Free Finding Hope (Love's Compass Book 2) by Melanie D. Snitker Page B

way too serious, there.”
    “I’m sorry.” His eyes went to their hands. Without allowing time to talk himself out of it, he turned his hand over to cradle hers. “I hate you’re having to go through this.”
    Lexi seemed surprised by his motion, but didn’t say anything. She left her hand in his. “If I had known they were going to have me do this first session today, I would have had someone else bring me.”
    “Why?”
    “I hate being seen like this.”
    “By me specifically? Or anyone in general?”
    She raised her eyebrow and withdrew her hand. He wished he’d kept his mouth shut.
    “They told me this could take up to three hours. Feel free to leave and I can come find you when I’m done.”
    Lance shook his head. “Not on your life. I’m staying right here.” His voice sounded husky, even to himself. He could still feel the weight of her hand in his. No, he wasn’t going anywhere, not while she was sitting in a cancer center, an IV in her arm.
    Tuck had it all wrong. Lance didn’t have feelings for Lexi like he did when they were teens.
    This was much more.
    He was in love with Lexi.
    Maybe he always had been.
    His heart thundered in his chest as his mind struggled to comprehend exactly what that meant.
    Watching the woman he loved go through this made him feel powerless when all he wanted to do was fix the world for her. If he could, he would take her place right now.
    His gaze was still on her hand. When it moved to her face, there was a flash of recognition in her eyes that rapidly switched to apprehension.
     
    ~
     
    Lance brushed her arm with a finger. “There’s nothing for you to worry about.” He leaned back, his chair squeaking in protest.
    The expression on Lance’s face a moment ago had been so intense, that it almost scared Lexi. Between that and the way he’d held her hand, she had a flashback to when they were in school. She’d known he had a crush on her, but had been really good at ignoring it. There was no way he still had feelings for her after all this time. If there was even a possibility that he did, this needed to be the last time he brought her for a session. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
    She’d seen Lance around Gideon enough to know he would be an amazing dad someday. He deserved a family with children of his own.
    Most men, when they’re ready to settle down, want the whole package. Thanks to her hysterectomy, that was one thing she could never give a husband.
    It was something she’d been wrestling with a lot lately. Lexi was relieved that the cancer was removed. She would rather live a long, healthy life than be able to have a child of her own someday.
    At the same time, it was hard to not feel less than whole.
    Lance may not have thought about it yet, but she had no doubt that not having children of his own would become an issue someday.
    She was desperate to shake the thoughts from her head. None of this mattered because she was reading emotions into him that weren’t there in the first place. Right?
    “How’s your dad doing?”
    “He’s good.” He sat forward, his elbows on his knees. He seemed to be relieved at the change in topic. “Mom’s trying to find a new hobby for him. She keeps suggesting things to him or offering to sign him up for classes. He hasn’t been interested. I think he feels lost right now. He lived his life in that carpentry shop.”
    “I bet it’s hard. What other interests does he have?”
    “My parents used to attend renaissance festivals. They would spend all year planning their outfits and Dad would make things to sell there.”
    “Given the names of you and your sisters, that somehow doesn’t surprise me.”
    He laughed. “That was where my dad took her on their first date.”
    “When was the last time they went to a renaissance festival?”
    “It’s been a few years. We used to go every year to a big one in Oklahoma when my sisters and I were kids. I guess, once we grew up, they didn’t go