Chapter Fifty-One
Sloane
I got in the shower and gave serious consideration to rubbing one out. It wouldn’t take long, considering my poor dick had been lying dormant for ten months, but I opted to wait. I think I was secretly holding out hope for the real thing. There was no denying she’d returned my kiss, and I was arrogant enough to think that had our baby girl not been between us, the heat would have been turned up.
Crash and Stu were at the kitchen island looking at something when I came out of my room.
“What are you guys doing?”
“Deciding what to get for takeout. You have any preferences?”
“Nope. I’m hanging out with Ryan and his girlfriend tonight, so don’t worry about me.” I looked toward Ashley’s door. “Did Ash already leave?”
“Not yet. She was going to help us make dinner, but we told her we’d get something delivered so she could get ready for her date.”
How fucking thoughtful.
I wasn’t sure, but I got the feeling they were waiting for me to react. I don’t think they were aware that I already knew she had a date.
“So,” I glanced at the menus in their hands. “Pizza or Chinese?”
“Pizza,” Stu said at the same time Crash said, “Chinese.”
I chuckled when Stu grumbled, “You were supposed to be the tiebreaker.”
“I woulda picked In-n-Out, so I wouldn’t have been any help.”
“Oh, damn. I hadn’t thought about In-n-Out.” He looked at Crash. “What about burgers?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
“Hey, I have a question,” I began. “What did you guys use once you no longer needed a walker?”
“A cane,” Stu said.
Crash answered with, “A knee scooter and a crutch.”
“Do either of you happen to still have any of them?”
Stu furrowed his brows when he replied, “Yeah, why?”
“Well, because I think I’m ready for something less cumbersome, especially in my friend’s car, so I was hoping I could borrow it until I can get my own.”
“What does Ashley think about that?” Crash asked.
“She said I was ready, and we’d look at them tomorrow.”
“Then you should look at them tomorrow,” Stu said.
“Have you always been such rule followers?” I half-teased yet half-taunted, hoping that would spur them to loosen up a little.
“Yep.”
“Pretty much.”
Screw it. I knew I could buy a cane at any local drug store.
~~~~
I wasn’t expecting Ryan and Grace to show up with Craig and Maddie, but when I looked at the camera on my phone, Craig’s Land Rover was pulling in behind Ryan’s Audi.
My face split into a smile. I hadn’t seen Craig since he visited me in San Antonio. And the last time I saw Grace or Maddie was before my accident.
I realized neither of the ladies had seen me like this and my mood instantly soured as I prepared myself for the pity smiles and awkward hugs that were sure to come.
Might as well get it over with.
I shuffled toward the front door with the walker. That damn thing was a pain in the ass, and I was going to talk Ryan into not only stopping at the In-n-Out drive-thru, but the corner drug store so I could get a cane or a knee scooter, or both.
I’d barely opened the door when squeals erupted from both Grace and Maddie as they swarmed me without wavering and stroked my arms over my shirt.
“It’s so good to see you!”
“I’m so glad you’re finally back!”
There was no hesitation on their part to try to hug me, which I appreciated. The only thing that was awkward was maneuvering around the metal walker.
I moved it out of the way, grumbling, “This damn thing,” then hugged them both.
“It’s good to see you two.”
“Do you and Ashley really have a daughter?” Grace asked with her arm around my waist.
“Amelia Sloane Youngman. We call her Millie. She’s perfect.”
“Thank God she looks like her mom,” Ryan exclaimed from the bottom of the steps.
“What are you talking about? She looks just like me.” I paused and pointed to the right side of my face. “Well, this side anyway.”
Maddie was on my left and motioned to my peg leg. “You got any contraband in that?”
“No, but that’s a really good idea. I hadn’t thought about all the places I could sneak a flask into.”
They laughed at my lame joke, and Craig came up the stairs and shook my hand.
“Good to see you up and about.”
“It’s good to be up and about.”
As Maddie pulled away something caught my eye and I grabbed her left hand and held it up. The light reflected off a diamond ring on her finger.
“This is new! Ryan told me you’d gotten engaged but remind me, when did this happen, again?”
Craig wrapped an arm around his fiancée’s shoulder. “The Saturday after Thanksgiving.”
