Lauren’s mouth dropped open, her green eyes flashing with anger. “We were talking about you. He was telling me a story about the two of you being stupid on some guy’s night out. I was never interested in Logan. I didn’t give him my number that night, Emma did. She gave it to him, and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings by taking it back. I figured I could at least give him a chance. But then it turned out to be you, and do you know what I felt? Relief. Relief and joy. You’ve always been the one I wanted, Andrew. From the moment I saw you.”

He wanted to believe her, to believe the words she said were true. But how could they be? He was sick and broken and wasting away. What woman wants this?

No. She was just trying to make him feel better. Chemo had ravaged his body, and now he had to take more of it. Overwhelmed with anger and sadness, he reached one hand behind his neck and tore his shirt over his head, tossing it on the couch.

“Look at me,” he said harshly. In a jerky motion, he waved a hand from his head and down his torso. “How can you be attracted to this? I’m bald, I’m as pale as that vampire kid my sisters used to be obsessed with, and I’ve lost thirty pounds. Nothing about me is the same. Dammit, I hardly even feel like a man.”

Lauren stared at him, her bright eyes devouring him. “Are you serious? You’re honestly asking me how I could be attracted to you?”

Andrew just looked at her, feeling exposed and resentful. He’d never wanted to be proved wrong so much in his life.

“Do you want to know the things I first noticed about you?” She paused, and he wasn’t sure if she actually expected him to answer. He didn’t, and she continued on. “I noticed you were tall, I thought at least a foot taller than me. I’ve always had a thing for exceptionally tall men. I noticed that you had warm, kind brown eyes. I noticed your lips and your big, masculine hands.”

He swallowed, clenching those hands into fists by his side.

“Yes, I noticed your hair, because you had beautiful, thick, brown hair that looked like it would be soft to the touch. But you know what? You also look ridiculously hot when you wear those beanies, and even better when you’re not wearing one because you’ve given it to a little girl with cancer to make her happy. Jasmine wears that stupid hat every single day, did you know that? I’m getting off target, because that gets into how much I adore the person you are inside, but that’s not what you’re asking about, is it?”

He didn’t answer that question, either.