Chapter Three
Taylor
The directions he gives me are to one of the nicer neighborhoods in Baltimore, which I kind of expected, given the way Jesse holds himself. I shouldn’t make assumptions. He can be the nicest person in the world and live in the shittiest of neighborhoods.
It takes about fifteen minutes to get there. He has five bags of groceries, which we transferred from his trunk to mine, so I get out to help.
“I should be fine if you help me unload them.”
Jesse tries to get all the bags at once, and I pat his arm, taking two away from him.
“Okay, thanks, by the front door is fine.”
That’s good with me. We may know each other at the clinic, but technically I’m still a stranger, he doesn’t want me in his house. I’d thought we were going to his office but didn’t question him when he gave me the residential address.
We head up the path, and as we approach it, the door is pulled open, and a man steps out.
“Where the hell have you been?” he snaps.
This is who he lives with? No wonder he’s having issues getting intimate with him.
Aside from the way he looks, which I’m feeling all kinds of guilty about, given my discussion with Jesse, and that he is clearly an asshole.
The guy is hot. Even hotter than Jesse, and that is saying something. Not wearing a shirt isn’t helping.
He has a gorgeous body, with tattoos covering his chest and arms. A gold chain is resting between his impressive pec muscles, sparkling in the sunlight.
His short hair makes his face more appealing, showing off all the angles and perfect symmetry, and his piercing dark blue eyes are framed with thick lashes.
My impression swerves from he’s so hot it’s hard to breathe to what an absolute asshole, in two seconds flat.
“My car broke down. Taylor offered me a ride. Can you move? This stuff is heavy?” Jesse steps through the front door, making the half-naked asshole move out of the way.
I’m not a fan of bullies and worried about Jesse being around this guy. Without waiting for an invitation, I follow him into the house carrying the other two bags. Like I could take this guy if he started anything. He’s well over six feet and could likely bench press me with one hand.
“What are you doing?” he calls after me.
“Helping Jesse.” I don’t even bother to look back, following Jesse down the hall.
“You can’t barge in here.” The sound of the door slamming makes me flinch, but I don’t stop.
Jesse looks up as I come in, he eyes the man behind me and I expect there to be some trepidation, but if anything, there is an amused glint in his eye.
Shit, what have I walked into? I mean, how well do I really know Jesse? The other man storms into the room and comes around to face me. He glares at Jesse as I place the bags on the kitchen island.
“What the hell, Jesse? You can’t bring people in here like this.” He stares at me. For a moment he pauses, his eyes moving over my face, then down to my scrubs, and back up again.
Is he checking me out? He’s an even bigger asshole than I thought. He opens his mouth to say something else when a shout comes from behind him. A toddler wearing red shorts and an adorable teddy bear T-shirt is half crawling, half stumbling into the room.
“Dada, dada,” he is calling on repeat.
My head whips from Jesse back to the new guy. Which one of these men is this gorgeous little boy’s father? Jesse was in such a hurry to get back. This must be why. But Jesse doesn’t make a move towards the child, he carries on getting the groceries out of the bags.
The sharp, ‘fuck’ muttered under the other guys’ breath, which is no way to talk in front of a small child, surprises me. He’s his dad? He scoops the kid up and sits his little butt on his forearm.
There is this famous image from decades ago that I remember seeing once. A topless man cradling a baby. This is different, in that this guy has an angry face and is covered in tattoos, and the kid looks to be about two rather than a newborn. But it’s painting one hell of a picture in my head.
Stop staring at his chest, for God’s sake.
I’m looking at the tattoos, that’s all. He’s a living canvas, wrapped up in an angry, mean package.
I keep my face carefully blank. This guy is probably used to women falling at his feet.
Or men. I can’t forget this is the man who is making Jesse miserable.
The little boy laughs and slaps his face. I like this kid already, although the guy doesn’t even flinch. He is still throwing daggers with his eyes in my direction.
