I lean forward and punch the button to lower the glass divider between us and my driver and tell him, “Take us to the hospital. As fast as you can. I don’t care how many laws you have to break.”

I raise the glass, then slump back against the seat, my mind spinning with the bomb my mother just dropped on me.

Cara looks over at me and rests her hand tentatively on my arm. “Liam? Is everything okay?”

The sound of her voice jolts me back to the present. Fuck. I’m so shell-shocked by what Mom just said that I momentarily forgot she was sitting right here. Looking down at my cock that obviously hasn’t forgotten where this night was headed, I tuck myself away, button my pants back up and give her a regretful smile.

“God, Cara, I’m so sorry.”

She shakes her head, her hair floating around her, making her look a bit like an angel. “Why are you sorry? Obviously something is very wrong. Are you all right?”

I blow out my breath through my teeth, almost a hiss. “Yes. No.” I shrug, struggling to find the words through the panic that’s starting to set in. “I mean yes, something is wrong. And no, I’m not sure I’m okay.”

Her eyes flick back and forth between mine, concern creasing her smooth forehead. “Is there anything I can do?”

She’s so unbelievably sweet right now, trying to make sure I’m okay, but also not wanting to pry. It makes me want to tell her everything.

“It’s my father,” I say, my frown deepening. “My mom just called to tell me he had a heart attack and he’s in the hospital.”

Cara’s hands fly to her mouth. “Oh, God. Liam, I’m so sorry.” She wraps her hands around my arm. “Is it… Is it serious?”

I shake my head tersely. “I don’t know. She didn’t say too much. Just made it clear that I needed to come now.”

I have no fucking idea how serious it is. All I know is that my family means everything to me. The idea of losing my dad—it makes me want to come unglued. Makes me want to take out the frustration I feel at being so completely helpless right now on something.

So I slam my fist into the leather seat, stress and adrenaline combining to create excess energy in my body that threatens to explode while I sit here in a fucking limo unable to do anything but wait on goddamn New York traffic.

I feel Cara’s eyes on me, and I look back at her, not sure what I’ll find on her face. I don’t let women into my personal thoughts, my personal life. That part of me is carefully guarded. Sealed away. Protected. I don’t like that right now everything I’m feeling is exposed, making me vulnerable.

But when I meet her eyes, all I see is kindness and compassion. Like she gets what I’m feeling right now. It makes my chest feel tight, and I reach for her, putting my arms around her shoulders and tucking her into me as I drop a kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassure her. “He’ll be fine.” That’s to reassure myself.

Cara fits comfortably against my side, and surprisingly, just having her there next to me makes me feel slightly better. She wraps her arms around my waist and squeezes, nodding against my chest.

We ride in silence for a bit, and some of my agitation returns when we get caught in heavier traffic. Cara’s hand moves in slow, steady circles on my lower back as if she’s trying to ease my tension.

“I’m sure he’s got the best doctors attending to him, Liam.” She smiles up at me. “I mean, nothing less for the father of the Liam Donovan, right?”

A small smile tugs at my lips. “Yeah. Nothing but the best.” I look at her regretfully. “I’m sorry our date has to end like this. I know this isn’t exactly what you expected. Hopefully you’ll give me another chance to take you out and show you how a proper date with me should end.”

Cara lets out a little laugh. “I think I have a good idea how that goes.” She shakes her head. “But please don’t apologize, Liam. This is your family. They come first.”

I kiss her forehead, wondering when I became the kind of guy who gives those kind of kisses. “I’ll have my driver take you home after he drops me off at the hospital.”

She jerks away from me, looking at me like I’ve just told her I believe the earth is flat. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“Um, no?” I say, my eyebrows lifting.

“No way. I’m not going anywhere. Other than to the hospital with you.” She takes my hand and squeezes it softly. “You think I’m just going to let you go in there and deal with it alone?”

I look at her, stunned. “You want to do that?”

She nods, looking as if she thinks I’m crazy for thinking otherwise. Taking both her hands, she cups my cheeks and stares me in the eye. “Absolutely. That’s not the kind of thing you let someone you care about face alone.”

She pauses as we both realized what she said. That she cares about me. Of course, that could mean anything. I care about lots of shit. The gym. A good book. A funny TV show. It doesn’t mean I care. But it still makes a warm feeling spread through my chest.

I smile. “I think I’d like that a lot.”

More than I care to think about. I think back to what Connor said about finding the one. It’s crazy to think like that after only two dates. But I can’t help it. I like the idea of Cara beside me. Supporting me.

I shove the thoughts away. Now isn’t the time. I have no idea what I’m about to face at the hospital, and I need to be functioning at full capacity, not distracted by these unfamiliar feelings.

But when we pull up in front of the hospital and I climb out, extending a hand to Cara, it feels damn good to intertwine my fingers with hers and walk into the hospital with her at my side.