CHAPTER 1 #2
When she started at Penrose Hospital—fresh out of nursing school, all wide-eyed and full of conviction—everyone joked she wouldn’t last a month before she fell for the charm (or into the arms) of one of the many handsome doctors who worked there.
They even started a betting pool.
He never played.
He flirted—of course he did. It was who he was. But with Beth, he held back.
No dinners. No drinks. No games.
Until last night.
A sharp breath tore from his lungs as the weight of it hit him again. He pressed his palms harder into his eyes.
Lord, I’ve been such an idiot. I never wanted to come between her and her faith. Please forgive me… and please don’t let this destroy her walk with You.
He still had the sticky note she gave him on their first day doing rounds. It was folded up in his wallet, worn and creased. She had taped it to a tiny bag of carrots, it said: What’s up, Doc?
He’d kept it. He couldn’t help himself. He’d wanted her since the first day they met—but he’d known he could never be the man she needed.
Now?
Now he was married to her.
But he was a galaxy away from having her.
Lord, a divorce isn’t an option for me—you know that. You know what my father was like. The way he viewed marriage, like it was disposable. I’m not him. I won’t be him. I want to make this work. And if she’s willing to try—I’ll give this marriage everything I’ve got. Please… help her see that.
If she didn’t?
He swallowed hard, shaking his head—refusing to let the thought take root.
Letting her go wasn’t an option.
Divorce simply wasn’t in the cards for him.
And this time—this time—he would fight for the girl.
Even if it broke him.
Beth emerged from the bathroom, clean but pale. Her damp hair clung to her cheeks. She saw him sitting there—saw the tears—and paused.
Her heart ached, but she couldn’t let emotion take over again.
“We’ll go this afternoon and get it annulled,” she said, voice low but steady.
Bryce turned quickly. “I… I didn’t hear the shower turn off.”
She ignored his comment. “No judge will refuse us. Once we explain, it’ll be over. I’ll probably tell my parents, but no one else needs to know. Whether or not you tell your girlfriend is up to you.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
Beth paused. “Oh. I thought Crystal said you guys were moving in together.”
Bryce let out a humorless laugh. Of course Crystal would say that. Crystal was a nurse from the hospital, another hookup who’d convinced herself she could turn a one-night stand into something more.
“No,” he said, with more than a little annoyance. “Crystal was nothing more than a hookup. She knows I have a ‘no strings attached’ policy and refuses to accept it.”
“Oh.”
Tears welled in Beth’s eyes as the truth settled in. She’d married a man who had a ‘no strings attached’ policy.
Bryce flinched, the weight of his own words hitting too late.
Beth almost veered off course, but the words she’d rehearsed in the shower nudged her forward.
“At any rate… once we get this annulled, I don’t see why we can’t keep working together.
As long as we don’t talk about, well, about last night, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Now, um, well,” she crossed her arms tightly, her voice stiff and her body cold, “we, well, we’ll have to see what Eric remembers.
Hopefully the… um… the… uh… wedding happened after we split up, or maybe, maybe, he was too drunk to remember too.
And then once we’re home, we’ll just… well, we will just move on.
And as long as nothing changes in how we act towards each other…
um I don’t think that, well I don’t think it’ll be a big deal…
I mean I should be fine, it’ll be fine, and I’ll treat you normal, like, because well, I…
I don’t remember too much. Really anything at all after the bar.
So yeah… I don’t think I’ll treat you any differently—”
“What if you’re pregnant?”
The sentence cut clean through her.
Beth blinked. “What?”
Bryce’s tone was measured. Too measured. “I’m just saying… I’m guessing you’re not on the pill. And there’s no sign we used protection.”
She didn’t speak. She sat down hard on the edge of the bed. The color drained from her face. Her arms fell to her lap. Her mouth opened once, and closed. Then again. Nothing came out.
“No. I can’t be.” She shook her head once, twice—like she could rattle the thought loose. “Do you… do you really think that’s possible?”
“Well,” Bryce said quietly, “I’m not saying you are, but yeah. It’s possible. And it’s something we have to consider before we rush into anything else. That’s how we got here in the first place.”
He attempted a smile—half-flirty, half-apologetic. “That… and a lot of tequila.”
Beth stared at the carpet like it held answers.
“What would I do? What do I do if I’m pregnant?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” Bryce’s voice softened. “And I mean we. You’re not in this alone, Beth. I know you’re thinking about your witness. About your future. But whatever this turns into—we’ll face it together.”
He wrapped his arms around her with careful hesitation, hoping the small gesture would be enough to steady her, if only for a moment.