then we’re hitting the road,” he said, his voice full of confidence. He was more grateful than ever that he carried a bag in his trunk for emergencies with spare clothes, toiletries, and extra cash. If he needed to leave town fast, he didn’t have to go home first.
“You think we go from apologies to spending the night together?” she asked with a raised brow.
He looked over at Bobbi who was in the kitchen not even trying to hide that she was listening. He turned back to Avery. He might as well be honest.
“I’d love for you to stay with me all night, but I don’t in any way expect it. I do have two full days of activities planned for us though, and an extra room for you . . . if you decide to use it.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll have to get in the car to find out.”
She glared at him, and they remained in a standoff for a solid minute, which was a long time when your heart was pounding and you were waiting to hear a yes or no.
“Fine,” she said. “But I don’t like surprises.” She seemed in a pretty good mood for a woman who didn’t like surprises. He decided he’d be the better person and not call her on that. She gave him an evil grin then turned to her mother.
“If you don’t get a message from me tonight, assume he’s killed me and buried my body then call the police,” she said. She snapped a picture of him and texted the image to her mother. “Just a precaution.”
He gazed between her mother and her in disbelief, then he cracked up. Damn, he loved these women. They were sassy, smart, and made him smile.
“Good thinking,” he told Avery. “And since I’m in the database, if anything should happen the fingerprints will give me away.”
“Good. If I die, I want you to have a nice long stay in prison where Mr. T can teach you nightly how it feels to pick on someone smaller than you.”
Carl laughed again. “You certainly have an evil side.”
“Without a doubt,” she assured him.
He stood and held out his hand. She accepted it and stood. Bobbi walked over, hugged them both goodbye, told them to behave, and they walked out the door. The next thirty-six hours were going to either be phenomenal . . . or they’d set him free from his obsession with this woman. He had a feeling it was going to be great, and he’d be obsessed with Avery for a very long time — possibly an eternity.
Chapter Eighteen
Joseph Anderson absolutely loved his family and was grateful for each and every moment he had with them. Normally, he was the first to rush forward to be in the middle of every crazy situation involving family and friends.
Today wasn’t that day. Today he was lost. Anyone who’d ever described Joseph knew that emotion was foreign to him. He was a man of action, a man who didn’t take no for an answer, a man who went after everything he wanted. Right now, the problem was that he didn’t know where to begin, didn’t know exactly what it was he wanted.
He left his wife’s room and moved slowly through the long hospital corridors until he reached the food court. Activity was buzzing in the large room with multiple stations serving different food and drinks. Conversations took place around him, many medical terms being thrown around along with cries of grief, and muffled shouts of joy.
In a hospital there were so many emotions — grief, joy, relief, and despair. A new baby was born, a beloved child was lost. A family member was cured of cancer, and a grandmother’s hand was held as she took her last breath. For every low there was a high, and for every high, there was a low. That was the circle of life that had been happening since the beginning of time. But Joseph never had liked being locked into a box or a circle. He wanted to break free. He would beat the odds.
He hadn’t had an appetite since he’d received the call that his wife had fallen. He knew he should eat something, needing fuel to get through the day, but nothing looked appealing, just as the day before, and the day before that. He wandered for a moment before getting a cup of coffee. While drinking it, he finally settled on an unappealing sandwich. He paid then left the food