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“That wasn’t about me,” she shot back. During one of the many conversations she had been privy to during the evening, one stuck with her. Tevin’s words further confirmed that they both were making the best of a mundane situation. “I heard what you said tonight.”
“What did I say?” Tevin sounded just as agitated as his expression presented.
“Someone asked if you and I were serious. You said I had potential. You also told him that since you were offered the position as lead surgeon and your priority was to become Chief of Surgery, it made sense for you to consider a wife. You didn’t accept the position and stop traveling because of me, you accepted the position because it got you a step closer to becoming Chief of Surgery. After tonight, I realize that this was just a trial run. You wanted to feel me out. See if my potential matched what was required to be Chief of Surgery’s wife, but that’s fine because I suppose I’ve been doing the same thing. Trying to feel you out and neither of us are getting the results we want.”
“Feel me out?” He scoffed. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“This was my trial run to see if I could be happy settling. To see if you had potential to make me happy and you don’t.”
She glared at Tevin who shook his head and laughed arrogantly. “Is that what this is about? Me saying you have potential? Because if so, then I meant what I said. You do have potential, McKenna. That’s what adults do, they find someone who checks boxes and consider building something together.”
“You say potential but what I hear is you’re settling for someone who can potentially fit the role you already have scripted in your head. The surgeon's wife who will show up to shit like tonight and smile and be pretty on your arm to make you look good. To make your peers believe you have all the pieces in place. That’s not what I want. I need more.”
“What do you need, McKenna? I can give you a good life. Better than what you have.”
“My life is fine,” she defended.
“The sum total of your life is this rundown house you’re seconds from losing and when that’s gone, then what? I can make you happy if you give this a chance.”
She cringed at the reference to her family home, the insensitivity of him not caring that it meant something to her. He had no clue what she valued nor did he care.
But Carter does…
“You can’t.” She exhaled the frustration from what the real issue was. Tevin couldn’t make her happy. The only person who could had walked out of her life, refused to be in it.
“I can’t what?” Tevin’s brows pinched in annoyance.
“You can’t make me happy.”
“Then what the hell are we doing?”
“Settling.” She turned and stared at his face. “Both of us. And that’s not good enough. I can’t…” She shook her head and her eyes closed briefly. “I’m gonna go inside.”
She pulled the door handle to get out. Before she made it to the door, Tevin was behind her. “I’m confused. What the hell is happening?”
McKenna removed her keys from her clutch and unlocked the door, stepping inside. Tevin followed, further pushing her irritation.
“What’s there to be confused about? This isn’t working.”
“Because you don’t want it to.” He threw his hands up when his voice elevated.
“You should leave,” McKenna said sternly.
“Not until you tell me why the sudden change. We were fine.”
“We weren’t fucking fine, Tevin. What part of that don’t you understand? You were too damn caught up in your script that you couldn’t realize I was just going through the motions. We both were. We don’t work.”
“Because you don’t want us to.”
“Potential is not how I want to define my relationship to people.”
“We’re not working because you’re refusing to try. I’m here. I’m willing to invest time in you, in us. I love you, McKenna. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“I don’t love you. Doesn’t that matter?”
Tevin moved closer. “Not to me. Because if you give this time, you can love me. Why the hell would you choose to be alone when I’m offering you an alternative? I’m offering you a better life than you can have with anyone else.”
Tevin’s words gut punched. He was saying he was the prize and she should be grateful. When he lifted his hand and reached for McKenna. she backed away. However, when she opened her mouth to demand that he not touch her, another voice cut through the room.
