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I shake my head no.
“When I looked up from my textbook, I nearly choked. You were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. So tall, hair sticking up all over, not a trace of makeup on and looking nervous as hell, but so, so pretty. Over the last ten years I’ve traveled half the country for work, stayed in countless cities and small towns, and I have never,nevermet anyone that could compare to you. Of course, I love you, Jenna. I love you for the way you tease me, for your terrible cooking, for the way you treat my daughter and the sounds you make when you come.” He shakes his head. “I fucking love you.”
He doesn’t need to say anything more, and he can’t, because I grip his head and pull him to me, crashing our lips together. I’m ravenous for him, needing to feel him inside me and all over me, once again invading all my senses because I want to be completely consumed by him. So, when he lines himself up and slides in, I bask in the feeling of being totally loved by someone. Not because we’re family and they feel obligated to, and not because the words have become routine for us to say, but because he chose me, out of everyone, all those years ago, and when I felt like he was gone, that we had lost all hope, he still came back to choose me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“M
aybe she’s an actress, working an undercover gig on a reality TV show,The Secrets of Inner City Hospitals.”
Meg scrunches her nose as she watches Lainey meticulously stock alcohol wipes and band-aids into the drawers outside patient rooms. “Maybe . . . but wouldn’t she be a shitty nurse if she was actually an actress? This isn’t really a job you can fake.”
I lean back in my chair and steeple my hands under my chin as we both study Lainey. She’s been here for about two months, and so far, is amazing. So kind. Works her ass off. She’s smart but not cocky, quiet but alluring. I’ve tried to force her to be our friend countless times and she politely turns me down. “Haven’t you seenUndercover Boss? Maybe she’s actually the CEO of this place and she’s pretending to be a lowly floor nurse.”
In all honesty, that makes the most sense so far.
“Until I force her to be my friend and learn otherwise, that’s the analogy I’m going with.” I snag my soda from the counter and finish it off before tossing the can into the recycling bin. “Maybe we should get off our assess and do some work.”
Meg doesn’t follow suit, instead she leans back in her chair and looks at her watch. “There are only six minutes until my shift is over. I’m going to take every last one of them because when I leave here, I get to go home to a condo filled with moving boxes and baby shower gifts. Tonight, I’m going to pour the biggest glass of wine and put together his crib.
His crib.
I cannot believe Meg’s little sister is having a baby boy.
“Sweet Auntie Meg,” I tease, ruffling her hair. “Sweet mama Meg.”
“Fuck off,” she snarls, swatting my hand away. “What are you and lover boy doing tonight?”
I shrug. Allie is staying at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s for the night. Emmett was on-call last night, and has been working all day, so I’m sure he will be exhausted. But my plan at least includes a hot shower, a massage, and an orgasm, in no particular order.
I pull my phone out and frown. Emmett usually checks in on me during work, or at least responds when I try to distract him. Except I texted roughly three hours ago, and it’s been silent on his end.
After giving shift report, I blow a goodbye kiss to Meg and make another half-assed attempt at making Lainey my friend before I head to the locker room to get my jacket and boots, dialing Emmett as I swipe my badge to clock out.
He answers on the first ring. “Hey.”
“Hey! How was work? Did you have to stay late? I was starting to worry.” I still haven’t gotten used to the idea of his job, of the dangers he walks into each and every day.
I put the phone on speaker as I sit on the nearest bench to switch my shoes to my boots, throwing everything in my bag as I wait for his response.
A response that is super delayed.
I tap the screen of my phone, seeing it’s still connected.
“Hey, are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. So, you’re on your way home?”
“What’s wrong?” I wrap a hand around my bag, but my body is frozen in place. Something in his tone isn’t right. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“No, of course not. I just need to talk to you about some things.”
Some things. “Tell me now. You’re making me nervous.” I stand to pace the small corridor in the locker room, recalling the last conversation I had with him while standing in this room.
“It can wait.”
“No, it can’t. It can’t because I can tell you’re freaked out. So I’m freaked out.”
