Page 72 of The Chase

“Oh, yeah? Anyone I know?”

She shook her head. “This hot surgeon. I’ve heard he’s kind of a douche, but if he’s good in bed, I don’t care.”

I felt my cheeks getting pink, and it went all the way to my ears. Even though I had gotten more comfortable with sex stuff, I kept that in the bedroom. I still couldn’t say a lot of stuff outside of it without blushing. Sometimes, I thought Keiana said stuff like that to get a rise out of me.

She laughed. “You should see your face. I thought you were getting over that stuff.”

“I am, but it’s still awkward for me sometimes.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

I fixed her with a glare. She was my best friend, so I knew she was full of it. She gave me a cheeky grin back.

We watched TV while I waited for the lasagna to cook. I wanted to make dinner extra special tonight since I felt bad about what happened last night.

After a little while, Keiana stood up from the couch. “I better get ready for my date.”

After she went upstairs, I pulled the business card Keiana gave me out of my pocket and looked at the name and contact info. I tapped a finger against my lip and stared at it until my eyes went crossed.

I needed to do this, but I didn’t want to. I needed to get better. I just didn’t want to unearth all the pain and guilt I’d felt after the accident. Seeing TJ so upset last night was still clear in my mind. I hated that he saw my panic attacks and had to deal with my terrifying nightmares. But he loved me, and I’d promised him I’d think about it. And this time, I wasn’t lying so he’d stop pestering me about it.

I blew out a nervous breath and took out my phone. It was now or never. I typed the email address into my email app and composed a quick message. Maybe one little meeting would help me sort out my issues. I hoped it was enough to disentangle the guilt wrapped around me.

I watched the TV blankly until the timer for my lasagna went off. I enjoyed cooking for TJ. I liked being a caregiver to him and being the person he leaned onto after a bad game.

I was plating the lasagna when I heard a knock on the door. I went to open it, and my heart did jumping jacks when I saw my boyfriend standing behind it, giving me that classic Desjardins smirk.

“Hey, baby girl,” he greeted.

I smiled at him and let him inside. He took off his boots and shuffled out of his coat and joined me inside. He raked some flurries out of his hair. “Is it snowing?” I asked.

“These flurries are nothing,” he scoffed as he plunked down onto a chair in the kitchen. He caught me by the waist before I could go back into the kitchen and bring in our plates. I laughed, and he curled his hands into my hair while he kissed me.

I melted into him but pulled away before he pulled me upstairs. “Hey. Food’s gonna get cold. You have perfect timing.”

“Don’t care—needed to kiss you. I missed you.”

I laughed. “You saw me this morning.”

He pressed his forehead against mine. “I know, but I’m about to go on another road trip.”

I slid off his lap, despite his frown, and went to get our plates. I put his plate down in front of him, and he thanked me before devouring it. Damn, hockey players could put it away. Maybe next time, I needed to double that recipe. At Thanksgiving, I thought we would have leftovers since I went a little overboard with all the food, but he and Benny had scarfed all of it down.

I shook my head with a laugh as TJ shoveled food into his face. My phone buzzed against the table, and when I glanced at the notification, the hair on the back of my neck stood up when I saw a response to my email.

Hi, Maxine.

Sounds like you could use someone to talk to. Please call my office as soon as you can, and we can set up a time for our first session. Looking forward to working together.

-Dr. Rebecca Brown

TJ nudged me with his foot. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing wrong. I’m—I’m setting up an appointment with a therapist.”

His face lit up into a big smile. “Baby, I’m so proud of you.”

“I didn’t go yet,” I grumbled.