However, she had not had an opportunity to see him or talk to him for more than a month.

Until, that is, she traveled to Atlanta with Dylan to tour two colleges and visit one particular hospital.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It required an act of God and a generous portion of histrionics, but Leah managed to pry Dylan from his bedroom at their Airbnb and convey the two of them to Beckett Memorial Hospital ahead of their prearranged meeting with Sebastian. An assistant ushered them to Sebastian’s office and informed them that he would join them shortly.

Thus, on the first Monday of September, a day she had off work for Labor Day, Leah was given an unexpected chance to scrutinize Sebastian’s office without him present. The space boasted one large window. Two high-quality leather chairs. An office chair. And a desk, on which four items rested: a lamp, thick white notepad, Montblanc pen, computer.

A yard-wide strip of corkboard ran vertically from the floor to the ceiling of the wall next to his desk. Photos and cards had been pinned to it. Leah stood before the collage, enthralled, reading fast because she was afraid he’d arrive before she had a chance to ingest it all.

The pictures highlighted smiling infant faces. The parents who’d written the cards clearly believed that Sebastian’s efforts had saved the lives of their babies.

As much as she loved math, ultimately, math was theory. Sebastian’s job impacted living, breathing children and families.

Ever since she’d reached out to Sebastian a week and a half ago to schedule this appointment, she’d been looking forward to this the way she looked forward to her beloved budget road trips. So far, it did not disappoint. And Sebastian hadn’t even appeared.

Dylan was far less enthused. He’d wanted to spend this holiday sleeping late, shirking homework, working on his drawings, and hanging out with his friends. He was currently slumped in one of the chairs, scrolling sullenly through his apps. His interest in pursuing a career in the field of healthcare hovered at a negative ten.

She’d spent the weekend putting Dylan first. Touring potential schools. Allowing him to choose where they ate. Helping him with his college applications. She’d pitched this hospital visit as something she’d sought out for his sake, but that was an outright lie.

This was the one thing on their itinerary that she’d arranged purely for herself. She wanted another chance to see Sebastian.

It felt divine to be here simply because she wanted to be—

The door swept open. She hadn’t seen Sebastian in weeks, and now, suddenly, here he was. Tall and broad. He wore a white T-shirt with green scrubs and retro-looking black-on-black Adidas. She met his eyes, then watched his vision flick down to her chin before tracing its way back up. As usual, his demeanor communicated observant intensity.