“I asked him at Seal Beach,” Maddie quickly added.
Craig scrunched up his face. “Um, no . I asked you .”
“Nuh-uh. I—”
“Who had a ring? Did you have a ring? No. I had the ring, and I proposed to you with it.”
“Only after I asked you.”
“Yours was an ad lib so it doesn’t count. Mine was planned, obviously, since I had a ring.”
“Doesn’t matter; I asked you first.”
Craig rolled his eyes and shook his head with a smile, then pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.
“You’re impossible, woman.”
“I know, but you love me.”
“So fucking much.”
Dammit, I wanted that.
Maddie snuggled against Craig’s side when she said to me, “But we couldn’t pick a date until we knew when you’d be home for good.”
“Aw, you guys didn’t have to wait for me.”
“Bullshit,” Craig snarled. “I want you, Ryan, and Cooper to be my groomsmen.”
The idea of standing in front of a bunch of people staring at me made my hands sweat, but I’d do it for my friends.
“Well, I’m home now, so when’s the date?”
“Bring your calendar so we can figure that out.”
~~~~
“Aren’t you supposed to be professionally fitted for a cane?” Maddie asked from the passenger seat of Craig’s Land Rover. “Like you don’t just walk into the store and buy one like a pair of pants.”
“Maybe. But I want something I can use until then.”
“You mean tonight at the carnival.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Ryan said Ashley and Millie are going to be at this thing. Do they know you’re going to be there and that you’re bringing friends?”
“Well… no. Ashley’s there on a date.”
Maddie turned her body all the way around, so she was gripping the back of her seat while glaring at me.
“You’re stalking that poor girl while she’s out with another guy?”
“It’s not like I’m following them to a restaurant and hiding in a plant or something. It’s a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project, and I, as you can see, am a wounded warrior. I have every right to be there and bring friends who are going to spend money.”
“We’ll spend money, for sure.”
“And if we just happen to run into Ashley and her doctor date, I can introduce you to Millie.”
“Oh boy. A doctor, huh?”
“Yeah. My orthopedic doctor who makes house calls. My roommates said once Ashley moved in, he started coming twice a week instead of every ten days or so.”
Craig shook his head as he turned a corner. “I still can’t believe Ashley turned out to be your PTA.”
“Proof that God has a sense of humor.”
“Or that serendipity exists,” Maddie countered.
“Well,” I argued, “she’s out with another guy, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“But you’re Millie’s dad, and you’re living with her. I’d say that gives you the advantage.”
“But the other guy has two legs and a seven-figure salary. Not to mention half his body isn’t scarred. I’m going to have to give him the advantage.”
“Perhaps you forget that I saw how Ashley looked at you when you were together.”
“And maybe you’re forgetting I fucked everything up after I got hurt.”
“So unfuck it.”
Craig laughed from the driver’s seat and glanced over at his fiancée. “ Unfuck it ? Is that a thing?”
“It is now. What choice does he have?”
“I mean, we could co-parent Millie, and I find someone new. Someone I haven’t hurt. And be happy for Ash that she’s with someone who will treat her right.”
Maddie studied me for a second.
“Do you want to do that?”
“Well, no. You just asked what choice I had. That’s another option.”
She tilted her head with narrowed eyes. “Mmm, but is it?”
Was it?
I thought about it for a second before answering.
“I don’t know. Sometimes I think I’m the best thing for them, and other times, I’m not so sure. I have a lot of baggage now.”
“You’ve always had baggage,” she scoffed.
“Okay, well, my baggage is more visible than it used to be.”
“Sloane, my darling friend, we all have our crosses to bear. I guarantee this doctor she’s dating has his own set of issues. It’s called being human.”
“She’s right,” Craig replied. “I mean, I don’t have issues, but most people do.”
Maddie shot him a look. “You’re a reformed manwhore—at least you better be reformed. There’s like a whole chapter in psychology textbooks dedicated to guys like you.”
He looked over at her with a grin.
“And you’re marrying me of your own free will, so what does that say about you?”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Like I said, we all have our crosses to bear.”
~~~~
About fifteen minutes into our stroll around the carnival, and I was rethinking my decision to use a cane instead of a walker.
