Chapter 7
SEVEN
Wells
I’m an asshole.
Fuck, I’m such an asshole.
I’ve been beating myself up since Pearl ran out in tears. I was so focused on getting the girl, on making Pearl mine, that I never once stopped to think about what she might have wanted or needed from me.
I need to fix that. I need to make it right between us, but more importantly, I need to give Pearl space and time to calm down.
And I need to make it through work.
Fuck, I can’t.
Her words keep playing over and over in my head.
“What? You think because I’m fat and a virgin that I don’t deserve to be romanced?”
I’ve never once called her fat. I would never. She’s not fat; she’s fucking perfect. Every inch of her is a work of art. How can she not see that? Who’s been telling her otherwise? I need to know so I can track them down and beat the shit out of them for hurting my sweet girl.
“Uh, Dr. Bennett?”
Kathy’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I realize I’ve been glaring at the wall for a solid minute.
“Sorry,” I grunt, clearing my throat and getting back to work.
Between seeing patients, I come up with a plan to romance the hell out of Pearl. I send her favorite lunch to her place at noon. I call the florist in town and buy out the shop, telling the guy what to write on each card.
You’re perfect.
You’re the smartest, kindest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I can’t stop dreaming about your lips.
I’ve wanted you for so long. Since the first moment.
I pour my heart out to her, telling her everything except that I love her. That has to come from me first. From my lips.
I keep checking my phone for texts from Pearl, but there’s nothing all day. By three, I’m an anxious mess. All I can think about is my girl. All I can focus on is making this right between us.
“That was the last patient for today,” Kathy says as I finish up some notes in the exam room.
“See you tomorrow,” I say, making a beeline for my office.
My employees all watch me like I’ve lost my mind as I grab my keys and sprint out the front door. The truth is that I feel like I have lost my mind. I hurt my girl, I made her cry, I pushed her too far, way too fast.
I’m going to fix that, though. I just need to convince her to hear me out. I have a feeling it’ll be easier said than done.
I speed all the way to Pearl’s apartment, slam my car into park, and take the stairs two at a time up to her front door. I’m nervous, my hands shaking slightly as I raise one to knock.
I can hear shuffling on the other side of the door and then sniffling. My heart cracks in my chest as I listen to Pearl cry through the door.
“Angel? It’s me. Please open the door. Let me fix this,” I beg.
The door remains locked.
I close my eyes, letting my forehead bang on the smooth wood door. “Please.”
“Go away, Wells.”
“I can’t! I can’t leave when I know you’re upset. We need to talk. I need to explain things. Please open the door and let me make this right.”
Silence.
I hold my breath, sending up a silent prayer that she lets me in.
“I can’t,” she chokes out. I hear her footsteps moving away from the door.
I drop to my knees. I’m not sure how long I stay there, kneeling outside her door, listening to her broken cries.
The sky grows darker, but I don’t move. I won’t.
Not until Pearl lets me in and gives me a chance to earn her trust again.
I’ve gone about this the wrong way; I see that now.
I should have told her how much she meant to me this morning instead of maneuvering her where I wanted her.
I should have told her how smart and beautiful she is.
But more importantly, I should’ve given her a choice.
I let my fear of losing her turn me into someone I’m not.
God, I fucked this all up.
I need to fix it. I’ll stay here. I’ll grovel and beg. I’ll do anything that she wants for a chance to make this right between us.
“Uh, can I help you?” a voice asks behind me.
I startle, turning to look up at the woman standing over me.
I was so focused on listening for any sign of Pearl in the apartment that I didn’t even hear her come up the stairs. I’ve seen her out with Pearl around town, but I can’t remember her name.
My heart is in my throat as I shift out of the way so she can unlock the front door.
I release a deep breath as I stand and turn to face Pearl’s friend.
She opens the door, takes one look at the flowers inside the apartment, and grabs her phone out of her purse.
I can only assume she’s reading Pearl’s texts to her.
Once she’s done, she turns to glare at me.
“Hi, uh…”
“Coco.”
“Right, sorry, Coco. I need to see Pearl?”
Coco crosses her arms over her chest. “She clearly knows you’re here. If she hasn’t let you in, she doesn’t want to see you.”
