Chapter 20 – Teagan
Wilder clears his throat and steps toward me, extending his hand for a shake. “Wilder Cameron. It’s nice to meet you, Doctor Keating,” he says with a smile that indicates he remembers me too.
I shake his hand, feeling dazed as I take in the familiar man before me.
Five years have aged him in all the right ways.
He'd been strong before, but his muscles now look even more defined, and somehow, he seems to have had a late twenties growth spurt. Gone is the cowboy hat that he wore the whole weekend that we spent together. Now, he’s wearing a backward baseball cap that reveals his dark, tousled hair, the same length as it had been before beneath the edges.
It reminds me of how it felt to run my fingers through it and tug while he was deep inside of me.
He’d whispered words of praise as he brought me to orgasm, telling me all the ways that I was driving him wild.
And damn, you never forget how good it feels to be loved properly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Cameron,” I respond, my voice sounding foreign even to my ears.
I suddenly remember that his daughter is in the room with us, the one who cracked our short fling wide open and revealed unhealed parts in us, along with a turtle and a large grey cat that he apparently named after me.
“Um, yes, so about your turtle, Queen. The good news is that she looks healthy. Female turtles often have hormonal changes associated with mating season. Even without the presence of eggs, they may experience increased levels of aggression, restlessness, or territorial behavior as they respond to mating-related cues and interactions with male turtles. That’s what you’re experiencing with Queen. ”
Basically, Queen is in heat. Which is a lot like how I feel right now.
Warmth spreads throughout my body and between my legs as I discreetly clench my thighs together in my scrubs and try my best not to look at the man who won't take his eyes off me. I feel flushed and nervous as my body reacts to his presence being here, so close after so much time apart. Clearly, it hasn’t forgotten the way that he held me.
“So, has Queen been around any male turtles lately?” I continue asking.
“No. This is the only pet turtle we have,” Wilder answers firmly at the same time that Willow lets out an audible gasp.
I turn to see her eyes filled with nervousness. "Um, I sometimes take her outside to play with the turtle that hangs out by the pool," she says timidly.
Wilder sighs loudly. “So, she’s pregnant?”
I laugh. “Not necessarily. Even without fertilized eggs, she may be responding because she's been around a male. I didn’t see any eggs during my examination, but you should check her regularly at home—just be very gentle with her stomach. It can be quite sensitive and if she does become pregnant, you’ll want to monitor her carefully, or you can bring her back here for us to confirm. ”
“Okay,” Willow responds, and I smile, still avoiding eye contact with Wilder.
“Now, I noticed you didn’t write anything down on the intake form for your cat named Teagan,” I emphasize her name for Wilder’s sake. “Do you want me to examine her today as well?”
Willow grins. “Nope. She’s perfect. There’s nothing wrong with her unless you consider the fact that she tries to climb up my dad’s body and perch on his shoulder like a parrot. She’s too big and falls but dad calls her his little pirate sidekick.”
I laugh, remembering how the kittens had perched on Wilder’s shoulders the night that we rescued them years ago. “Okay, well, you’re welcome to take Queen home now. Please call if you have any more concerns.”
“Thanks, Doctor Keating!” Willow chirps as she scoops Queen in her carrier off the examination table and heads for the door.
“Hey Willow, will you hang out in the waiting area for a few minutes, please? I need to talk with Dr. Keating,” Wilder asks.
“Okay,” she calls as she leaves the room and gently closes the door behind her.
I busy myself tidying the exam room, pretending the broom in my hand has my full attention while ignoring the way Wilder’s presence seems to fill the space.
He’s leaning casually against the doorframe, silent but commanding, his eyes fixed on me.
It feels like a standoff, both of us unwilling to break the tension hanging thick in the air.
But my resolve cracks first, as it always has. I’ve never been as good as he has with being silent. “You named the cat Teagan? Really, Wilder?” I hiss.
A low chuckle rumbles from his chest as he steps closer.
The warmth of his presence seems to magnify the already stifling heat in the clinic.
I silently curse Louis for refusing to invest in air conditioning.
It’s early September, but the room feels like a sauna.
He said the animals like it warmer and I vehemently disagreed.
That will be the first thing I purchase if he sells me his business.
