"How is he?" 

I sat on the lounge chair by Karma's parents' pool while I was on the phone with Lanie. Mrs. M left an hour ago to go back to the hospital. Karma texted me to let me know that she was on her way back with food. To be honest, I was glad that I had a little time to myself. After the little trip down memory lane with Karma's mom, my brain was a little scattered. 

It took a lot for me to put that decision I made twelve years ago behind me. It was my biggest regret, and I never talked about it. Of course I never told Karma what her mother did. I knew Karma and she would never have forgivien her mom. And if I had told Lanie, then she would have told Karma; there was no doubt about it. 

"He's doing better. Karma said he hasn't woken up yet, but he should be very soon. How's everything over there? Ayden still behaving himself?"

"Of course he is," she snorted. "Little Nate is sleeping in his crib right now, too. I swear he's getting bigger by the day." 

"That's good. I miss him." 

"Um, what about me?" 

I chuckled. "Nah, I just miss little Nate."

"Lies."

"Fine," I sighed, "I miss you, too, little sis." I kept my eyes on the water. "How are you doing, L?" 

There was a long pause. "I'm okay. I'm feeling better as each day goes on." 

After the car accident she was in, we almost lost both her and the baby. The accident and the surgery caused some lingering pain for Lanie. She was having some trouble walking and sleeping. It was one of the reasons I didn't want to come here. If she didn't have Ayden there with her, I wouldn't have been able to get on the plane. 

"Good. That's good." 

"How's Karma doing?" 

I laid back in the lounge chair and stretched my legs. "She's hanging in there. She pretty strong."

"Nate, it really means a lot to me that you went. I would have gone if I could, but I'm not ready to fly with the baby yet." 

"I know that. You don't have to explain, L. I'm happy that I did this, too."

There was a brief pause. "Really? I half-expected you to be on the first flight home."  

I laughed at that. "You know what? Me too. Especially when I had to see Mrs. M. That woman is something else."

"Ha! Still scared of harmless Minerva Fitzgerald? Come on, brother. You're embarrassing me and yourself." 

I was quiet for a moment. After the conversation with Mrs. M, we didn't talk much after that. We went to the café she spoke of and picked up some food, took it to her place, and ate quietly. I sat on the couch and flipped through channels while she took a shower and got some rest. I also couldn't help but overhear her tearful, yet happy, phone call with Lanie. 

Mrs. M had always loved Lanie. She considered Lanie her second daughter while we were growing up. That meant that if Karma got in trouble, so did Lanie; and vise versa. After the breakup, Lanie felt like she not only lost Karma, but Mrs. M, too. It really hit her hard when our parents died. She considered calling Mrs. M multiple times, but couldn't. So, I did it for her. 

I remembered that phone call so clearly. Mrs. M had been surprised to hear from me and had no idea what had happened to our parents. She broke down when I explained the accident. I gave her Lanie's cell phone number and asked her to call her. I know that they spoke, but I didn't hear what was said. Whatever it was, it seemed to help make Lanie feel a little better.  Even though Mrs. M made me leave Karma behind all those years ago, I didn't hate her. I don't think I could ever hate any of the Fitzgeralds. 

"Nathan?" Karma called from inside the house. 

"Lanie, I gotta go. Tell Ayden I said hey and give little Nate a kiss for me." 

"I will. Same to Karma," she said teasingly. 

"Very funny." I hung up the phone and walked through the sliding doors. Karma was standing by the counter, taking the food out of the bag. "Hey."

She smiled up at me. "Hey! I know you like Chinese, so I stopped at a little place near here that has the best Sesame Chicken."

I walked up to the other side of the counter and took a seat on the bar stool. "I can't believe you remembered that." 

She snorted and handed me my portion with a pair of chopsticks. "I remember everything." 

Our eyes met as soon as the words left her mouth. 

"By everything," she said quickly, trying to play it off, "I meant that you are obsessed with fortune cookies." She grabbed a handful out of the bag. "I got extra." 

"Thanks." I took the fortune cookies from her and grabbed my chopsticks. "How was he?" 

She shrugged her shoulder and took a bite of her rice and chicken. "Same. They said he should be waking up tonight." 

"Tonight? Really?" 

She nodded. "Yeah, I doubt I'm going to be able to sleep. I'm going to be waiting by the phone."

I understood that kind of anxiety well. I hated the thought of her staying up all night and worrying about her dad. I wish there was something I could do to lessen her worry and stress.  I turned and glanced at the patio behind me and that's when it hit me. 

I looked back at Karma. "Let's go swimming."

She nearly choked on her fried rice. "What?" 

Her reaction was to be expected. "It'll keep your mind off of things and we can resume my physical therapy." 

Her head tilted to the side and she pursed her lips as she pondered my idea. "Yeah, okay. That's a good idea, actually." She pointed her finger at me. "You better listen to me. No back talking or that grumpy mumbling you do."

I frowned. "I don't do any kind of grumpy mumbling." 

She raised a brow. 

"Fine," I said mainly to satisfy her. "I promise to do as you say." 

"And..."

"And no back talk or...grumpy mumbling."

"Good man!" She threw her empty food container into the trash. "Get dressed for therapy and I'll meet you in the pool in five minutes." 

