Page 9 of Until Forever
Jasper.
I freeze, screaming his name in my head and losing my breath all at the same time.
“It’s good to see you, Latoya.”
CHAPTER THREE
JASPER
She’s stunning.
A little tired, obviously surprised, but still gorgeous. I knew the odds of running into Latoya at some point during this visit were high. But actually,seeingher after all this time knocks me on my ass.
Damn.
She still does it for me, even with the disappointment and something that reads like fear written on her face.
“How are you?” I manage to get out before my throat knots up.
Latoya stands next to the foot of the bed, her mouth wide and shoulders hiked tightly around her ears. Her chest heaves with the shortness of her breath as she stares at me. Her gaze skates around the room like she is searching for a way out. She’s confused. I can practically see the questions circulating in her mind.
She’s wondering what she should say to me? Does she slap me or yell at me? Or does she run back into the bathroom? The only thing she’s probably sure about is that she doesn’t want to be in this room right now.
“Um.” She swallows and pulls her bottom lip into her mouth.
I can’t stop the smile that forms on my face. I recognize the movement, remembering the first time she looked at me like that. It was cute then, and it sure is sexy as fuck now. We stare at each other for several seconds, neither of us daring to move or speak. Hell, I haven’t even thought about my father after laying eyes on her.
“Are you his nurse?” I ask to break the pregnant pause. The air around us is heavy, stale, and full of awkward tension.
She blinks and sways a little, then nervously snatches the chart from the foot of my father’s bed. We inch forward simultaneously, both consciously moving around each other until her back is to the exit.
“Ah,” she breathes out. “Yes, they…assigned me his case this morning.”
“Morning?” I repeat, though more as a question.
She nods, still nibbling on her lip.
“So you’re getting off soon?”
I don’t expect her to answer that. Shit, I don’t realize what I’m saying until the words are out of my mouth. But it’s out now, and I’m rolling with it. It’s none of my business, and I dare not expect her to tell me. But I won’t lie and say I won’t be happy if she does. I want to hear her voice because I need to know if that’s how I remember it, too.
She does look different, though.
More mature.
Stronger.
Her face hasn’t changed, but then I’ve always been able to spot her in a crowd. Her deep-brown skin still glows even in this dimly lit hospital room, and her eyes are still the sexiest shade of brown I’ve ever seen. But her bodyhaschanged. She’s fuller, her hips thick and shapely, and despite her clutching the chart to her chest, she’s filled out more there, too. She’s womanly and memory damn sure serves.
While pointing over my shoulder to my dad, I open my mouth to keep her from leaving, willing to pretend I’m happy to be here if it means I’ll get a few more seconds with her.
“What’s wrong with him?” I blurt out and tentatively lift a hand in her direction.
She shifts from one leg to the other. “I’m not his doctor,” she says with hitched breaths.
“Right.”
We make eye contact for a lingering moment until she sighs and glances away. She tries to leave, but I stop her again.
