He lifted his chin once. “Who’s this?”

For the first time, Landon’s mouth curved into a slight smile. “This is my girl, Ace. She just doesn’t know it yet.”

Despite my frazzled state, I laughed a little. That sounded almost exactly like what I’d said to the airport attendant about Landon being the love of my life. He just doesn’t know it yet.

“You picking up random chicks at the hospital now?”

“Shut the fuck up. This is Rana, you dumbass.”

Ace laughed. “Ohhh. Shit. I’m sorry. I should’ve realized with the outfit. Didn’t put two and two together. He told me about you.”

“He did?”

“Yeah.”

“We spoke via text earlier,” I reminded him.

Landon scolded his friend. “How come you didn’t tell me she messaged me?”

“I forgot to mention it.” Ace turned to me. “You just flew here?”

“Yes.”

“Cool. You guys ready to go? I have to be somewhere.”

Landon held out his hand for me, and I took it, unable to remember the last time I’d even held a guy’s hand. His grip was firm and protective, representative of the type of man I knew he would be with me. I noticed he wore two silver rings on his fingers. It just felt incredible to finally be touching him. Like a dream, really.

After he led me into the backseat of Ace’s Jeep, we drove off. I had no idea where we were going, although I assumed he was driving us to Landon’s apartment.

Landon’s stare was focused on me the entire ride, but he said nothing. His eyes were expressive, as if he wanted to say something or ask me a million questions. We certainly had a lot to discuss, but he must have chosen not to talk about anything in front of his friend. Not to mention, our driver had the music on pretty loudly. He was blasting So What Cha Want by the Beastie Boys with the windows rolled down.

A light that was on a sensor illuminated the walkway as Ace pulled up to Landon’s house. The purplish, gray stucco structure featured a garage bay on the first level and a balcony on the second. There were three identical units in a row. The beach was across the road in the distance but close enough to be able to hear the waves crashing.

We got out, and Landon tapped the hood of Ace’s car. “Thanks for everything, man.”

“No problem. Nice meeting you, Rana.”

I nodded. “Same.”

The sound of Ace’s wheels hitting the gravel meant that we were finally alone. I looked out into the distance at the welcoming palm trees dancing in the evening breeze as if they were serenading the dazed girl from Michigan.

Landon turned to me, his beautiful, blue eyes shining even in the darkness.

As I stood facing him, I asked, “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. My head still hurts a little, but I really lucked out.” He smiled. “Even if I was in pain, I’m pretty sure I’d be numb to it right about now.” He cupped my face. “Holy fucking shit, Rana. You’re here.”

“I know this is a shock.”

“It’s a good one, though. A great one. I knew you’d cave and see me eventually, but damn, you really surprised me.”

“I was scared. I didn’t even think twice about coming here when I thought you were in danger. There wasn’t even a decision to make as far as I was concerned. Wild horses couldn’t have kept me away.”

“Not even a ravenous snake could keep you away,” he joked.

“That’s right.” I laughed nervously, my body so incredibly on alert. “What happened to you?”

“I go to the skating park to unwind, and sometimes I go a little too crazy. I slipped, hit my head, and blacked out. The next thing I remember, I was in an ambulance. I obviously didn’t even know that you texted me until you pointed out that Ace answered you. I didn’t notice it because it wasn’t bolded since he’d already responded.”

“I was so worried about you.”

His mouth curved into a smile as he rubbed his thumb along my cheek. “You don’t have to convince me of that, baby. The fact that you’re standing in front of me right now is all the proof I need of how much you care about me.”

“Do you think I’m nuts for just jumping on a plane?”

“I’ve always thought you were a little nuts, but you coming here isn’t one of the reasons why. I’m blown away—to the point where I’m clearly blanking out on anything compelling to say. Your getting on that plane means more to me than you can ever possibly imagine.” He moved in closer. “And I can’t believe some old dude got to kiss you before I did, by the way.”

I thought maybe he was going to kiss me right then and there, but he didn’t.

Feeling suddenly embarrassed, I looked down at my feet. “I know you probably have a million questions about my appearance. I—”