"But—"

"No buts! Just do it!"

I looked sadly at the food I was still eating. I sat it in the fridge before I went into the living room and picked up my duffle bag. I started rummaging through it and realized I didn't bring anything to wear for my 'therapy'. I found a pair of basketball shorts I could wear, but it would probably be uncomfortable. 

I pulled my shirt over my head and threw it on the couch. I changed into my black shorts and waited for Karma to come downstairs. I walked to the hall closet and grabbed a few towels for us. When I started heading back, I noticed some pictures of Karma on the wall. One was from when she graduated from USF. She had a big smile on her face as she stood between her parents. 

I ran my fingers over the picture. There was a part of me that hated what I did. It was the same part of me that would have me thinking what our life would have been like if we had stayed together. But when I saw this picture of her success, it lessened the pain a little. I just wish she knew the truth. I would give anything for her to know that I never would have hurt her. I damn sure never wanted to leave her.

"Ready?" 

I looked to the left when I heard Karma's voice. My mouth dropped. She was wearing a blue bikini. "What are you wearing?" 

She shrugged. "A bathing suit, duh. We are going in the pool. Where there's water; hence the suit." 

I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming over her body. Fuck me, but she looked amazing. Better than I remembered or imagined since the last time I saw this much of her. My fingers twitched with the urge to touch her skin. My mouth thirsted to kiss every inch of her. My hard cock throbbed with a raw need to take pleasure from inside her body. To feel her tight heat wrapped around it. Christ. Maybe this wasn't a good idea...

"Are we doing this, or not, Nathan?" She had a gotcha expression on her face. The little minx. She was teasing me. 

"Let's do it," I shot back, accepting her silent challenge. 

"Let's go then." 

When she turned and walked through the sliding doors and onto the patio, my eyes tracked her every step. The sway of her hips especially. I followed after like a magnet, ignoring the ache in my leg as it yelled at me for walking to quickly. 

Karma got into the heated pool and I was right behind her. "Now, you remember what we did last time?"

"Of course." She had me doing a lot of balancing on my bad leg with the support of the wall incase I needed it. "Are we doing the same thing now?" 

"Yes and no." She walked to the center of the pool. "I want you to do the same thing, but this time, no wall. You need to get more strength in that leg without the support of the wall. Come stand in front of me." 

I walked over to where she was and stopped in front of her. Right in front of her. Any closer and we would be touching. "This good?" I asked with a smirk. 

She placed her hands on my chest and gently pushed me back. "Not that close." 

I took a few steps back and she seemed satisfied with it. 

"Now, put your weight on your bad leg and see how long you can hold it. If it gets unbearable, put your other foot down." 

I did as she suggested. I closed my eyes tight and tried my best to concentrate on keeping my balance. I managed to hold it for thirty seconds before I had to put my other leg down. 

"That's good, Nathan. Take a breath and do it again." 

I did it again and managed a solid sixty seconds this time. "Damn. That's a bitch." I moved my leg back and forth under the water. "But it feels a little stronger."

"That's good!" She exclaimed with satisfaction. The nurse that was buried inside her was coming out. I wish I knew why she didn't pursue her dream. "Want to go again?" 

I met her stare and gave her a sly smile. "Actually, I have a better idea." 

I grabbed her from under the water and dunked her. She squealed and laughed when she came up for air. 

"Nathan! You got my hair wet!"

I chuckled as she wiped the water out of her eyes. "Aww, you still look gorgeous, Karma." 

She glared at me and started splashing me over and over again. I tried to shield my eyes but it was useless. 

"How do you like it?" she teased when she finally stopped. 

I shook the water out of my hair and held up my hands in front of me. "I surrender. You win." 

She pulled her hair loose from the clip she had it in and shook it. She laughed when some got stuck to her face. 

Unable to resist, I brushed the hair out of her face. But I didn't stop there. I cupped the side of her face and her smile disappeared. The air between us shifted from playful to something entirely different. 

I stroked her cheek and waited for her to pull away. She didn't. I wish I could have told her everything in that moment. The truth about it all. But I couldn't. There was only one thing truthful I could say to her. 

"I've missed you, gorgeous," I whispered. 

I could tell by the rise and fall of her chest that her heart was probably beating as fast as mine was. 

Even though it was unfair of me to ask, I needed to know the answer. "Did you miss me?" 

"Every day." 

My chest tightened with an emotion I thought was long dead. Giving into my instincts, I leaned into her body...and kissed her. I swallowed her gasp of surprise and stroked my tongue against hers. God, I've missed the taste of her kiss. The taste of Karma. 

I was worried that this was out of bounds, that she would push me away and tell me to leave. But she didn't. Instead, she grabbed my waist and pulled me against her. I groaned into her mouth and deepened the kiss. I buried my hand in her hair, finally allowing myself to do what I wanted since I saw her again. 

She pulled away, breaking the contact, and was breathing heavily. "Nathan..."

I wish I new what she was thinking. "What? What do you want, Karma?"

She ran her hand over my chest. "I want—"

Chime—chime

"Shit." She backed away from me and walked to the wall where her phone was sitting on a towel. She read the text and looked back at me. "It's my mom. My father's awake."