Torin (Hope City #9) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,80

she sees. He watched as they chatted for another moment before they hugged again, and this time Torin’s face etched into a scowl. As the doctor let go of her, he turned and caught Torin’s eye, waving with a happy smile before continuing down the hall.

Erin came rushing in, her hair in disarray and falling out of her braid, sporting their matching stitched forehead abrasions. Before he had a chance to greet her, she reached his bed, bent, and kissed him. All other thoughts fled as he reveled in the feel of her lips on his. The kiss didn’t last as long as he would’ve liked, but considering there was little he could do while lying in a hospital bed with his leg elevated, he’d take whatever he could get.

“Who was your friend out there?” As soon as he spoke, he hated the petulant sound in his voice and the obvious jealousy that weaved around his words.

Her eyes lit and she said, “That’s Cieran… my cousin.”

He blinked, jerking slightly. “Cousin?”

“My dad’s brother used to live in Hope City, but when Cieran was in high school, my uncle got a job transfer and the whole family moved to Richmond. Cieran is the same age as Sean. He was a trauma surgeon with the Army but is out now and decided to move to Hope City to live. He just started here a few weeks ago and I’ve only seen him once since he’s been back.”

“Trauma surgeon? What timing… good for Hope City but probably crappy for him.”

“I think he thrives on the excitement,” she said.

“Oh… that’s nice.” Now feeling foolish, he tried to think of something to say but his still-medicated brain proved too sluggish to come up with something more appropriate. Erin appeared to not notice his lack of conversational prowess at the moment, for which he was glad.

“I’m so sorry, I’m late getting back here.” She walked around to the other side and settled her hip next to him, making sure not to jostle the bed.

“I didn’t expect you back at all, babe. That’s why I sent a text to let you know that I won’t be discharged until tomorrow afternoon.”

“Are there problems?”

“The surgeon says everything looks good, but they want to give it another day for some swelling to go down. He’d also like the physical therapist to come in and have an initial session with me in the morning.”

She let out a long breath and nodded. “As much as I want you home, I think that’s good. Of course, I’m trying to put on my nurse hat and not my girlfriend hat.”

He was getting ready to ask for another kiss when he zeroed in on her body language. Her lips were pressed together. Her hands were clasped, her fingers twisting against each other slightly. A sliver of unease moved through him.

“I’ve been thinking about things, Torin.” She lifted her downcast eyes to meet his gaze, their deep blue color now as murky as a lake on a cloudy day. “I need to get the words said before I chicken out.”

His heart fell to his stomach. He tried to mentally brace for the lashing her words were going to cause, sure that he was not going to like what she had to say.

“I was scared.”

Uncertain she needed a response to that, he nodded slowly.

“Actually, I was terrified. I hate that feeling. Having no control. Holding someone you care so much about as their lifeblood drains from them.”

He tried to keep his breathing steady, focusing on her words and the emotion behind them. Her shaky voice slashed through him, and he hated the trauma she’d had to endure twice.

“I don’t want to go through that kind of fear again.”

He opened his mouth to refute her words, beg her to stay, plead for her to reconsider. But before he had a chance to say anything, she continued.

Her chin quivered as she held his gaze. “But the truth of the matter is, Torin, I love you. I want to be with you. And I know that life is going to throw a lot of curves at us, but I want to be strong enough to withstand them. I know that love is a chance… but I want to take that chance with you.”

The air rushed from his lungs as he clutched her hands and pulled them close to his chest. He gently loosened her fist and placed her palm over his heart. “Do you feel that, Erin? Do you feel my