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“I promised Love I wouldn’t do this. I was going to stay focused on creating a home for us here and on her happiness. I’ve spent so many years chasing after men and begging them to love me, and after what happened with Ian, I can’t even trust my instincts anymore.
I don’t know anything about you other than you have a daughter and your wife died during childbirth, Connor. I knew my last boyfriend for over a year and still ended up with my heart broken.”
“What happened between you two?”
I freeze, my eyes filling with tears at the thought of telling someone else about my stupidity. What happened with Ian was completely my fault. Sure, he was a lying, cheating asshole, but the signs were there if only I had opened my eyes.
“Let’s just say I had a hard time reading the writing on the wall.”
“He’s a fucking idiot.”
I shake my head, chuckling darkly as my phone instructs me to take the next exit off the highway. “I’m the idiot.”
“Anyone who threw away a chance to be with you and Love is an idiot,” he replies with conviction, bringing my hand to his lips and kissing it softly. “Remind me to send him a thank-you card. His loss is my gain.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“You have no idea.” Connor laughs loudly and groans in pain at the same time. “Fuck, that hurts.”
“Serves you right,” I grumble, as the hospital comes into view.
“How about dinner, just the two of us, as friends?”
“Maybe. Can I think about it?”
“I can live with that. If you promise to really think about it.”
“I promise. Now, be a good boy, and don’t give me a hard time about sitting here with you until they give you a clean bill of health,” I respond quickly, trying to change the subject. “I’ll even bake you a chocolate cake.”
“Deal,” he says as I pull into a parking spot and shut off the car, “but you have to let me at least cook you and Love dinner one night. I’m not the best cook in the world, but I can grill with the best of them.”
“I can live with that.” I give him a shy smile before opening my door.
Chapter 9
Connor
After my conversation with Audrey in the car, I knew Audrey wasn’t going to drop me off at teh emergency room and disappear. She stayed with me, waiting in the emergency room waiting area until my name was called, insisted on being allowed in the room with me, even though she wasn’t family, and fussed over me ever since I sat down in this bed. If this was a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been sitting here quietly, listening to her fuss at me, but if I’m being honest with myself, this is nice.
While we wait, Audrey has talked about anything she can think of to help keep my mind off the pain. I learned about her hippie parents and all the places she’s lived over the years. No mention of a boyfriend or Love’s dad being in the picture. I take that as a good sign.
Every brush of her hand or touch on my arm sends my body into overdrive. For the last few hours, I’ve been in constant war with my body, trying to think of anything that could divert my attention and stop my body’s reaction to her touch, but nothing has worked.
“Are you sure you’re comfortable? It feels a little chilly in here. Do you want another blanket?” Audrey pushes to her feet, poking her head out the curtain, no doubt searching for a nurse to bother.
“I’m fine, beautiful.” I shake my head in her direction, wincing slightly as I attempt to get comfortable. “The doctor should be here any minute. He’ll tell you I’m fine, and then you’ll be off the hook.”
“I already told you I’m not going anywhere.” She spins on her heels, puts her hands on her hips, and scowls at me. “It’s my fault you’re here. The least I can do is take care of you.”
“Is that the only reason you’re here?” I question, not sure I really want to know the answer.
I poured my heart out to Audrey on the way here, letting her know exactly how she made me feel, and her only response was, ‘Oh.’ Not the biggest confidence boost, if you ask me. When she told me she’d been in a bad relationship recently, I stopped pushing. No matter how badly I want to explore things between Audrey and me, it’s obvious she still carries the scars from that relationship. I’m going to need to chip away at the walls she has around her heart, little by little. And the quickest way to do that is to show her I’m not like that asshole who broke her heart. I’ll be her friend and let things happen naturally. It’s not any different from what I originally had planned, just without the labels.
“Of course not,” she snaps. “I…”
“You what?” I poke, wanting to hear how she feels about me.
“I like you, okay. Way more than I should for a man I just met.” She huffs, her cheeks turning a delicious shade of pink as she plops down into a seat beside my bed. “But don’t get any ideas. We’re just friends.”