“Please, I—”
She shakes her head, waving her phone at me. “You know,”—she leans in slightly—“I was rooting for you two. I’ve been telling her for months that you were into her, but she wouldn’t believe me. Then all of this happened, and I thought, finally! Instead, you messed it all up.”
“I’m trying to fix it.”
“I know. The flowers, while a nice touch, won’t buy you forgiveness. My best friend doesn’t want to see you right now, so I can’t let you in.”
“I just want to talk to her. I need to fix this. I need to apologize. I want to romance her. I want to do this right. I know it’ll take more than flowers to do that. I need to see her face-to-face.”
“I’m sorry.” Coco starts to shut the door.
My hand shoots out, stopping it. “You’re right. I’ve wanted Pearl forever. I wanted her the moment I saw her. She’s the reason I stayed here, why I bought the clinic. She’s my reason for doing fucking anything.”
Coco hesitates, her eyes narrowing on me.
“I got carried away,” I continue in a rush. “When Pearl told me last night that she’d been thinking about kissing me, I was ecstatic. I thought we were finally on the same page, that she wanted the same things I did. I was finally getting everything I ever wanted, and I jumped the gun a bit.”
Coco cocks an eyebrow. “A bit?”
I sigh. “Okay, a lot.”
“Sooooo much,” Coco mumbles.
“I want to do this right. I don’t want Pearl to be sad. I can’t stand it. I’ll wait out here all night. I’ll beg on my knees until she forgives me enough to hear me out.”
I deflate, already sinking back to my knees, figuring that Coco is about to slam the door in my face.
She studies me for a long moment, then slowly opens the door wider for me to enter. “Second door on the left. And if you railroad her again, I will end you.”
“Thank you.” I exhale in relief. “And you won’t need to. I’ll do it myself before I hurt her again.”
I race through the apartment to Pearl’s bedroom, barely sparing a glance at the flowers covering every available surface and spilling onto the floor.
I pause outside my girl’s bedroom, hearing her crying inside. My heart cracks in my chest as I listen to her sniffle. I did this. I made her cry when all I wanted to do was make her laugh.
I push open the door gently. Pearl is lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, her eyes red and puffy.
I enter the room cautiously, determined not to overwhelm her again. “Pearl, please don’t cry.”
Her head snaps up, and she glares at me. “Go away, Wells.”
I hold my hands out, palms open as if I’m soothing a nervous animal. “Please hear me out. If you still want me to leave when I’ve said my piece, I’ll go. But please, give me five minutes to explain. To apologize.”
Silence stretches endlessly as Pearl stares at me. I’m about to turn and leave, give her the space she needs, when she finally speaks.
“Five minutes. And it better be good.”
“Thank you.” I blow out a shaky breath. “I was an asshole, Pearl. I pushed you too hard, too fast. You were right. You deserve to be romanced, and I’ll never forgive myself for not doing that, for not asking what you wanted before I proposed.”
She pushes herself into a sitting position and crosses her arms over her chest. “You didn’t propose. You informed me that we were engaged.”
I grit my teeth, knowing she’s right. “I’m an asshole.
I’m sorry for not making you feel like a princess.
You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I knew you were mine the minute I saw you, when you were still working for Dr. Harris.
I came here to help him out, but I took one look at you and rearranged my entire fucking life. ”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“It’s true. I fell so goddamn hard for you, Pearl.
I know it sounds crazy, but I knew you were it for me the second I saw you.
I thought if I sold my place, bought the clinic, and moved here, I could win you over.
But I… I guess I didn’t know how. I haven’t dated.
” My face heats. “I’m not… experienced. So when you told me last night that you’d been thinking about me kissing you, I lost my head.
” I rake a hand through my hair. “I took it too far.”
I study Pearl’s face, looking for any indication that my words are getting through to her, but she stares up at me blankly.
“You deserve to be romanced. You deserve my time and effort. You certainly didn’t deserve the way I handled things. I’d do anything for you, Pearl. Fucking anything. And if that means taking things slow, if that means stepping back and giving you space, that’s what I’ll do. It’s your call.”
“I—” Pearl licks her lips, looking uncertain.
