Page 73 of Eligible Best Friend

“It’s awful. But school’s going well. My parents have been up to visit.”

That makes him pause. He’s so close, he’s towering over me. “That’s good. That’s really good.” Another step and we’re inches apart. “I’m not doing good without you. I don’t care, Lia. I don’t care that we’re in different cities or that you don’t want to move. I’ll make it work. I’ll make it fucking work because I’m so in love with you I’d rather have you a phone call away for years than never have you.”

He says everything my dream Ford has been telling me the last few months. Am I still asleep? Is this still my dream Ford? “I realized that I don’t really have a good reason to stay in Fargo. And that means I don’t have a good reason not to be in St. Paul when I’m so in love with you.”

His forehead touches mine. “I don't care where you’re at, as long as we’re together somehow.” He drops his mouth and his lips press mine, increasing in pressure until he wraps his arms around me and lifts me against him.

My back hits the wall. We’re on the same page, about to do exactly what we did the last time he showed up on my doorstep late at night.

Our hands are all over each other, pushing and pulling at clothes until we’re both naked. He takes his wallet out of his shorts. “I think the condom in here is expired.”

“They’re usually good for years.”

With a slow smile that’s big enough for me to see in the dark, he drops to his knees and we make up for lost months together.

Epilogue

Six months later….

Lia

“I’m telling you, it’s real.” Karoline hikes ahead of me. The sun’s bearing down on us, but she’s sticking to the part of the park with copious trees.

I found a beginner geocache. Come with me. I’ll get the coordinates. You just make sure I don’t get lost and wander the wilderness for days.

So far, we haven’t left the city limits. We’re on the fringes of the park where Ford and I stopped for cheesecake bites.

I adore Karoline. She’s become my best friend while I’ve stayed behind to finish my training. But I have the weekend off, and so does Ford, and I’m supposed to hit the road soon.

“Oh! Look. I found it.”

Since Karoline’s standing in the middle of the walking path, I don’t think she has. “Are you sure? It’s probably buried…”

Awareness shivers down my spine. There’s the big tree. There’s no blanket. No cheesecake bites. No Officer Nelson.

But there’s Ford, looking ruggedly handsome in jeans and a light-blue polo shirt. He’s tucked his hands into his front pockets and he’s watching me with wary hopefulness.

“You’re supposed to be just getting off work.” I’ve been set up. Karoline begged me to go with her on her first geocache until I relented, despite knowing it’d cut in on my precious weekend with Ford.

Karoline snaps her fingers, but I can’t take my gaze off Ford. “I need to leave something behind, right?” She grins. “That’s you.” Looking immensely proud of herself, she continues down the walking path. “I’ll have my phone just in case, but if my bonus brother does this right, you won’t need to call me.”

“Are you supposed to be the treasure I take with me?” My feet are rooted in place, more secure than the decades-old tree towering above us. There’s something else going on here.

“I got the spot.”

I jump off the path and into his arms. He catches me with ease and swings me around. “That’s great! St. Paul’s newest ER resident. Congrats.”

“All that overtime while we were apart paid off. They said they knew before my interview that they’d take me.”

“I knew you could do it. We’ll be total noobs together.” I move down to St. Paul at the end of the year. Long distance sucks, but he’s only a drive away and we’re both so busy. “Oh, Dad called today. He called a couple of friends and one works out of Minneapolis. He’d be happy to take on your case.”

“This day can only get better one way.”

“Oh yeah? We’re not allowed to make out in the park, remember?”

He pulls away from me and drops to one knee. My hands fly to my mouth. He didn’t drive here just to surprise me with his good news. He’s right. This day can only get better one way.

Taking a ring from his pocket, he holds it up. From behind me, someone lets out a little squeak and I don’t have to look to know it’s Karoline holding back a squeal and taking pictures.

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