tugging at my hair, then at my shirt. I kissed down her neck before straightening up, speaking against her mouth.
“Laney, I know what we said in Rome. But I like you so much. Being with you, talking to you, just sitting on that couch, pouring you wine and giving you a foot massage. I can’t ignore this, and I don’t want to. Explore this with me.”
Laney’s eyes widened. She bit her lower lip, lowering her gaze to my shoulder. My gut clenched. “So, my job isn’t the only reason I was saying that.”
“Okay. You said something about baggage, I remember. Want to sit down?”
She nodded, pressing her lips in a tight line. I waited patiently, hand on her waist, knowing she wanted to say more.
“I was married for six months,” she whispered, and I felt like someone had just hit the back of my knees with a baseball bat. “My husband passed away from a heart attack two years ago. Since then, I’ve... I don’t know if I can...” She shook her head as if she was correcting herself. “I haven’t even been on a date or kissed anyone... until you.”
I nearly buckled under the weight of what she just said. I tightened my grip on her waist, searching for the right words.
Worry was etched on her beautiful face, but she still wasn’t looking at me. “Are you mad that I didn’t tell you before? I’m sorry. It’s not a secret or anything, it’s... not something that naturally comes up, and talking about it makes me sad.”
“I’m not mad at you,” I reassured her, skimming my hands up to cup her face, looking her straight in the eyes. That deep sadness there slayed me. Fuck, I wanted to erase that, to drive it away from her eyes, her heart, her mind.
I wasn’t mad, but I did feel a bit left out. I knew how irrational that was. We’d just been having fun in Rome, why should she share something so deeply personal? But I was happy she was opening up now.
“I’m not sure how to navigate this,” she murmured.
I smiled at her, keeping my hands on her shoulders. “I have a plan for today.”
She smiled right back. “And it starts with breakfast. Maybe we should order.”
“Your choice.”
We sat down, and she picked up the menu, rubbing her stomach as she read it. I was seeing this amazing woman in a whole different light.
“Okay, I want their premium breakfast. It says that it is a platter with a mix of their signature dishes. All of them sound good.”
“Let’s order.”
The waiter was quick and efficient, taking our order and then immediately coming back with our coffee and a basket with bread. Laney munched on a slice right away.
“I don’t know why I’m so hungry. That shawarma last night was huge. Skye and Tess really saved me with that.”
“They really didn’t try to question you? That’s very unlike my sisters.”
“Well, they thought about it, but I honestly think they were both tired. It crossed my mind to offer myself as bait to distract them from everything that was going on—both of them, because honestly, Tess was also pretty down. But I wanted to talk to you first about everything.”
Her compassion for my sisters took me by surprise completely, especially that she’d noticed Tess’s state. This didn’t come just from being a doctor, but also intuition and just being a caring person.
“Do you want to know more?” she asked.
“Only if you’re ready to talk.”
“I usually am not, but I want everything out in the open.” She sipped her coffee, holding the cup with both hands.
“Ryan and I met in college. We got married when I was in med school. We never knew about the heart issue until... it happened. It was just before I had to decide where to do my residency.”
“And after that you moved to New York.”
She nodded. “I’d been accepted to a hospital in Philly and this one for my residency, and I just needed a change of scenery, you know? A fresh start. It was scary to come here on my own, but honestly, staying there was even more scary.”
“I am sorry for your loss, Laney.”
I covered her hands. She nodded, smiling sadly. “It was a rough time, but I had Isabelle and also my parents. I went to therapy, and that helped.”
“With Isabelle?”
“No, she said that usually it’s best if the counselor is a stranger. It’s been... I’ve healed, you know. Through my work and the counseling sessions. I’ve