time like this, just the two of us.’

As if conjured from nowhere, a driver walked in.

‘Taxi for Cooper?’

‘Do you want to go back?’ He asked her when they were settled in the car, the street lights punctuating their journey home through the dark streets.

Kate looked at him in question. He looked nervous, his eyes were bright with emotion, and it surprised her to see it.

‘We could spend the night elsewhere, that’s what I mean. No assumptions, of course, but we could. You have the day off tomorrow, Jamie’s tucked up in bed. We could just spend the night out. Go back tomorrow, when we want to.’

Kate looked at him aghast. She knew that the driver must be able to hear them, but she found that she didn’t care. ‘What about when we go back tomorrow? People will talk.’

‘I’m not your patient any more. They don’t do bed counts for staff last time I checked, and I have something to sort out in town anyway, they’ll just think I left early.’

Kate started to shake her head. ‘I don’t think?—’

‘Exactly Kate, don’t think. Are you in, or not?’ He looked at her with such an expression of love on his face that she replied before she caught hold of any of the errant thoughts swimming around her head.

‘Yes. Are you sure though? We said we’d wait, till I left the centre.’

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and Kate cursed herself for even giving him the chance to reconsider.

‘I know,’ he said slowly, ‘but it’s just one night. It might be our only chance for a while.’ He rubbed his hand down his face and sat back in his seat. ‘Maybe I was being a little impulsive.’

It was impulsive, but she knew Trevor trusted her. Knew that she had taken steps to end her professional relationship with her patient. Today was it. She wouldn’t be on his case now, in none of his sessions. After today, they would only see each other in passing. The move was weeks away. She thought back to the file she’d read. Was that why he’d ordered the tests? To see if their love life would include… everything a man and woman could share together? She kind of wished she’d let him tell her the rest now, but she knew in her heart, it wouldn’t matter. Tonight was about being together.

Moving closer, Kate whispered to him, close enough to feel her lips on his skin.

‘Don’t take me home.’

Cooper wasted no time. He instructed the driver to go to the nearest hotel instead, and to his credit, he did just that, with the minimum of fuss. Kate went in first, and booking a room, she sat in reception, waiting for Cooper to dismiss the driver and get his chair. He came wheeling through the doors and she walked over to him. He went to go to the desk, but she touched his arm, showing him the room key.

‘I got it.’

Cooper looked annoyed for a moment, and she giggled a little, walking to the lift. He followed grumpily. They entered the small space and she laughed out loud when the doors closed.

‘Don’t be so grumpy! You can pay me half back, if that’s the problem.’

‘I can pay my way you know,’ he said begrudgingly. ‘I wanted this to be my treat.’ Kate rolled her eyes, leading the way out of the lift.

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