His expression does a complete one eighty when he talks to the kid.
“What do you need?” he asks.
“Gingerbees,” the kid says. A stern look from his father has him adding on a loud please.
Jesse tosses a small, colorful packet of gingerbread men, which the man catches with one hand. It’s like they’ve been doing this for years.
Here I am ogling the guy and he’s with Jesse. The guy who is causing him no end of pain to the point it’s affecting his body. All I want to do is ask him why he is being such a jerk to the wonderful man behind me. What am I doing? I can’t think like this, let alone say it aloud.
“Why are you here?” he snaps.
I slowly turn to face him. He’s looking me up and down again, then turns to Jesse, a frown creasing his brow. Now he looks, concerned?
“I’ll let you know when the tow company arrives, Jesse,” I tell him, turning my back on the man. “Sorry if I caused any issues here,” I add quietly.
“Ignore him,” he smiles. “That is his permanent state of being.”
A quick glance back shows the man settling the boy in a playpen with his treats. He looks up and our eyes meet. The annoyance is back. Jeez, it’s not my fault. All I did was help a guy out.
“Thanks, Taylor. I’d have been totally screwed without you. I wouldn’t have got back in time,” he adds loudly enough that everyone in the room hears.
“Wait,” the other guy calls, storming back over.
It takes a lot not to take a step back, he’s so big, so intimidating. Jesse puts his hands on his hips and glares back at him.
“Noah, will you calm down?”
Noah. Somehow, that name doesn’t seem to fit. I’m not sure why. It’s a nice name. Noah’s are nice. Not like this ass.
“You need to forget what you saw here.”
“Believe me, I intend to forget you,” I smart back at him.
“Can we not be rude to the lady who helped us both out?”
“You know I don’t let people in here,” he snaps at Jesse again. The whole time, his dark eyes have been burning into me.
“Jesse, are you okay?” I ask him, wondering what is going on and if Jesse is safe.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Noah folds his arms over his chest, glowering even hotter than before. “What are trying to say?”
“I’m good, thank you,” Jesse says before I can respond.
He’s grinning like this is the most fun he’s had in ages. I’m lost with this dynamic. This is the guy Jesse was talking about in the clinic. Oh…wait. The other guy?
“We should let you get back to work,” Jesse pointedly looks over my shoulder.
I get it, he’s hot. And completely unattainable to Jesse it seems. Though I’m not sure why he wants him, or why anyone would. And who on earth procreated with him? And why does a hot rush of jealousy sweep through me at that thought?
“Are you’re sure you’re alright?” I’m still worried.
“Positive.” He maintains the grin. “Noah appreciates you helping me out, too. He isn’t good at showing anything other than his raging grumpiness.”
“Fucks sake,” Noah groans. “Will you just leave.”
How dare he? No one has ever spoken to me like this before. I don’t even grace him with a look, never mind a response.
“Have a good day, Jesse,” I smile, then look at Noah. My mouth takes over against my will. “And you, I hope you have the day you deserve. A crappy one.”
Jesse’s laughter follows me along the hallway to the front door.
“I’m sorry about him,” he says, catching up to me. “He’s normally not that bad, he isn’t good with strangers. Especially around Oscar.”
“It’s not like I came in there threatening anyone,” I mutter.
“He has his reasons.”
I’m not sure I like him making excuses for the guy. One quick glance over his shoulder and I see the asshole watching us.
When I look back at Jesse, I try not to let on that I know this is the guy he wants. Jesse’s eyes get real big and he takes a short step back.
“Oh no, no,” he puts a hand on my forearm. “Not what we were talking about before.”
“Not even the…” God I should stop, this is none of my business.
Jesse pulls a face. “Oh hell no. I tolerate him as a best friend, definitely nothing else.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions, and I shouldn’t be bringing up what we discussed in our private appointment.”
“It’s okay. I can understand why you would think that but no, he’s a whole other complication in life, not one that affects my health.”
