Page 63 of Obsession (Temptation 4)

I glanced over my shoulder. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I held his gaze, then continued out of the NICU, doing my best to keep my emotions in check.

I loved my brother and Londyn, and I meant what told him. I truly wanted to be here.

But being in the NICU again brought back memories of those days after Imogene was born.

Which only made me miss her even more.

On more than one occasion throughout the night and early morning, I was on the verge of breaking down at all the reminders. But I couldn’t. I had to stay strong for Wes. For Londyn. Their daughter was fighting for her life right now.

Just as I feared mine was.

Needing to breathe something other than the stench of sickness and cleaning supplies, I made my way past the cafeteria and out the front doors, sucking in a deep breath. After being cooped up in a hospital for the past twelve hours, it was a welcome feeling, the fresh air reinvigorating me more than the copious amounts of coffee I’d consumed throughout the night.

So instead of heading back inside right away, I lingered by the entrance, watching people come and go — doctors, nurses, patients. I also took the opportunity to text Lachlan, since cell service was spotty inside, who told me he was taking Nikko out for a traditional Southern breakfast.

I couldn’t wait to find out what he thought of it, especially compared to his mother’s cooking.

When about fifteen minutes had passed of simply enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, my phone pinged with a text from Wes, making sure I was okay. Not wanting to tell him I’d just stepped out for a minute, which I knew would only add to his concerns, I responded I was fine and would be back up soon.

Returning my phone to my pocket, I was about to head inside when I noticed a Starbucks just down the block. While I typically preferred to support locally owned coffee shops, Starbucks was a welcome sight after being forced to consume weak hospital coffee all night. I needed something stronger.

I jogged up the street and slipped inside, the familiar scent of robust coffee wrapping around me as I waited in line behind about a dozen people, mostly hospital employees and individuals wearing visitor stickers on their shirts.

“Julia?”

I whirled around, a moment of panic passing that a reporter had followed me to ask questions, something I’d avoided since Imogene went missing. Relief filled me at the familiar smile that greeted me.

“Ethan…” I stepped into his embrace that lasted a little longer than normal. “How are you?”

He squeezed me tighter. “I should probably be asking you that. How are you holding up?”

I met his gaze. “I’m hanging in there.”

“Good.” He gave me an encouraging look, then stepped back.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked. “I thought you lived closer to Midtown.”

“I do.” Averting his gaze, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “With everything going on, I went out for a few drinks last night to decompress. One thing led to another and, well… I didn’t feel comfortable taking her back to my place with all the research lying around. Didn’t want her to see something she shouldn’t and go to the media. So we went back to her place, which is right around the corner.”

“Good for you. You deserve a nice girl.”

“Eh.” He lifted his eyes to mine and shrugged. “She’s sweet and all, but I’m not sure there’s a future there.”

“You’re still young.” I gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “You’ve got your entire life to find ‘the one’. Believe me. You’ll find her when you least expect it.”

“That’s what I hear. How about you? What brings you out this way?” He zeroed in on the visitor sticker attached to my t-shirt. “Is everything okay?”

“Londyn went into labor last night.”

His brows scrunched. “I didn’t know she was due so soon.”

“She wasn’t. So I came to be with her and Wes.”

---