Chapter 10 #2
After the surgery, the worst part of the recovery had been the phantom pain he’d experienced in the missing limb.
When patients had complained of that in the past, he’d wondered if it was psychosomatic, but now he knew better.
He was a better doctor for having survived his ordeal, but he’d lost his taste for trauma surgery and the never-ending life-and-death battles that went along with it.
Jared and Lizzie’s offer had come at the right time, two years after his own surgery and grueling rehab in which he’d learned how to walk with the prosthetic. He’d begun to think about his next move when Jared called with Lizzie’s big idea for him to run their healthcare facility on Gansett Island.
He couldn’t say yet if this was a permanent move or even a “career” he wished to pursue long-term.
For now, he’d committed to staying long enough to get the facility up and running.
He’d wanted to keep his options open, and Lizzie had wanted him badly enough for the job that she’d been willing to agree to conditional employment.
So for now, he was happily settled on his spacious, comfortable boat with his beloved dog, the incredible views of the pond and the stars and the bustling activity on the waterfront.
The day he met Mallory had been one of his first attempts at running on the prosthetic, and he’d since become much more comfortable and was adding to his mileage with each passing week.
He was giving himself another month or so before he started taking Brutus with him.
His life was back under control, for the most part, which made tonight’s events that much more intriguing.
Now that he had the rest of his crap sorted, for the time being anyway, perhaps there was room for something more.
With he and Mallory both in this weird state of transition, maybe this was the worst possible time to be thinking such thoughts.
But after the delightful evening they’d spent together, she seemed to be all he could think about.
“I don’t know about that guy,” Mac said to Maddie as he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it toward the hamper, missing by a foot.
She bent to retrieve it and threw it back to him. “Try again, Ace.”
Mac balled up the shirt and made a perfect shot. “Swish.”
“What guy are you talking about?”
“The one Mallory was with.”
“Quinn James?”
“Yeah, him. What do we know about him anyway?”
“We know he’s Jared’s brother, and that Jared is a good guy who’s done a lot for our community since he moved here.”
“That doesn’t mean his brother is a good guy.”
“He’s a veteran.”
“And I appreciate his service, but even that doesn’t mean he’s good for my sister.”
“You’ve worked with him for months. You know him by now.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t feel like I know him any better now than I did at the beginning.”
“Mallory seems to like him. That ought to count for something.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Maddie washed the makeup off her face and put toothpaste on her toothbrush. “Mac… What’re you not saying?”
“Nothing.” He couldn’t say why, exactly, he wasn’t sure about Mallory seeing Quinn, but he vowed to keep a closer eye on the guy now that he knew his sister was interested. “I’m going to check on the kids.”
“Do not, under any circumstances, do anything to wake them up, or I will kill you, and I’ll make it hurt.”
“Yes, dear,” he said with a chuckle. God, he loved her even when she was threatening to kill him. After even a couple of hours away from them, he needed to lay eyes on his babies, even though Maddie had already checked on them.
He went first into Thomas’s room where his soon-to-be-five-year-old son was sleeping with his arms thrown over his head and his covers kicked off. Mac covered him and kissed his forehead. “Love you, buddy,” he whispered. The sleeping child never stirred.
In Hailey’s room, he found his daughter sleeping with her bum in the air, per usual, and fixed the blanket that had become tangled around her tiny body. He kissed his fingertips and reached over the crib rails to sweep sweaty blonde hair off her forehead.
As his fingers coasted over her skin, her eyes popped open.
Mac bit his lip to keep from gasping and stayed perfectly still, hoping she didn’t see him there. If she did, she’d want to get up to play with Dada, and Maddie would, in fact, kill him.
Thankfully, she let out a deep sigh, and her eyes closed once again.
Mac crept from the room, thanking his lucky stars that she hadn’t woken up. When he returned to their room, Maddie was already in bed and rubbing lotion into her arms. Something about that nightly ritual was so incredibly sexy to him. “Everyone is good.”
“Which I already knew and so did you, because I checked on them and told you they were fine.”
“I can’t help that I need to see them with my own eyes.”
“You’re a very good daddy.” She held out a hand to him. “Now come over here and give Mommy some love.”
Mac didn’t have to be told twice. He crawled up the bed and came down right next to her. “How’s my other baby?” he asked, placing his hand over the prominent bump in her abdomen.