After twenty-five minutes, between the pain in my good leg and people obviously trying not to stare but failing miserably, I was rethinking the entire idea of being there in the first place.
Then I saw Dr. Connolly pushing Millie’s stroller, and I felt my spine stiffen. That was my daughter’s stroller; he had no business pushing it. All the pain associated with walking fell by the wayside as I made my way toward them.
Ashley’s eyes grew wide when she saw me, and she gasped, “What are you doing here? Where’s your walker?”
“We came out to support the WWP. And I thought a cane would be easier to use than a walker with all these people around.”
“But we haven’t done any cane training,” she admonished.
I gave her a small smile when I confessed, “I’m learning that lesson the hard way.”
She grabbed my right arm as she looked around. “Let’s find you a bench.”
I patted her hand and kept it in the crook of my arm.
“I’m okay. Really.” I turned my body so she could see who was behind me. “You remember Craig, Maddie, and Grace.”
A bright smile lit up her face. I loved that smile. I remember when I was the recipient of it.
“Of course! How are you guys?”
She exchanged hugs with each of them, including Ryan, then said, “It’s so nice of you to come and support the Wounded Warriors.”
Maddie answered on behalf of everyone.
“We’re grateful for what the program is doing for our friend, so we wanted to be here and spend our money.”
I was happy she didn’t dime me out and tell Ashley I had insisted they come.
Dr. Connolly stood by quietly observing the exchange until Ashley put her hand on the man’s shoulder and went through introductions.
When they’d exchanged pleasantries, I pointed at the sleeping baby in the stroller and proudly proclaimed, “And that’s our daughter, Millie.”
The ladies oohed and aahed about how beautiful she was, and Maddie caressed her little fist as she said wistfully, “Craig and I are available to babysit anytime.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jeff turn to Ashley and murmur something, then she subtly nodded her head yes with a sad smile. He pulled back with a solemn look of understanding.
If I were a betting man, Millie’s paternity hadn’t been a topic of conversation until now, and I suddenly felt like a dick for forcing her hand.
What had started as a mission to stake my claim on my family fizzled fast, and I was looking for the next opportunity to make an escape.
What was the saying? The obvious answer is usually the right one?
“I think I should probably get home and put my legs up,” I said with a wince I wasn’t faking.
“We’re going to have a conversation about this tomorrow,” Ashley chided.
I half-expected Jeff to chime in with an admonishment, too. After all, he was my doctor. But he remained silent.
I felt her hand on my back, and she said quietly, “Do you need help? Why don’t I find you a wheelchair?”
“I got it,” I said with a grimace as I shifted my weight onto the cane and my good leg. “This serves me right for going off half-cocked and thinking I know best.”
“To be fair, patients usually do know what’s best for themselves.” She looked directly at me with pursed lips. “It’s when they push past their limits that it becomes a problem.”
“Well, I have a feeling this lesson is going to bite me in the ass for a few days, so…”
“You need to get in the hydrotherapy tub when you get home.”
“We have a hydrotherapy tub?”
“On the back deck. But make sure Ryan or Craig help you in and out. I hope you’ve learned your lesson about being a hero.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We’ll talk tomorrow.”
I was still hoping we’d talk later tonight but decided not to push my luck.
“Okay. Enjoy the rest of the carnival.”
****
Ashley
That damn, stubborn Marine.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew exactly what he was doing at the carnival with his friends—he was reconning my date with Jeff.
And the dang jerk was using a cane. I wanted to wring his neck.
Then he made sure to drop the fact Millie was his daughter in front of Jeff. There was no doubt that was intentional. I knew I was going to have some explaining to do when Jeff and I were alone.
And don’t get me started on that completely inappropriate kiss earlier. The sheer audacity of the man!
So what that I’d kissed him back? It’d only been for a second until I came to my senses. It wasn’t like I’d been replaying it in my mind on repeat about how soft his lips were and how good they felt against mine.
Or how sexy he smelled.
Jeff’s cologne smelled nice, too. And I’m sure his lips were just as soft.
But I had to admit to myself that as I looked over and saw him holding Millie, it didn’t make my insides do flip flops. Not like it had when Sloane had held her.
Not for the first time, I found myself cursing the Marine captain’s name. But this time it was for giving me hope when before it’d been for taking it away.