Page 35 of No Second Chances

My mouth falls open, comically so, and I can’t even concentrate enough to close it. I clutch the sheet from the hospital bed to my chest and stare at him with wide eyes until things get awkward.

“I’ll just leave these with you two.” Tyler sets the bag down in the chair next to the door. “You’re set to go home when you change. Remember what I said.”

Once he is gone, Linc steps into the room and quietly closes the door. I wait, pretty sure that I look terrible, until he crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the wall.

Opening and closing my mouth until I can figure out exactly what to say doesn’t seem like a great idea, so I bite my lip while I try to get my head on straight.

Linc watches the entire time, tilting his head to the side and then back again, staring at me like I’m going to run away. Which actually seems like a really good idea since I’m only wearing a thin hospital gown.

“Your brother got hotter after he died.”

That’s definitely not what I want to say or what I expect to come out of my mouth. And the look on Linc’s face tells me that he isn’t expecting it either.

“Excuse me?”

“I had a hallucination.” I start to explain but stop when I feel even more awkward than when I started.

Something flashes in his eyes, and Linc pushes off the wall. He steps slowly, carefully, like he expects me to tell him to leave.

“Tell me.” His blue eyes flash, and even if I wanted to look away, I wouldn’t be able to.

After licking my suddenly dry lips, I tell Linc everything. “I hit my head, and then Danny was there. With Cassie. They kept telling me to hold on, that help was coming. I could see them, like they were standing there with me. And Cassie was hitting on Danny, at least to me.” I laugh and smile sadly at the thought. “She said he got cuter when he died.” I fiddle with the edge of the sheet and try to figure out why I’m telling him. “He told me you were smiling again.”

I look away. That’s what I do wrong. In the next instant, Linc has my face in his hands, cradling me gently while he forces my eyes back to his.

“You make me smile, Kennedy. You always have. Your hallucination of my brother isn’t right about me smiling again. There’s never been a day in my life that thinking of you doesn’t make me smile.” He runs a thumb across my cheek. “I almost lost you. And it’s fuckin’ crazy, because I watched Remy fuck it up so bad with Parker when we were younger, and I swore that wouldn’t be me with you. Then it was, and there was nothing I could do. You almost married someone else because I was an idiot. It’s not gonna happen, Kennedy. I hope you know that. I’m not gonna lose you.”

My throat clenches painfully at his words because they are beautiful. But I’ve heard beautiful words from him before.

“I’ve got issues,” he goes on. “Ones that keep me up at night, that wake me up from the best dreams. The dreams where I’m finally happy, with you in my arms. That’s why I stayed away, Kennedy. You need to know that.”

Never in my life did I expect to see Linc laying himself bare like he is. I can’t help thinking that I could get in a car accident more often. I don’t interrupt him, either. Linc isn’t a talker, so when he does decide to say something, I pay attention.

“It’s always been you, Kennedy. I didn’t even try to get over you because no one would ever compare.” He leans forward and kisses my lips gently, more of a caress than anything else. “I can’t give you children, because I don’t trust myself.”

I lean forward, pressing my lips against his and savoring every moment, until he pulls back and I open my eyes to see him staring at me intently.

“Will you be okay with that? If we do this, I don’t want there to be any sort of misunderstanding about the fact that I don’t want to have kids.”

I can’t help it. I smile despite the pain I can feel returning to my head.

“You’re an idiot, Lincoln Hayes.” I repeat the words I told him in the parking lot. “You’re such an idiot. What if I couldn’t have kids or didn’t want them? Would you respect that choice? Would you still want me? Still plan a life with me?”

He doesn’t even have to answer. The raised eyebrows and the expression on his face are enough.

“Exactly. It wouldn’t matter to you. It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t need kids to make me happy, Linc. I just need you.”

He kisses me again with more force and passion than I’m prepared for. One hand slides down my neck, supporting me and holding my face to his at the same time. But the hospital gown shifts on my body, interrupting the best kiss of my life with the realization that I smell like blood, need a shower, and need to change my clothes. It is my turn to end the kiss, and I almost feel bad when I see the pout on Linc’s face.

“I need to get dressed and get home,” I say reluctantly. “It’s late, and I was already tired when I got behind the wheel.”

Something shifts in Linc at my statement, likely at the fact that I was out after one in the morning, driving through Birch.

“Where were you going, Kennedy?”

His question holds no accusation, nothing that would put me on edge, and I’m bombarded with the truth. Linc is so much more of a man than Royal ever was. He doesn’t judge me, doesn’t condemn me for making the decision to drive at night.

Safe.

---