“I wasn’t planning on naming any of the kittens from the litter,” he says with a shrug, his voice warm and familiar.
“But sadly, most of them didn’t make it past a year.
Naming her after her savior just felt...
right. And Willow bonded with her instantly.
She takes Teagan everywhere—literally everywhere around town. Refuses to leave her at home.”
The gesture sends a rush of heat to my cheeks that has nothing to do with the balmy room.
I keep sweeping, pretending not to notice the way his gaze his trailing lines of heat over my body, as if he’s trying to memorize every inch of me.
Was he always this intense? Or has the distance between us magnified things.
“She said she remembered me,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t see how that’s possible. She was only two years old when I met her.”
A slow, knowing smile spreads across his face, and I can tell he’s recalling the memory. “Maybe she does. Willow has always had an incredible memory.”
“Doesn’t that… bother you?” I ask, nervously glancing at him now. The last time I saw him, he was yelling at me for accidentally meeting her and had shared that he’d never introduced any woman to her before.
He shakes his head. “Not in the least bit. We’ve both changed. Grown up, don’t you think?”
Oh.
“So, what are you doing in Lonestar Junction, working at Doc Montgomery’s clinic?” he asks.
“Shawna’s pregnant. I came back for her, mostly.
But then I saw Louis’s ad about selling the clinic.
I’ve always wanted my own practice, so I responded.
The deal is that I work here for thirty days to prove that I can handle managing all Lonestar Junction’s animal care.
Then we’ll negotiate the price if he thinks I’m a good fit to buy his business. ”
He laughs, the sound light and easy. “That’s classic Doc. His practice is his baby, and the families and ranches he serves are like his extended family. He’d never sell to just anyone.”
“I’m really enjoying it so far,” I admit, leaning the broom against the counter and feeling the familiarity we had shared five years ago start to come back. “The variety is a nice change of pace from what I was doing in Houston.”
“Anything keeping you tied to Houston?” he asks casually, but his eyes are anything but.
They’re fixed on me, studying my reaction.
I know what he’s really asking. Not about the city itself, but about someone waiting for me there.
My gaze flickers briefly to his left hand, taking in the absence of a ring, and a ridiculous amount of hope flutters in my chest.
“No,” I reply honestly. “I don’t have any plans to ever go back if Doc decides to sell.”
His smile deepens, and I marvel at how different he seems. Lighter, happier, as if the weight he used to carry has finally lifted.
He’s not holding back, not guarded like he was five years ago.
For the first time, I wonder if what happened with Mercedes had always been an unspoken barrier between us.
Perhaps it was a barrier he’d put between him and everyone in his life.
And now? Now, the air between us feels..
. open. Tentative, but open. Perhaps things have really changed.
Maybe the time apart allowed for him to heal while finding his footing as a single father to Willow.
“Are you free tonight?” he asks.
“Um…” I don’t know how to respond because I am, but I wasn’t expecting him to be this forward.
His eyes narrow. “Are you… already seeing someone in town?"
“Sort of.” I chew on my lip nervously because I’m still not clear on where things stand with Hardin and I. We never discussed being exclusive, it’d been only one date, but he’d kissed me, and I want to be honest.
He steps closer, his gaze heated and unwavering. I brace myself, expecting him to ask how long I’ve been seeing this person and who it is. Instead, he surprises me.
“Do you love them?” he asks, his voice is deep and a bit wounded but strong.
Do I love Hardin? What a ridiculous question. Of course I don’t. We’ve only had one date amidst my hectic work schedule, and we’re still getting to know each other. But could I grow to love him?
Hardin is kind, gentle, works in the medical field and is a fellow animal lover. He’s new to town too, and it’s comforting to have someone else navigating our new surroundings. But have I loved anyone since I’ve become an adult? No. And do I see the potential of falling in love with him?
Sadly, also, no.
Wilder is the only man I’ve ever seen that as a possibility with and I’d left that dream to die when I moved away.
“We just met… it’s very new,” I respond.
Wilder’s smile widens.
“Why are you smiling?” I ask with a slight laugh.
“Because that means I still have a chance of reminding you that what we had five years ago, is worth giving another shot. When do you see him next?”
“Um… Thursday night,” I respond.
“So, you’re free tonight?”
I chew my lip nervously. I guess I am...