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ChapterFourteen
“Hey.”
Rhys looked up from the desk in his office and smiled when he saw Jess standing in the doorway. “Hey yourself. How was work?”
She was still bundled up in her coat, hat, and gloves, her cheeks ruddy from her two-block trek from the bus stop to here. Tony and Luca had gotten her car towed to their cousin Bruno’s garage the day after it broke down on her, but in the end, they’d all declared it was toast. Jess took the news in stride, claiming she’d been surprised it had run as long as it did.
Unfortunately, that meant Jess was taking the bus to the diner every day, which was fine. It was the second late-night job that had been a continual fight. So far, they’d reached an unspoken and tenuous compromise, which meant she borrowed either his car or Tony’s. The new argument stemmed around the fact that she now insisted on giving them gas money. The woman never spent a damn dime on herself, every penny she earned either coming to them for rent, groceries, gas, and a bunch of other shit they didn’t want to be paid for, or into savings. Jess had assured them she was working diligently to save enough for her own place.
Rhys hated every time the subject of her leaving came up, but he merely nodded and listened. Tony didn’t enjoy those conversations either, but he was a lot worse at masking it, typically telling her to stop worrying, or scoffing and walking away.
Rhys wasn’t a fan of confrontation, preferring calm discussions to lost tempers and yelling. However, he had to admit there was something about watching Tony and Jess go toe-to-toe that was a bit of a turn-on for him. Strange, but true. And given their fire-and-gasoline personalities, Rhys had been treated to quite a few shows during Jess’s time with them.
“Work was fine. You finished for the day?” Jess asked.
He nodded. “Last patient was half an hour ago, Ginny left shortly after. She had a hair appointment. I’m just finishing up some paperwork.”
Ginny Edwards had been his nurse since he’d opened his own practice, and he couldn’t live without her. She was forty-two, happily married with two middle schoolers, and one of the nicest women he’d ever known. Her soft-spoken, kind demeanor put his patients at ease. She’d taken an immediate shine to Jess and Jasper, the latter of whom had developed quite a crush. Jasper seemed to make his way downstairs at least once a week with a boo-boo that needed a Band-Aid and kiss-to-make-it-better from Ginny. Rhys knew his nurse was beyond curious about his and Tony’s new roommates, but so far, she hadn’t worked up the courage to ask him about them.
Jess turned to walk away. “Oh. Okay. I’ll let you get back to it.”
Jess had never stopped by his office before, so he was curious. It was obvious she wanted something but was hedging.
“I’m not busy. Get in here. Tell me about your day.”
She shrugged as she entered. “Work was work.”
“I missed you last night,” he said, loving the way her eyes lit up at his admission. No matter how long she stayed with them, Jess still seemed surprised whenever he or Tony told her they worried about her or missed her or cared about her. She struggled to believe those statements, which just made him more determined to say them until she did.
“I missed you too,” she said, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Rhys had spent all day yesterday, lost in the memory of his night with Jess and Tony. He’d been completely consumed with it, and he couldn’t help wondering what would happen next.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to discuss it—or repeat the amazing experience—last night because one of his patients had suffered a mild stroke, and Rhys had spent the majority of the night at the hospital. When he’d returned home well after one a.m., he’d found the house dark, everyone asleep in their own rooms.
He’d been physically exhausted, but the second his head hit the pillow, sleep deserted him and he tossed and turned, torn between waking Tony and Jess to drag them back to his room for round two, and stressing out over what the fuck they should do now.
“Jess, about Sunday night…”
“What about it?” she asked, her voice suddenly nervous.
“Are you okay with what we did?”
She smiled, nodding. “Yes. I am. I really am. That’s sort of why I’m…” She paused and looked around his office.
Suddenly, the light came on. “I promised you a birth control shot, didn’t I?” he said, rising from his chair.
Jess raised her hand. “You don’t have to—”
Rhys reached for her, tugging her close, until his nose was practically touching hers. “Scared?” he teased.
The taunt landed. “No. Of course not. I was just going to say, if you’re too busy—”
Rhys silenced her with a quick kiss. “I already told you I wasn’t. When was your last period?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Ugh. This is super awkward.”
He laughed. “That’s not an answer.”
