“I’m glad you’re here,” he muttered against my hair.
That reminded me… “Jagger—” I shook my head and pulled back from the safety of Josh’s warmth, trying to remember the important stuff. “Paisley is in labor. He sent me.”
Josh straightened immediately. “I’ll get my bag, and let’s go.”
He took my hand and led me through the crowd to where their bags had been lined up. Two heavy bags later, we were marching to the car. I clicked the unlock button, and the taillights on the SUV I’d rented flashed.
“Uh. New car?” he asked, loading his bags into the back after the hatch raised.
“No,” I said. “I rented it at the airport.”
“When?”
“Oh, a couple of hours ago when I landed.” I scrunched my nose. “I’m sorry I’m not more dressed up. I kind of traveled halfway around the world today.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I’d be a hypocrite if I minded, since we’re in the same situation.”
“Right,” I said with an awkward head nod. We stared at each other for a few seconds, our eyes speaking volumes that our lips couldn’t yet say. Then I thrust the keys in his direction. “Think you can keep it at the speed limit?”
He gave me a cocky grin that sent heat spiraling through me. As if my body had sensed his nearness, my sex-drive clicked on, more than ready to make up for lost time and pretty damn uncaring that our relationship was in a gray area. Down girl.
“Let’s go meet Mini-Bateman,” he said and walked me around to my side. He opened the door for me and I climbed in, but before I could pull on the seat belt, he reached across and clicked it in himself like I was twenty again. “I like you safe,” he murmured against my forehead as he slid out of the car to get behind the wheel. My chest tightened and fought my need to kiss the hell out of him.
He was true to his word and kept it at the speed limit as we made our way to the hospital. My hand felt naked without being able to take his, so I gripped the edge of my seat instead. We exchanged sideways glances, until the heavy awkwardness was too much for me. Since when did we ever act like this around each other?
“How are you?” I asked.
His grip shifted on the wheel, his knuckles whitening. “Okay. Better, I guess, in some areas.” His eyes cut toward me. “Worse in others. What about you?”
“You hit the nail on the head,” I said softly.
We pulled into the hospital parking lot, and Josh parked the car. Neither of us said a word as we walked inside the massive building and headed for the maternity ward. The magnetic pull between us was almost too much for me to take as we rode the elevator. Each floor that lit on the display seemed to metaphor my level of need for him. We’re at a four. Nope, make that a five, edging toward six, seven… God, I was about to become a movie cliché and jump him against the wall.
Would that be so bad?
The doors dinged open, saving me from the potential embarrassment of a rejection. This was definitely new territory. Even when we’d started dating, I’d never really been afraid of Josh rejecting me. He’d always been so open, honest with his feelings and his intent when it came to me.
“Paisley Bateman?” I asked the desk nurse.
“Room 804,” she said after checking the board behind her. “But she’s pushing, so there’s a waiting room at the end of the hall, there.”
Holy cow. Any minute now they would be parents. Josh and I walked, nearly touching but not quite, our steps evenly matched. “I still can’t believe they’re having a baby,” I said.
“Yeah. Most days I feel like we’re still in college, arguing over who’s ordering the keg, and now he’s a dad.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the grin on Josh’s face. His smile lit him up in a way that had always drawn me to him. “True,” I said. “And I honestly never thought Jagger would be first, you know?”
He looked over at me, radiating an intensity that stole my breath. “I always figured we would be.”
“Me, too,” I confessed in a whisper as we came to a standstill in the middle of the hallway. The moment we stood there, held together by nothing more than our eyes, seemed like an eternity. The long nights I’d spent in Ephesus, staring up at the brilliant stars, wondering if he was looking, too, or if he was safe, all came rushing back with a feeling of such longing that my heart leaped into my throat.
“December?” he asked softly, concern softening his face.
“This is hard,” I admitted.
“What is?” His voice dropped as he stepped forward slightly, until I had to crane my neck to keep eye contact.
“Standing here, within inches of you, aching to kiss you, and not knowing if I’m even allowed to. Not knowing what we are.”
His jaw flexed and he looked away, fighting a battle I couldn’t see. Then he glanced over my shoulder, sidestepped, and walked right past me, grabbing my hand to pull me behind him. He opened the door to the stairwell, and I stumbled through after him. “Josh, what are we doing?”
He pushed my back against the brick wall, cradling my head in his hand, and then took my mouth. Yes, yes, YES. He felt like heaven and tasted like…Josh. Home. I rose up on my toes, kissing him back with two months of pent-up want, anger, and love. His lips moved perfectly against mine, our tongues intertwined, my body arching naturally toward his.
This was Josh, the man I loved, the only person I wanted to spend my life kissing. His hand moved from my waist to my ass, lifting me against the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my ankles behind him, and rolled my hips into him.