Chapter Five #2
She tries to hide it, but her breath hitches. “Don’t tempt me. I might have to get out of bed and sneak over to your house, which would be hard considering I don’t know where you live, but I could do it.” Instead, she does the opposite, sinking under her covers and laying her head on her pillow.
Why am I constantly smiling around her?
“I believe you could.” I agree as she pulls her blanket up to her chin. “We can save that for another time.”
And there will be another time.
“Thanks,” she says through a yawn.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have called this late. I’ll let you sleep.”
“No,” she rushes, sitting up so quickly the blankets slip down her torso making my heart hammer once again. “Don’t hang up. I like talking to you.”
“Okay.” A sense of calming happiness settles in my chest. “What do you want to talk about?”
A relieved expression flits across her face as she lowers herself back to her bed. “Hmmm…” She taps her chin. “Why did you become a pediatrician?”
“Wow, you’re wanting to fall asleep fast, huh?
” She issues a soft disagreement, urging me to continue.
“My grandpa was my favorite person in the world growing up. He was a pediatrician for forty years. I’d go to his office after school until my parents got off of work.
He’d let me mess with all sorts of stuff, usually getting myself into trouble in the process.
” I snort at the memory. “I think all that time seeing him with his patients and spending time in his office wore off on me. He said his proudest day was when I graduated med school.”
“I love that story. It sounds like he loves you.”
I sigh. “He did. I wish he would’ve been able to meet Harrison. He would’ve loved meeting the great-grandson who’s named after him.”
Hazel’s voice is soft. “I’m sorry.”
Grandpa Harrison died three weeks after my graduation.
Knowing I made him proud in his final weeks keeps me going to this day.
Absently, I reach across my chest with my free hand to rub the caduceus tattoo I got in his honor on my arm.
“How was brunch?” The dull light of her bedroom makes her freckles stand out and I wish I was there with her to kiss each one of them.
“It was good. Maybe you feel this way when you meet up with Cole and Wells, but life seems easier when Jo’s around.
” I nod. No matter what, when they’re around, everything’s good.
“She’s super busy downtown at her corporate office and barely has any free time.
The older we get the harder it is to find a time to meet up.
I’m lucky she can carve out a slot for Sunday brunch. ”
That’s why we have a designated night where all three of us hang out. Between Wells’ busy season, Cole constantly running around like a chicken with his head cut off, and me with the practice and coaching, it feels like time hardly slows down.
But carving out time for Hazel? That’s effortless.
“I’m glad you got to see her.”
“Oh me too. Plus, she loved hearing all about you and the Single Dads Club.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief.
I shake my head, smiling. “You and your names.”
“What?” she asks, mock offended. “Someone needs to know I somehow managed to catch your eye.”
There it is again, that note of disbelief that tinges her words at times. “Hazel,” I say soft and low, “I hope you know I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
The sudden serious turn in the tone of our conversation has her blinking in confusion. “What?”
Here we are, miles apart and talking on a video call, not at all how I envisioned having this conversation. “You think I’d let a woman like you hobble into my life and let her go? I think you’ll have a hard time getting rid of me.”
Hazel blows a raspberry with her lips, laughing at herself and the day we met. “Is this your way of telling me that I’m your girlfriend?” A smile spreads across her beautiful face, her teeth biting into her thick lower lip as if to stifle the same giddy feeling that’s bubbling under my skin.
“God, I want to kiss you right now.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She laughs. “Too bad we decided to save the booty call ‘til later.” Her voice has turned sultry and my body immediately responds to it.
I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “If you don’t want me sprinting across town to your apartment, we better talk about something else.”
“I mean, I don’t not want that,” my eyes snap open, meeting hers through the screen, “but I’ll be good.”
We spend hours on the phone talking about anything and everything.
“Mark’s…Mark,” she sighs. “He’s always done his own thing, ran on his own clock kind of thing. I’d say he was the wild child.”
“Really? Why did I think that was you?” We’d already gone over my life as an only child. It was nice sharing stories about my grandparents and hearing her laugh at my family's camping fiascos.
“Me?” She chuckles. “No, that was Mark. Candice is the perfect one, and I’m… well, I don’t know which one I am.”
We’re both lying down, our phones resting on our pillows. It’s like she’s lying in bed right next to me and I can’t wait for the day when she is. “I’d say you’re pretty fucking perfect.”
“Not compared to Candice.” Gone is the playful tone from several seconds ago. Even her eyes, tired as they are, lose some of their sparkle.
Sheets rustle as I sit up wanting to hear her every word. “What do you mean?”
Hazel sucks in a deep, hitching breath, her eyes darting to the ceiling.
“Candice is amazing and I love her, but she does everything right. Not only that, she’s so fucking good at it too.
Do you know how many things she does? She teaches nursing courses at Liberty College, is president of the PTA, hosts book club, sits on the city council,” she ticks off the lists on her fingers.
“Not to mention that she's like, the best mom in the entire world and Mason is the luckiest kid to have her. Lord knows how Tony managed to snatch her up,” she mutters.
“I think I better remind him how good he has it before he forgets.”
She inhales, swallowing before she continues. “I guess growing up it’s easy to notice how we were different. And the older we got the more stark those differences became. I don’t have everything figured out like she seems to, and I tend to mess up a lot.”
I wait until she relaxes back into her mattress before I do the same. “Can I tell you something?”
The soft smile she gives me has warmth spreading in my chest. “Yes.”
“I think you’re amazing, Hazel Elizabeth Bryant.”
By the time I wish her a good night, I don’t want to end the call. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted and then some. I never imagined that I’d find the woman of my dreams at my son's soccer game, but the way I’m feeling right now, I think I have.