Page 73 of Until Hanna

“So that kiss wasn’t your way of remarking your territory?” She shoves her fingers through my hair as her eyes search mine.

I don’t answer. Instead, I help her sit up, then take her underwear from my pocket and help her get dressed before Dr. Potter comes back.

After I spend about thirty minutes asking him questions mostly to do with Hanna’s job and how safe it is for her to be traveling as much as she does, we leave the room. We then walk to the front desk to make an appointment for four weeks from today.

As we’re talking to the receptionist, the door to the main clinic opens, and a man with dark hair holding the hand of a very pregnant redhead walks in. Hanna’s response to their presence is instant. Her spine straightens, and her mouth turns down at the corners as she starts to turn away from them, but then she stops and makes direct eye contact.

“Hey, Benjamin.” Benjamin, her ex, the guy who cheated on his wife.

“Hanna.” He glances at me quickly then looks away.

She skates her eyes down to his hand wrapped around the other woman’s. “How’s your wife?”

The woman at his side turns a bright shade of red, almost matching the color of her hair, while he bristles but doesn’t respond.

Pressing my lips together, I place my hand on Hanna’s back, then slide it around to her hip and squeeze.

“All set,” the receptionist says happily, grabbing our attention. Then passes over an appointment card. “See you in a few weeks.”

“Thank you.” Hanna smiles, taking the card from her. Then, without sparing Ben another glance, we leave the office.

When we step into the elevator in the hall I crowd her against the wall.“Do you feel better?”

“I should have punched him in his stupid face,” she grumbles, and I laugh before dropping my mouth down to hers for a hard kiss.

CHAPTER23

hanna

As I walk to my house, with Vi and Elsie tagging along after visiting with their mom, I laugh as both girls giggle while walking their new puppy, York—a mini Yorkshire terrier—down the sidewalk. He was a gift from their dad, who is working today. A gift I had a good laugh about, because boys are cute, but puppies are cuter and take up so much time Elsie won’t have any left to think about much else for awhile.

“Do you think if you and Walker get married, you’ll stay here?” Vi asks, and Elsie slows and picks up York.

“I don’t know, honey.”

“I like that you live so close and that we can come visit you whenever we want.”

“I like that too.” I don’t know how Walker knew that moving over here after losing Mrs. Lewis would make things a little easier, but he did, and it’s just one more reason why I love him, he knows what I need when I sometimes don’t.

“You won’t move back to America, will you?” she asks, and my heart hurts.

“I don’t know,” I lie, because I’m not ready to admit I might have to leave sooner rather than later. I love London and Europe, but I know in my gut that I want to be close to my family, even if Florida is as close as I can get.

“I hope not.” She smiles. “I want you to stay here forever.”

I don’t say anything, just smooth my hand down her hair as I look at her because I know I’m likely to cry if I do. These stupid hormones have me emotionally on edge and wanting to cry at the stupidest things which is so annoying.

“Is Walker here yet?” Elsie asks when we reach my house.

“Not yet. He should be here soon.” I take a seat on the front step and watch them play, the puppy so tiny he practically disappears in the green grass. Smiling at the three of them, I see a car pull up to the curb, and my heart starts to beat a little harder, like it always does when I see the man who emerges from the back seat. When he gets out with his bag over his shoulder, both Elsie and Vi turn their attention to him and call out an excited greeting.

Vi picks up the puppy and takes off running in his direction, shouting, “We got a puppy.”

“I see that.” He smiles down at her and rubs the top of York’s head while my heart melts. It’s still wild to think about us becoming parents, that one day this might be a moment we have with our own kids—him coming home from work and them excited to share something with him.

When his gaze comes to me, his smile doesn’t deepen but gets softer, more intimate. I always miss him when he’s gone, but these last two weeks apart seemed harder than any time before. The nights have been especially difficult. And I could tell he wasn’t doing much better than me. His emails and texts were filled with worry and lots of questions. Was I getting enough sleep? Eating enough? Working too much? One thing I do have to say is being able to connect with him through e-mail and text alone for weeks at a time has oddly deepened our connection. Our relationship is not just about sex, don’t get me wrong, the chemistry between us is off the charts but I feel like I know him, really know him and I know he feels the same.

I get up and stand on the first step. When he’s a few feet away, his eyes drop to my stomach, which is still flat. I don’t know when you start to show, but I haven’t. All of my clothes still fit the same. The only changes I’ve noticed are my breasts seem more sensitive and I’m tired all the time, even if I get a full night of sleep.

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