Chapter Thirteen
JAKE
Why the hell is it so hard to find a place to live in this town?
Really, it shouldn’t be this hard, but it’s been a week, and I still haven’t found a place of my own.
Carter and Sophie have given me one of their guest rooms to continue to stay in, but it’s just a temporary fix.
After all, they’re expecting another baby, and they’re still fucking like rabbits every day.
It’s awkward as hell. Obviously, I’m grateful they’re letting me stay… but still. Super awkward.
Laying back on my bed, I tuck my hand behind my head and gaze up at the ceiling.
My thoughts wander toward Abbie, unsurprising, since she’s about all I can think about lately.
I have so many questions about her and her life and her daughter.
Sophie’s being tight-lipped and not giving me anything to work with, and she also isn’t telling Carter enough details about Abbie’s life to help me piece together some of the answers I’m looking for.
Namely who the father of her child is.
After meeting Lilah two days ago, I can’t help but wonder if she is mine after all. Those blue eyes… it’s hard to deny that they look a lot like mine.
Why am I not freaking out more though? Is it because Lilah is adorable, bubbly, and charming, and it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to be her father? Or is it because she’s Abbie’s kid, and deep down, I can admit I still want her?
Damn it, this is driving me crazy. I need to talk to Abbie.
She’s working right now. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to hunt her down and just ask her. In fact, everyone is working right now. Carter is at the rinks, Sophie’s gone, and Chase is at his daycare.
Carter invited me to join him at the rinks, but I turned him down.
I’m so fucking exhausted. I didn’t get back from my game until late last night, and I’m really wondering why I’m doing this to myself.
The commute between here and Boston is killing me, and here I am crashing in my friend’s guest room when I have a whole damn penthouse in the city!
Releasing a long breath, I scrub a hand down my face and remind myself why this situation is worth it.
I get to help out Carter and give him some company outside of his family and job—plus, helping out the kids, like Jordan and his friends, is pretty rewarding.
Yeah, I haven’t done a ton of work with them yet, but I will. They’re excited to have me around too.
Maybe I initially came back because I was curious about Abbie, but that’s far from the only reason I’m still here. There are so many advantages for me here. So many advantages of staying in a smaller town with a tight-knit community that I can have a positive impact on.
I’m not just here for Abbie. I’m not.
No way.
Suddenly, my phone dings. I move to grab it from where it’s resting on the end table. It’s a text reminding me of my yearly physical with my doctor… Doctor Wixx.
Abbie’s uncle.
He’s been my doctor since I was a kid, and I never felt the need to change to someone else because he knows everything that’s ever happened to me health-wise.
A smile curls my lips because now I have the perfect excuse to see Abbie without looking like a desperate idiot.
I manage to get an appointment with the doctor the following day—another perk of small-town living.
I haven’t seen Abbie yet since she’s out to lunch when I arrive, which is a bit disappointing, but I make sure to keep that to myself.
Sitting on the table in the exam room, I wait for Dr. Wixx to come in.
I’m one hundred percent planning on fishing for information from him, especially if Abbie isn’t with him.
Suddenly, the door swings open and my heart jumps in my throat. I half expect Abbie to walk into the room and am surprised when a youngish man with glasses and a hooked nose enters instead.
“Mr. Jake Ashford?” the guy says, looking up from a tablet in his hand to smile politely at me.
“Uhhh, yeah. That’s me. Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Westbrook.” He extends his hand toward me. “I’m new.”
I hesitantly shake his hand, still baffled as to why he’s here. “I was expecting Dr. Wixx.”
“Oh, yes, well, Dr. Wixx is in the process of retiring due to his health,” Westbrook explains with a mild chuckle. “I’m his replacement, really, so I’m taking over his patient list.”
Huh… well, that’s a bit disappointing. Nothing against this guy, I’m sure he’s good at his job, but I was really looking forward to seeing Dr. Wixx. I guess he’s a lot sicker than I thought. How bad is it? I haven’t been around enough to know the details.
Fuck, is Abbie okay? She must be so worried about her uncle on top of everything else she’s going through, moving back, taking over the clinic, and raising Lilah.
“I knew they were bringing on a new doctor, but I didn’t realize you would be replacing Dr. Wixx entirely.
” I also didn’t expect them to hire a kind of young, nerdy but not terrible looking guy to work with Abbie.
Is this the doctor Sophie was asking Abbie about at the rink?
Shit, that means they’re around each other day-in and day-out.
He better keep things professional if he knows what’s good for him.
Dr. Westbrook pushes his glasses up his nose. “It’s unfortunate that such a skilled doctor who’s still fairly young is retiring like he is, but he’s got to put his health and well-being first, you know?”
“Right, of course.” Now I feel awkward and shitty. “So, uh, I guess that means you’ve met Abbie…obviously. I hope you two work well together.”
I’ll kick your ass if you give her a hard time.
Westbrook looks at me, his brow furrowing. “Oh, you know Abbie?” Westbrook asks in a curious but pleasant tone.
I don’t like the familiar tone he uses when he says her name. And why’s he asking me the question I just asked him instead of answering it?
With a biting laugh, I reply, “Everyone knows everyone here. Just the nature of a small town. Abbie and I went to high school together, so yeah, I know her pretty well.”
“I see.” Westbrook appears thoughtful for a moment. “She and I actually worked together back in Harrisburg. We made a pretty good team.”
I frown, annoyance stabbing through me. “I didn’t realize you two had worked together before.”
Westbrook chuckles and replies, “Oh, yeah. We go way back.”
There’s something suggestive in his tone that has me on edge.
Like he knows her more intimately than a strictly professional relationship would allow.
Why the fuck would this guy be interested in the small town of Ivy Glen if he worked in a large hospital like Harrisburg.