“He’s pretty darn nosey too,” I nod behind him, making a point of speaking loud enough.
“I heard that,” he narrows his eyes at us.
“You were supposed to. Sorry,” I say to Jesse.
“Ah, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about, if anything this has entertained me. Thanks again for the ride. And please call me when they come for the car. I’ll get back as soon as I can.”
Jesse thanks me again and goes back inside. That was one of the weirdest interactions I’ve had in… well, ever.
I hope to hell I never have to see that big assbutt again.
On the drive back, I think about where my life is going.
What better time to have a full life do over, when one of the biggest parts of it has gone?
I’ve been putting off seeing friends, I’m still not fully back on board at work.
Seeing Jesse has gone a long way to waking up my love of my job though.
I hope I helped. In some small way. Nope, not going to let the other one into my brain. Even with all those muscles and the cuteness of him holding his child.
It’s been way too long since I’ve been on a date. For the first time since dad died, I feel like doing something other than going home, eating a shitty microwave meal and watching mindless TV to have noise in the house.
Before dad got sick, I had my own apartment.
There was no question of me giving the place up and moving home to take care of him.
Initially, he’d hated feeling like I was giving something up, but Dad was the most important person in my life, there was no way I was going to let him deal with his diagnosis alone. He was no burden to me.
When we found out why he’d not been feeling himself, it was the first time I ever saw my dad scared.
He masked it, but I knew him too well. He feared dying.
Who wouldn’t? But he feared leaving me alone more.
My whole life we’d been a team, the two of us had been there for one another through everything, good and bad.
The doctors told us the treatment could prolong his life. They were liars. His deterioration was so fast in fact, it felt like I’d been cheated. He was stolen from me within two months. Someone so full of love shouldn’t be taken from the world when there are so many other people deserving of it.
Uncharitable thoughts aren’t usually something I’m capable of, but he was my dad.
He wouldn’t want me to drown in grief. It’s time to do something I’ve been putting off. I need to be around people. I can already hear Dana’s voice in my head when I call to say its time for that girl’s night she’s been trying to drag me to.
Parking the car besides Jesse’s broken down one, I call my best friend.
“Taylor, I was just thinking about you.”
“In what way?”
“In a I haven’s spoken to my bestie in two days kind of way. Are you okay? Where are you?”
“Take a breath Dana. I’m good,” I laugh. “I’m in work, well outside of work.” I explain what happened, without going into detail about Jesse’s private business.
“He does sound hot.”
“That’s what you got from the conversation.”
“You literally said he was topless, tattooed, grumpy and good looking.”
“I never.”
“You did,” she tells me. “Why are the hot ones always so irritating?”
“It’s not like I’m going to see him again. Anyway, that wasn’t why I was calling.”
“Are you doing okay?” her tone changes. I’m not going to get defensive about it. Dana is one of the few I can be real in front of. I’ve cried many tears on her the past few months.
“Yes, I swear. Some days are easier than others but I’m good. In fact, I was gonna suggest we go out tonight.”
“For real?”
“Yeah. Nothing crazy, a few drinks, maybe something to eat?”
Dana squeals. We’ve only been friends since college where I went into nursing while she did marketing.
It feels like I’ve known her forever we click so well.
Dad loved her too, and she loved him right back.
She’s the closest thing I have to a sibling, someone who knew dad and sees how hard this is hitting me.
“I know just the place. There is this guy-”
“Every single time, you start out with something about a guy.”
“This one is hot guy goals though.”
“Never heard that before.”
“But we can totally have a quiet night if that is what you want.”
Quiet nights are all I seem to have lately. It might be fun to watch Dana flirt around a new guy. “No, I wouldn’t deprive you of your chance with the hot guy.”
“If my wing woman needs more time, I’m good with that.”
“What time and where?”
“I’ll pick you up at eight.”
It’s a good job, it’s Friday and I don’t have to work tomorrow. Something tells me this is going to be a night to remember.