Page 128 of Forever After All

“You want me to carry you?” he asked, hoping she didn’t punch him for insinuating that she couldn’t take care of herself.

She hesitated only a beat before nodding, and her compliance both thrilled him and terrified him.

Jess wouldn’t let someone help her like this if she wasn’t feeling really bad. He prayed she was just tired from being sick and not getting worse.

She looped her arm over his shoulders, and he lifted her into his arms. It would be a whole lot better if he was carrying her under different circumstances.

Jess’s body melted against his, and the heat from her head seared against his neck.

“Are you sure we can’t go see the doc?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine. I’m just tired,” she whispered.

Darkness had fallen, and he carried her out to his truck. He settled her in the passenger seat and rounded the truck to the driver’s side. If she wasn’t going to let him take her to the doctor, his goal was to get her home and comfortable as quickly as possible.

She sat up more on the ride home. He’d offered her a thermos of water that she sipped on during the drive. By the time they pulled up at her house, her eyes had more life in them.

“The water made me feel much better,” she said as she reached for the door handle.

“Let me come get you,” Linc said. He raced around the truck, but she was already stepping out by the time he got there.

“I’m okay. I’m really feeling better.” She stretched her shoulders back and her arms up with a yawn. “I need a shower.”

“That makes two of us,” Linc said, relaxing a fraction after seeing Jess more alive.

He followed her to the porch and waited while she unlocked the door.

“Will you come in?” she asked.

“I was going to ask if I could. I don’t want to leave you when you’re sick.”

She pushed open the door and took a deep breath. “If I don’t feel better by morning, you can take me to the doctor.” She turned around to face him and gave him a once-over. “You can get a shower if you have something clean to change into.”

He started stepping back toward the truck. “I have a change of clothes.”

“Good. I definitely don’t have anything you can wear.”

There was a warmth in the grin on her face that eased some of Linc’s concerns. “I’ll be right in.”

“I’m going to get a shower. Make yourself at home, then you can get clean.”

He grabbed the bag from his truck and jogged back to the house. Ms. Landry was going to have a juicy story for her gossip group tomorrow.

He left his duffle bag by the door and toed off his boots. Jess’s place wasn’t big or fancy, but it had a warm home feel. He completely understood why she loved it. A big beige rug covered most of the floor in the living area. A stone fireplace was the centerpiece of the main wall.

His favorite part? The furniture. Her sofa was older, but he’d melted into it like slow-moving tree sap the last time he’d been here.

It was a good thing it was comfortable because he might end up sleeping there tonight if Jess didn’t show signs of improvement.

He wandered around the room, taking in Jess’s secret spaces. What did she need to beat this sickness?

“Hey, Jess?” he shouted toward the hallway.

“Yeah?”

“You want me to make you something to eat?”

There was a pause before she said, “That would be great.”

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