If he thinks he can follow Abbie here and claim her, he has another thing coming.
The thought crosses my mind that maybe he’s Lilah’s father, but I quickly dismiss that idea. If that were the case, Lilah would be with him at least part time, right?
The way he said that they “go way back” gnaws at me like a fucking tick and jealousy bubbles up inside of me.
“I’m sure she’s happy to have you here,” I say through clenched teeth, forcing myself to stay civil since Dr. Wixx hired this guy. There must be something good about him…I just have yet to see it.
Westbrook grins. “I hope so. All right, should we get started with your physical?”
“Sure.”
He flips through my file with a frown. “May I ask why you don’t get your physicals done by your team’s doctor?”
I don’t want to answer, but I suppose I should give him some sort of explanation. It is a little unusual, after all.
“I’ve been coming to Dr. Wixx since I was a kid,” I shrug. “He’s dealt with just about every issue and injury I’ve had, and I like having connections here still.”
We go through the usual routine—checking my reflexes, eyesight, blood pressure, all that jazz—and at the end, he gives me a clean bill of health.
“All right, you should be good to go,” Westbrook tells me, marking things on his tablet. “I can get a copy of your physical sent to your team’s doctor right away.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Westbrook gives me that weird little grin of his again. “It was nice to meet you, Jake. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other, especially since we’re both close to Abbie.”
Irritation jolts through me at his words. The nerve of this asshole. He really thinks he’s as close to her as me?
Fuck, what if he is? I don’t know for sure that they haven’t slept together.
There’s something about this guy that I don’t like. It’s not just my jealousy. There’s something off about him, but I just can’t put my finger on what that is.
“Right,” I murmur. “I should get going. Thanks again.”
I hurry to leave the exam room, needing to get as far away from this guy as fast as possible before I punch his stupid, nerdy face. I head straight out to the parking lot, and sure enough, that’s when I finally see her. There’s Abbie, beautiful as ever, getting out of her car. I stop to admire her.
God, she looks great, even bundled in her winter coat. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, leaving her slender neck exposed. I immediately latch onto the image of running my lips along her throat.
She looks up, spots me, and I can’t say she looks thrilled.
Making my way toward her, I clear my throat to get her attention. “Um, hey. How’s it going?”
“Absolutely wonderful. Or I was, until a moment ago.” Her jaw is tense. “You have a good excuse to be here?”
Slipping my hands into my coat’s pockets, I shrug. “I had a physical.”
“Ah, okay.” She smirks. “Well, at least you got to meet Dr. Westbrook. He’s pretty great. We worked together before and he’s always been so good with patients. Amazing bedside manner and so smart.”
Her easy praise of Westbrook pisses me off. I’m pretty sure she’s trying to make me jealous, but it’s working. I need to change the topic, quickly, or else I won’t be able to hide how angry I’m getting.
“I didn’t know your uncle was so sick,” I murmur.
Abbie tenses and her expression grows a little sad.
“His health has been declining the past two years,” she replies in a soft voice. “He needs to focus on taking care of himself right now.”
That pang of guilt returns that I felt earlier when Westbrook talked about her uncle. Four years? Fuck, I had no idea.
I wasn’t there for her through any of it.
I’m such an asshole.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “Your uncle’s a good man and a good doctor. I hope he’s doing okay now.”
She shrugs. “He’s doing all right. Resting will help him.”
“Good.”
That’s where the conversation appears to die. We stand there in awkward silence for several moments, but I’m not ready to let her go. I want to keep talking to her, want to keep her with me instead of letting her go into the clinic with Westbrook.
“So, uh, how are things going?” I ask.
To my surprise, she rolls her eyes and lets out a frustrated huff.
“What are you doing?” she demands to know.
“Why are you trying to talk to me when you’ve made your feelings perfectly clear and ghosted me until now?
Just because we slept together last weekend doesn’t change what you did before then, and pretending that everything is perfectly normal between us is so messed up. ”
Ah, shit. I did do that, didn’t I? No wonder she seems to hate me now.
“You’re right.” No way in hell am I telling her about Cassandra and her schemes. “I shouldn’t have treated you like that. You didn’t deserve it, and I’m really sorry. And I’m sorry for confusing things further last weekend. That wasn’t my intention… though I can’t say I regret what happened.”
She blinks at me. “Can’t say I expected an apology from you.”
I smile. “I’m a man of surprises.”
“Well, sometimes.” She rolls her eyes, and I realize my response wasn’t great, to say the least. “Less than you think. Anyway, I’m back from lunch and I’ve got work to do. Seeya, Jake.”
She moves to walk around me, but I grab her arm and stop her. She stares up at me with wide eyes and parted lips, stunned.
I gaze down at her, not really sure what came over me to stop her like this, but I can’t resist leaning in and hovering my lips over hers. She doesn’t push away. I press further, deepening the kiss and wrapping one arm around her waist. She inches closer to me.
After a few moments, she lets out a soft moan and melts into me.
She parts her lips and I sweep my tongue into her mouth.
She grips the front of my shirt, and our bodies press tight together so that I feel every one of her curves against me.
The world around us seems to fade away. It’s just the two of us and the heat of our kiss, warming us up and banishing the cold away.
I want more. More of her. More of this. More pleasure and connection and warmth. I want it so badly, it startles me a little.
When I raise my head again, we stare at each other in stunned silence for several long moments. I can’t tell what she’s thinking. Her eyes are wide and her lips are parted, slightly swollen and red from the kiss.
“I…I need to get back to work,” she murmurs, pushing against my chest.
I let her go and she hurries around me to get away and inside, moving like a bat out of hell.
I watch her until she disappears into the building, my hands in my pockets and my heart thundering in my chest.
What the hell am I doing?