Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
All in all, throughout the evening, Alex seemed like part of the group, like she’d always been a member of our crew. I’d gotten one night to experience what things would have been like had everything not gone to hell with us.
When all the people with kids—basically everyone—started to gather their things to leave, I knew Alex and I should do the same. So we said goodbye to my friends and headed back toward the elevators.
I didn’t want Alex to go back to her hotel just yet, but I knew she wouldn’t agree to come to my apartment. That wouldn’t have been a good idea for either of us if “nothing had changed.” But that didn’t stop me from trying…
My heart sped up. “Do you wanna come back to my place and hang out? I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”
When her face turned serious, I knew the answer. “It’s better if I go back to my hotel,” she said. “My meeting with that vendor is early in the morning. I wanna make sure I get some sleep tonight.”
“When do you return to Connecticut?” I asked, deflated.
“I’m heading back right after my meeting.”
I thought of insisting that she have lunch with me tomorrow, but decided against it. The happy mood of this evening was just one night in time. Our larger reality remained the same. Alex had closed the door on the possibility of us being together, so it was still in my best interest not to spend time with her, no matter how tempting.
I called her an Uber and waited outside with her until it showed.
Despite my self-talk about distancing myself, I needed to know when I’d see her again. “Will you be in Seneca Falls this weekend?”
“Yes. I’m planning on working.”
I was such a hypocrite, because suddenly the weekend couldn’t come fast enough. “Okay, good,” I said. “I’m happy we had this time together so things won’t be weird.”
She smiled. “Me too, Brayden. Well, better not make him wait.”
Just as she was about to get into the Uber, I stopped her. “Alex…”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for not being afraid to knock on my door tonight.”
She flashed a beautiful grin. “I’ve knocked on your door several times since I’ve known you. And I’ve never regretted it.”
CHAPTER 26
Brayden
It was late, only a few minutes until the end of visiting hours, but I couldn’t wait to show Landon the attachment I’d made for his prosthetic Spider-Man arm. Well, I might have made two attachments—one for myself as well—because you’re never too old for superpowers, and you never know when you might need to catch someone in your web.
I walked into Memorial Hospital and went straight to the volunteer coordinator’s office to speak to Liz. Last time I’d visited, I had to wear scrubs and a mask because Landon’s treatment had left his immune system compromised. Hopefully that wasn’t the case anymore, but I figured I’d double-check before going up to the ward. But Liz’s office door was closed. It was almost eight. She was most likely gone for the day, so I decided to check in with the nurses’ station upstairs, instead.
Peyton, a PA I’d met a few times, was behind the desk when I arrived. “Hey, Brayden. It’s been a while.”
I nodded. “Yeah. The house we’re building had some permit issues, so the project was put on hold for a few months, but things are full steam ahead again. I’m hoping we’ll be able to start booking families sometime next month.”
She smiled. “That’s great news.”
“But in the meantime, I came to deliver a new toy. Actually, it’s more of an add-on to something I already made.”
“You make the coolest stuff. Can I see what you have?”
I set the box down on the counter and took out one of the wrist attachments. Landon’s would connect to his prosthetic arm with a magnet so he could take it off and on easily. But mine strapped around my forearm. I wrapped it on and held my arm up. “This is how Spider-Man catches the bad guys.” I positioned my fingers into the usual Spidey stance—thumb, pinky, and forefinger pointed out—and used my other hand to press the button on my wrist. A net launched out of a concealed hole, shooting at least ten feet in front of me.
Peyton laughed. “I wish you could’ve seen your face when that net shot out. You’re really a big kid at heart, aren’t you?”
“What guy isn’t?”
She chuckled. “So who’s the lucky recipient of this gadget?”
“Landon Wilkes. I configured his so it attaches to the arm I already made him.”
Peyton’s face dropped.
I knew immediately that things hadn’t improved like I’d hoped. My stomach sank. “His immune system is still compromised?” I asked.
Peyton shook her head. “I’m sorry, Brayden. We should’ve called you. Landon passed away a week ago.”
My heart lurched to my throat. “What?”