“Let me do this right. Let me take you out to dinner tonight. Let me win you over.”
“Wells, you don’t—”
“I want to. I want to spoil the shit out of you, Pearl.”
She’s silent for a long time. I don’t dare move. I stare down at her, letting her see the vulnerability in my eyes, letting her see every part of me.
“When?” she asks softly.
I stare at her, my mind blank after baring my soul. ”When, what?”
Her mouth twitches. “When do you want to take me out for dinner?”
I close my eyes briefly, almost overwhelmed with relief. She’s giving me another chance. “Tonight?” I ask hoarsely.
She shakes her head.
My heart immediately sinks. “I understand. I need to earn your trust—”
“I’m kind of wrung out. I don’t really want—”
We both speak at the same time.
Pearl gives me a small smile. I can see in her eyes that she doesn’t trust me, not fully. I’ll need to work to fix that. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for today and treating her like a princess.
My Angel sees the best in everyone. I know that her innate kindness is the only reason she’s gifting me with the chance to put things right.
“I just meant that I’m tired,” Pearl continues. “I don’t feel like going out tonight.”
“We can eat here. I can order food or grab something,” I offer.
She nods slowly. “Okay. But there’s something else.”
My heart stutters. “What’s that?”
“I want to keep this between us.”
“Why?”
She looks nervous. “Because I don’t want any awkwardness at work.”
I swallow hard. Part of me wants everyone to know how I feel about her, to shout it from the rooftops. But I told her I’d do anything for her. It’s time to be a man of my word. To put her needs above my own.
“Okay,” I agree. “But I plan to do everything in my power to change your mind. To be the man you need me to be.”
Her expression softens. “Thank you.”
I move a little closer. “Can I… hold you?”
Pearl hesitates.
“No funny business, I promise. I just want to feel you.”
Instead of replying, Pearl shifts over on the bed and pats the spot beside her. I exhale and ease onto the bed beside her, careful and slow, like she might startle. The mattress dips under my weight, and Pearl tenses for a second before she relaxes again.
I open my arms. “Come here, Angel.”
She hesitates one more beat, then shifts into me, tucking her head under my chin and curling into my side. Her hand rests lightly on my chest, right over my heart, and I know she can feel it pounding. There’s no hiding it. Not from her, not anymore.
I wrap one arm around her shoulders and the other across her waist, pulling her in until there’s no space left between us.
I turn my head and press a kiss to the crown of her hair. Not heated. Not demanding. Just there.
“This is all I wanted,” I murmur into her hair. “Right here. Just this.”
Pearl is quiet for a long moment. Her breathing evens out, her body softening against mine inch by inch as the tension bleeds out of her shoulders. I can feel her fingers tracing absent little patterns over my shirt, like she’s not even aware she’s doing it.
“You’re warm,” she finally whispers.
I huff out a quiet laugh. “Yeah?”
“Mmhm.” She burrows closer, her cheek pressing into my chest.
I tighten my hold on her, just enough that she knows I’ve got her. “Anytime you’re cold, I’m here.”
She tips her head up, and her eyes find mine. They’re still a little red from crying, her lashes still wet, and I hate myself all over again for being the one who put those tears there. I lift my hand and brush my thumb across her cheek, catching the last trace of dampness.
“I’m sorry, Pearl,” I say again, because once isn’t enough. It might never be enough. “For all of it.”
“I know.” Her voice is small but steady. “I think… I think I knew, even when I was mad, that you didn’t mean to hurt me.”
“Doesn’t matter if I meant to. I did.”
She studies my face for a long moment. Then she lays her head back down on my chest and lets out a soft sigh that I feel all the way through me.
I run my hand slowly up and down her back, feeling the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. I commit this moment to memory: the weight of her against my side, the little sound she makes when she nestles closer, the way her hand has settled flat over my heart.
I close my eyes and let myself have this, the trust she's giving me, fragile as it is. I don’t deserve it yet, but I’ll spend the rest of my life earning it if she lets me.
“So,” I finally murmur. “Burgers for dinner?”
Her soft laughter settles into my bones, soothing the deep ache that’s been present since she fled from me earlier.
“Sounds perfect.”