Our Finest Hour (The Time #1)(74)

Before I leave, I excuse myself to the restroom. Instead, I make a detour to the laundry room to check the lint trap. I’m surprised, and a little sad, to find it empty.





I don’t want to move. I’m afraid to breathe too loudly.

She’s next to me, on her stomach. Her arm is flung over the pillow, her hair falls down around her. Her lips are parted, begging to be kissed.

We must’ve fallen asleep last night.

Usually she retreats after our hour is up. Physically and emotionally. I can always tell when it’s time. Her gates close, her open eyes shut down.

But not last night. Last night, she was different.

Sixty rolled toward me, not away. She curled into me, ran her fingers over my chest. I tried not to show her how happy that made me.

I kissed her forehead, felt the dampness at her hairline. She’d smiled and buried her face in my neck.

Now it’s morning, and I don’t know what to do. Will she wake up and feel regret that she didn’t leave my bed? She needs that barrier she puts up every day. It keeps her together.

Her eyes flutter a few times, then open. She’s alarmed at first, her shoulders tense. She studies me, her head still on the pillow.

“Hi.” Her voice is soft.

“Good morning.” I run my hand over her shoulder and down her arm, then back up.

“I fell asleep.” She smiles shyly.

“We both did.”

“I’m sorry.”

I shake my head. “Don’t be.” My fingers catch in her hair.

She closes her eyes and reaches for me, gripping my shoulders. I move over her as she rolls onto her back. Her hands are in my hair, and I can feel the reverberations of her quiet moans as my mouth roams her chest.

Her hips lift, urging me along. Supporting my weight on my right arm, I hook my left arm under her thigh and hitch up her leg.

Before I go any further, I look into her eyes. I forgot to close the blinds last night, and now the sunlight bounces off everything. It allows me to see her vividly. Hair like dark chocolate, skin creamy, eyes like the ocean. She’s breathtaking.

She reaches for me, her fingers trailing the top of my back. Her eyes are bright, wide. The flush on her cheeks is lovely.

“Isaac,” she whispers.

I love watching her lips form my name. Especially in this moment.

I love how her chest rises with a sharp intake of breath when I enter her.

I love her slow, rugged exhale when I’m all the way inside her.

Her fingers grip the back of my neck. When her free leg wraps around my backside, I see how this time is different.

In all our other hours, Aubrey gave me her body.

But this, right now, is not one of our hours.

This time I can feel Aubrey giving me her heart.



I’m taking Aubrey and Claire somewhere today. Somewhere awesome. But first, I have to get through this phone call. Dr. Redmond called again. Another voicemail, another offer. He thinks throwing more money my way will get me to Boston.

He’s wrong.

When he doesn’t answer, I leave a voicemail. “Dr. Redmond, this is Dr. Isaac Cordova returning your call. I appreciate your secondary offer, and as generous as it is, I remain firm in my choice to decline. My personal life is such that I can’t move at this time. Thank you again for considering me. It’s an honor.” I end the call and set my phone on the desk.

I’m aware I’m not making the best choice for my career, and maybe if things were different with Aubrey, I’d be asking her to move with me to Boston. There’s no way I can do that anytime soon. For one, she’d never leave her dad. For two, she has just started taking baby steps with me. We turned our first big corner this morning.

Before I get too carried away by thoughts of waking up next to Aubrey, Claire charges into my office. She bounces up and down in front of my desk, impatient. I’m seeing more of her personality now that she’s no longer limited by her cast. Aubrey assures me the sassiness is being resurrected and isn’t newly acquired.

“What’s up, buttercup?” I smile at my daughter.

“You said you’re taking us somewhere special.” Her small hands go to her small hips. I wonder where she picked that up? Aubrey never stands that way.

“And I am. Are you ready?”

Her head bobs up and down. “I’ll go get Mommy.”

She races out the same way she raced in, her long ponytail swinging behind her.

When Claire comes in again, she’s dragging Aubrey with her.

“Claire tells me we’re going somewhere today.” Her eyes question me.

“It’s a surprise,” I say.

Aubrey’s lips turn down. She doesn’t like surprises.

Forging ahead, I tell her she and Claire will both need swimsuits.

Her eyes narrow.

I give her my best pleading face.

She relents. I can tell by the heave of her chest. “Swimsuits, sunscreen, hats, snacks.” She ticks them off on her hands.

“Sure,” I agree without hesitation. I’ll carry the kitchen sink on my back if it means getting Aubrey to try something new.

We spend the next twenty minutes getting ready, and I pack a bag of snacks and bottles of water.

“Ready?” I ask, when Aubrey comes into the kitchen.

“To go where?” She ask’s offhandedly, trying to trip me up.