The week of Bronte’s class reunion, I accompanied her on a shopping trip for an outfit to wear. We’d been together almost every day for the past three weeks. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we had lunch together. With the weather turning colder, she came to my office, or I went to hers. In the evenings, she spent the night at my apartment since my place was closer to work, and we could sleep in an extra hour.

As we walked along the sidewalk in front of expensive boutique stores, I watched her from the corner of my eye and bit back a smile. She held my hand tightly in hers, stepping carefully over the cracks in the cement. When we arrived at the crosswalk, she took an extra, tiny step.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“What?” She cocked her head like a bird. The ends of her hair fluttered in the cold breeze.

“That little hop at the end.” My voice shook with laughter.

A blush brightened her fair skin. “Um, I always try to stop on an even number of steps.”

“You’ve been counting?” She’d hid it well. I hadn’t noticed and assumed her compulsion with numbers had eased up.

“Well, not all the time and not as much.” She bounced on her toes. Her breath floated in white clouds when she spoke. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her warm. “Sometimes I forget.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” I searched her eyes. Every now and then, the intelligence in them made my pulse jump. I’d never understand the way her mind worked, but I’d never give up trying.

“Yeah. I guess so.”

The light changed from yellow to red, and the little crosswalk man appeared. Her foot started over the curb. A pickup truck, racing to make it across the intersection, barreled through the red light. In an instant, I relived those last few seconds with Amy. I saw the bus behind her, heard the screeching of tires, the screams of pedestrians, and Amy’s startled expression.

I grabbed Bronte and clutched her to my chest. The truck chugged past us. People flowed into the street. We stood there together, her in my arms. I buried my face in her hair, squeezing the breath out of her.

“Rhett? What’s the matter? You’re suffocating me.”

“Sorry,” I muttered into her neck, inhaling her strawberry scent. I didn’t let go.

“I can’t…breathe.” She wriggled until I loosened my hold. One glimpse at my face brought a worried pucker to her pink lips. “Are you okay? You’re pale as a ghost.”

“No. Yes.” I wiped a hand over my eyes. My guts churned. I swallowed against the bile in my throat, resisting the urge to hurl. Sweat trickled down my back. “I just need a minute.”

Life was so unpredictable. One moment, everything seemed perfect, and in one short heartbeat, it could all be over. There were no promises, no guarantees. The urgency of living steamrolled over me. Until Bronte, I’d been slogging through life, treading water. I had no intention of wasting one more second without her.

Her gaze softened. She patted a hand on my cheek. “Take all the time you need.” With my hand in hers, she led me to a nearby bench. I sat down, drawing her onto my lap.

“You scared the shit out of me,” I said. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“What? Cross the street?” Her lips twitched. When I didn’t smile, she dropped a light kiss on my mouth. “I was teasing. Get it? See, I’m doing better.”

“You are, angel.” I shifted her weight on my legs. A passing gray-haired gentleman gave us the stink eye. I smirked at him, not giving a shit who saw us. “For just a second, I had a flashback to Amy.” Hurt clouded her eyes then passed. I scrambled to explain myself. “All I could think was that I can’t lose you, too. You mean too much to me.”

“Oh.” A tiny frown bent her mouth. She bit her lower lip, processing my words. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I brushed her hair away from her face, letting the strands slip through my fingers. The warmth of her body mingled with mine. I could sit this way all day—her ass on my lap, her trusting face upturned to watch me, like I’d hung the moon and stars. That was when I knew. It hit me with the impact of a bullet. I’d never felt more alive, and I owed it to this crazy, mixed-up, beautiful girl.

“I love you.” I took both her hands in mine and gazed into her blue eyes. They sparkled with tears. “I love the way you lock and unlock the door twenty times before bed. I love the way you check the refrigerator after you close it to make sure the light went off inside. I love all the whacky things you do, although the thing with even numbers makes me a little insane.”

She put one hand on each side of my face and smiled. “I’m happy but a little insulted. And for the record, I only lock the door eight times, not twenty. Twenty is just crazy.”

I kissed her while my heart bounced around behind my ribs. “You can do all those things and a hundred more as long as you promise to stay with me.”

“Okay.” The smile on her face widened. “It’s a deal.”