Page 74 of What Should Have Been Ours

I tilt my head. “Careful, Westly. That almost sounds like a crush.”

He scoffs. “Please. You know I don’t do those.”

I raise a brow. “I haven’t seen you flirt with a single nurse, doctor, or patient’s mom since you met Kins.”

Wes pauses for half a second, like he’s just realizing that that’s true. Then he waves a hand dismissively. “Shut up.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “Guess I’m not the only one with the love bug. Heard it’s a pretty serious condition.”

Wes flips me off before getting to his feet and deadpanning at me. “Yeah, no. The only disease I have is Chronic Commitment Intolerance. Symptoms include excessive flirting, fear of heartfelt conversations, and an allergic reaction to good morning texts.”

I snort. “Sounds serious. Is there a cure?”

He smirks. “Nope. Just a lifetime prescription of casual encounters and emotionally unavailable women.”

I shake my head, laughing. “You’re a lost cause.”

“Yeah, well, let me know when your diagnosis comes back saying you have the Terminal Whipped Disorder. Cause all your symptoms match up.”

Wes pauses for a minute, checking the time on his watch, and then says, “Let’s get back to work before someone yells at us.”

I pull my phone back out, shooting a text to Gabrielle.

Cam: Just got off the phone with my doctor. Everything came back normal.

She texts back instantly—

My Future Wife: Good! About damn time you got some peace of mind.

Cam: Speaking of peace of mind…I’ll be working late tonight. But I’d love it if you were waiting for me in my bed when I got home.

A few seconds later—

My Future Wife: Wow. This must be getting pretty serious if I’m getting access to your place already.

I smirk, my fingers typing back fast.

Cam: You already have access to every part of me. I think you can have access to my place too.

Her response comes through almost immediately.

My Future Wife: That’s probably the smoothest thing you’ve ever said to me, Dr. Hayes.

Cam: I’ll take that as a yes, then?

My Future Wife: Of course.

Cam: See you tonight.

I set my phone down, placing my fingers on my temples and rubbing them. I grab another bottle, trying to drink some more water, but my head is still pounding from the headache I’ve had all day.

I really need to get that whole work-life balance in check and let my body rest more.

27

Gabrielle

The room is quiet, the kind of quiet that only comes after everything else has been stripped away, after every last barrier, and every last wall is torn down.