I felt desert sand stuck deep in my nostrils, and sucked down into my lungs. There was so much of it stuck in my chest that I felt like I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. He w

to look totally cool. I put a hand behind my head and acted like I was going to yawn, just to show how disinterested I was. And hey, I really was! I hadn't seen the guy in over a decade – for all I knew, he'd turned into a total dork during his time at medical school. Holden saw right through my shit. He let out a loud barking laugh and then hissed, almost keeling over. “Oh my god, my stitches,” he chuckled. “Stop laughing! You're going to drop my baby,” I joked... while I kept my hawk eyes on how he was handling my bub. “Sorry, sorry. It's just – wow. I feel like I'm in a time machine or something... You acting like you don't care about what he's doing at every moment of the day... Uh, Pax went back to work after he put you to bed.” “After he what?” This set off another round of chuckles. “He and Nash put you on the cot. And Pax came back to make sure you were okay, and told the staff left us alone so that you could get some more sleep. No worries about me though, the guy who just gave birth...” That sure sounded like Pax. Overly nice, overly considerate, and overachieving... Overcompensating. I rolled my eyes but I also felt a blush creep up my neck. “I guess I should go thank him then,” I said, nonchalantly. “Yeah, you better go thank him...” Holden smirked. I reached for Hope, but he waved me off. “I'll take care of her. The twins are with Nate getting some final checks, and I could use the distraction.” “Thanks, man,” I said, and gave Hope a kiss on the cheek. I made my way out of the room and quickly realized that I had no idea where I was going. The hospital wasn't big, so I should have been able to navigate it easy enough, but my mind had not been working well since I'd had Hope... Or maybe a few weeks before that... I bravely stumbled along the stark corridors and as I turned a corner, I spotted Pax leaving a patient's room, jotting down notes in a chart. My legs stopped working and I felt the breath leave my chest. He'd been beautiful as a boy and even in our awkward teen years he'd had a certain grace and poise that set him apart – but now he was just downright hot. An old, pent-up feeling started to regrow in my heart, and I felt my wolf whimpering. I grumbled at it to settle down, but it kept on pining for Pax. HE'D GROWN THOUGH. He'd always been taller than me, and was still a good two inches above me. His shoulders had filled out and his jaw was stronger than I'd remembered it being. His short, dark brown hair was cut into a tight fade, way more professional-looking than the long, wild locks he'd had when we were teens. Pax looked up and immediately spotted me. A sweet smile appeared on his face and my knees almost buckled. Get it together, I hissed to myself as he made his way over. “Did you sleep okay?” he asked. “Are you patronizing me?” I glared, then kicked myself for my knee-jerk reflex against being 'taken care of'. That was a seed that had germinated when I was a kid and grown into a stubborn, huge-ass tree. Pax laughed in shock and then put a hand on my shoulder. “No! Sorry – I'm on my rounds and talking to patients a lot in my doctor voice makes me sound patronizing as hell.” “It's fine, I was just kidding,” I waved it off, but caught the look he gave me – it was the same one he used to use when we were younger and he knew that I was full of shit. What could I say? He saw right through me then, and he saw right throug