Spend a few months away? Stay at Rucker and study? Stay at home with Sam?

Miranda sighed, and then punched my shoulder. “Wake up. You’re not choosing one girl over the other. You’re not leaving Grace for Sam. Grace left on her own a long time ago. So choose you. Choose to live. Choose to step outside the storm you’ve been given and soak up your sun.”

I blinked. “You were listening.”

She smiled and gave a pat to the shoulder she’d hit. “I’ve been worried about you for so long. Always here, drowning. But now? I’m not. You’re going to be okay. Be happy. Be with Sam. You deserve this.” She’d almost pushed Amber to the hallway before she turned back to me. “I’ve known you since you were born, which means I have a pretty good grip on who you are, and your next argument is going to be that it’s not fair to Sam, right? That she deserves someone whose heart isn’t split?”

I opened my mouth, and then closed it. She was right.

“You’re not split, Gray. Listen to what you just told Grace. You loved her.”

My eyes narrowed. “Right. I’ve loved her since we were kids.”

“True, but you’re not in love with her anymore.” She glanced back at Grace with a sad smile, then back to me. “You used the past tense when you told Grace just now, and I bet you don’t even realize it, but your subconscious does. She’s your past, and she always will be. Sam is your future for as long as you’re capable of holding on to her with that broody Heathcliff thing you have going on.”

Broody? “Thanks, Miranda.”

“I don’t want to see you until October, Gray.” Her face twisted, and I laughed. “What?”

“You’ve been a mom less than twenty-four hours and you’ve already mastered the look.” I smiled, and it felt…good.

“I’m only letting you get away with that because I haven’t heard you laugh in years. October, Grayson Masters. I’m serious.”

She left, and I pulled out my cell phone.

Grayson: Where are you?

Samantha: Miss me already?

Grayson: The minute I left you.

Samantha: Wow. Think you’re getting lucky again or something?

Grayson: I KNOW I am.

Samantha: LOL. You’re probably right. Mia just dropped me off.

I took the elevator and headed to the lobby, where Sam was coming in, biting into a chocolate chip cookie. Her smile was instant, and mine came easily.

She made everything easier.

“Hey, flyboy.” She came up on her toes and kissed me. I licked the stray chocolate off her lower lip and then forced myself to let her mouth go. Pretty sure she didn’t want me pulling her into the first empty exam room. I could’ve shut the door, pulled down those shorts that barely covered her anyway, and put my tongue on her like I’d been fantasizing about for months. I’d skipped that last night, too desperate to finally be inside her. Get a grip, you’re in the middle of the hospital.

Damn. I thought having sex might slake that fire for her, but instead it fueled it. Now I wasn’t guessing how she felt—I knew, and she was better than I’d ever dreamed.

Shit, we needed to get out of here. “You ready to go?” I asked.

“Ready to see the sights! Your mom said there’s a great lighthouse nearby.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to leave you alone with her, but she was pretty adamant.”

“She was fine, I swear. Mostly asked questions, didn’t really divulge your sordid past.” She poked me. “I did get a peek at your yearbook…”

I groaned, and it wasn’t because we’d walked out into the afternoon sun.

“You were cute!” She giggled, dropping her sunglasses over her eyes.

“Are you seriously laughing at me?” I grabbed for her, but she darted ahead.

“I almost didn’t recognize you,” she said as she walked backward.

“Well, I weighed about a hundred-and-sixty pounds soaking wet.”

“Like I said, you were cute.” She backed into the hood of the Mustang and braced her hands on either side of her.

I swallowed, my throat thick at the picture in front of me. Sam’s legs stretched out in front of her, impossibly long under shorts that begged my fingers to explore the hem…and under. She wore a grin I couldn’t wait to kiss off, and her button-up shirt had come undone enough to hint at the curves I knew lay beneath. Leaned up against my car, she was the hottest girl I’d ever seen. Holy shit, I get to touch her.

She must have seen the change in my mood, because her smile disappeared and her lips parted as I cupped her face in one hand and her ass in the other. “Still cute?”

“Maybe. I’ll let you know when the verdict is in.” She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head.

Damn. The girl had to push my buttons. She wet her bottom lip with the tip of a very pink tongue, and I pounced. Within a few strokes of that tongue, she made me forget we were in the middle of the parking lot. Hell, she made me forget my name.

I kissed her until she whimpered, which nearly broke me, sending images through my head of bending her over the hood, or having her straddle me in the driver’s seat.

“I’m going to fuck you in the parking lot if we don’t stop,” I growled against her mouth. “Your shorts are sexy as hell.”

She laughed in response. “What happened to that legendary self-control you’re so famous for?”