Page 44 of Forever Flirting

“What perfume do you wear?”

“Elizabeth Arden.”

“Man, that scent smells divine, and is the stuff dreams are made of,” he began, sighing as he spoke – before turning to smile tearfully at her. “Sorry. It’s the truth though.”

“I like that you are open and candid with me.”

“And if I said I desperately wanted to kiss you, but I’m scared to?” he whispered, not looking away from her. “I promised you slow – but never expected you to be so wonderful when I got to know you.”

“I’d tell you that I understand, because I cannot forget that kiss we shared - but I’m scared to even attempt it, knowing you are leaving again.”

“Does that mean I might have something to look forward to when I come back?” Alex whispered, his soft eyes holding hers.

“We’ll see,” she replied just as truthfully.

“It’s not a no.”

“No, it’s not,” she smiled and hesitated. “You know, I can send you photos and updates of Caleb. I don’t mind in the slightest, and it wouldn’t be hard to do since they live with me.”

“They do?”

His face was shocked – and she realized that Mallory hadn’t revealed that tidbit to him. He always had to meet her somewhere to pick up Caleb, and Everly understood why now.

… It was to keep Mallory’s secret.

Alex seemed to understand as well… because he was frowning.

“I could have met you once again - long before now,” he grumbled, sighing heavily and rubbing his hand on his closely shorn hair. “Well that’s pretty frustrating to find out, too.”

Everly gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“You know, maybe it just wasn’t time yet… maybe we were meant to meet now, because we are both more prepared to handle this. Two years ago, I was a complete mess trying to build my patient-base.”

“I was assigned to a base in Georgia temporarily,” he admitted, “And als,o a complete mess…”

It was that shy smile that met hers causing the both of them to laugh softly in the silence.

“Different types of bases, both big messes, and just not ready for this…”

Both got quiet and held hands in the car, as if either was afraid to say the wrong thing or have it taken the wrong way. She was intensely attracted to Alex, and he seemed like he could be such a nice person – but she barely knew him, and found herself wanting to know more.

“Do you think you might be ready someday… for more?” Alex whispered quietly in the stillness, as if he was nervous at what her answer might be.

Everly smiled wanly and didn’t look at him, continuing to look at that small tether between them – their hands.

“I’ve always dreamed of finding someone, having a stable home, and raising a family someday,” she admitted softly, “but it always seemed so far off in the distance with my career.”

“But youcouldsee it… someday?”

“I could,” she admitted softly, feeling her face warm at the admission, knowing that it was opening a doorway she thought once had been closed, locked, and the key thrown away, so long ago. “And you?”

He drew in a shaky breath before speaking, catching her by surprise. She looked at him to see an intense expression on his face - his eyes were closed, and his head was leaning back on the headrest.

“I’ve always wanted to find that person,” he began quietly. “I wanted a partner, a friend, someone that just enjoyed being around me, and could share my dreams.”

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.

“That’s why I really want to focus on getting to know you better and becoming friends,” he breathed. “I could hang out, flirt, or find someone to talk to anywhere I wanted to go… but I don’t want a fling, a date, or something casual, Everly.”

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