He studied her, and she forced herself not to fidget.To accept his perusal.
She’d changed from her scrubs, and now wore her blouse and jeans.And now wished she’d thought to wear something more flattering, and maybe taken the time to put on more makeup than the quick swipe of strawberry lip gloss after Gerry had left.
She knew she looked older, probably wider, and definitely tireder than ten years ago.
He, on the other hand, even despite lying in a hospital bed, looked fitter, his masculinity more sharply defined, detailed in the angles of his cheekbones, the scruff lining his jaw.Maybe it was training and years of pro hockey seasoning but even in a hospital gown she could see his chest and arm muscles were carved.He looked really good.
“Gen, I…” He wet his bottom lip, and her gaze dipped to the fullness of his mouth.
Her body heated, remembering his mouth on hers.No.This wasn’t good.She couldn’t do this.“I need to go.”
The door opened, and Lacey, one of the nurses, came in.“Oh, Dr.Rivas.I didn’t know you were in here.”
“I’m leaving.”
“Oh, don’t go on my behalf.I’m just checking Mr.Tinker’s blood pressure.”Lacey fiddled with the arm cuff, then took notes, while Gen tried not to fiddle with the hem of her blouse, conscious Kyle’s eyes were on her still.“There.See?All good, and all done.”She smiled.“I’ll leave you two to it, shall I?”She exited with a wink for Gen.
Uh-oh.What would Lacey say?She was hardly the type to keep her mouth shut.“I really should go.”
“Please, stay for a moment longer.I don’t want this to be the end.”
“The end?Kyle, we ended things years ago.”
“But it doesn’t have to be the end.We could be friends again.Couldn’t we?”
Friends?Oh, she hadn’t realized until this moment how much her heart hungered for that.Kyle had always been the one person who understood her better than anyone.When she’d agreed to saying goodbye to him she hadn’t realized it would feel like cutting off one of her limbs.Hadn’t realized until now that she’d suffered a bone-deep loneliness ever since.
But being friends was fraught with danger.What if she wanted more and he didn’t?What would this mean about Bella?As for his parents and her mom…
She shuddered.“I just don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”His face dimmed.“Are you in a relationship?Is that it?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Your… your mom made it very clear that she dislikes me and wants nothing else to do with me.”
He winced.“Mom is… complicated.And I’m the first to admit she has her issues.But I don’t want to let her prejudice get in the way of what is right.And you and me…we’re right.We’ve always been right.”
She shook her head.“How can you say that?”
“Because it’s true.”
“But you didn’t think we were right enough when you wanted to break up with me ten years ago.”
“You agreed, remember?”
“I agreed because I thought that’s what you wanted.But if there’d been a way to stay together then I would’ve preferred that.”
His eyes were wide.“But… you never said anything.”
She shook her head.“I… I was a mess.So much was going on”—complicated later by hormones thanks to an unexpected pregnancy—“and, yeah.”
“Gen, if I’d known you felt that way I definitely would’ve said something.But I thought you wanted to focus on your medical studies.I didn’t know…” His voice trailed away.
She pressed her lips together, holding back the wail.Had there been a chance to stay together?Oh, if only she’d known, had dared to be honest about what she really wanted.
