CHAPTER 43
On the first Saturday in September, with lunch in hand, Beth arrived at Bryce’s office door only to find it closed.
Husband or not, she would never walk in without knocking and risk interrupting a confidential meeting with a patient.
Knocking softly, she didn’t have to wait long before Bryce opened the door.
Standing next to him were two men in expensive suits. The shorter, balding man Beth recognized immediately, but the taller man, sporting neat cornrows, was unfamiliar.
Seeing Beth, Bryce’s face split into a wide grin. He reached forward, pulled her to his side as the men exited, and kissed her temple.
“Allow me to introduce my wife. Beth, I’m sure you remember Rodger Brix, the hospital board president.”
Beth smiled, shaking Rodger’s hand. He was roughly her height, and though his suit was expensive, it strained across his midsection.
“Of course. It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Brix.” Beth said sweetly as she reclaimed her hand from his plump grasp and turned to the man beside him.
“And this,” Bryce said, nodding toward the man who dwarfed them all, “is Mitchum Ford, one of the hospital’s donors and a former Boston Celtics player.”
Beth shook Mitchum’s extended hand. His grip was strong and confident.
Beth’s gaze traveled up from his hand to his handsome face, noting his broad chest and powerful build.
She couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was for a man in his late forties.
Mitchum’s smile was warm and welcoming, a sharp contrast to Rodger’s forced, businesslike expression.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Jensen.
During our meeting, your husband mentioned several times how wonderful you are—and now I can see why he’s so smitten with you.
” Mitchum’s voice was as rich and deep as his skin tone, carrying a slight Boston accent.
“Thanks for letting us steal him away for a few days. My wife hated when I traveled right after we were married. Bryce here assured us you wouldn’t make him sleep on the couch tonight because of this last-minute trip. ”
Mitchum chuckled, and Beth raised a questioning brow at Bryce, prompting Rodger to speak.
“Doctor Gibson’s son landed himself in juvenile detention, making Doctor Gibson unable to attend the conference he was scheduled for, so we’re taking Bryce with us instead.
Now, we’ve spent enough of our Saturday dealing with this mess, and since we have a tee time at two, we need to be on our way.
Bryce, we’ll see you at the airport first thing in the morning. Beth, always a pleasure.”
With that, Rodger walked away without waiting for farewells.
Bryce shut the door and leaned against it, pulling Beth into his arms as she stared up at him with wide eyes.
“You’re going to Boston? What happened to Dr. Gibson’s son?” she asked.
“I’ll answer all your questions, but first—” Bryce cupped her cheek and kissed her full lips. Pulling back, he sighed and rested his forehead against hers. “Thanks, I needed that, Mrs. Jensen.”
Beth giggled, her cheeks turning pink. “You’re welcome, Dr. Handsome. Now spill!”
Bryce guided her to the couch, encouraging her to eat while he talked.
“I don’t know all the details, but Rodger said Tommy Gibson was arrested for defacing public property. He has court Monday morning, so Dr. Gibson pulled out of the conference.”
“Poor Tommy. I only met him a couple of times, but he always seemed withdrawn. Do you know Dr. Gibson or his wife well?” Beth asked, compassion filling her tone.
“Not really. I’ve had dinner with them a couple of times, but they’ve pulled back socially since Tommy started rebelling.
While I support his decision to stay and take care of his family, that means I’ve been selected to go to Boston for the week in his place.
” Bryce watched Beth, gauging her response.
Beth chewed her sandwich thoughtfully. “Wow, a whole week? That’ll be weird not having you around. We haven’t really been apart for that long since we got married.”
“You could always come with me,” Bryce suggested.
Beth considered it, and Bryce grinned. “It’s a nice hotel with a spa. You can relax with a book by the pool or get a massage while I’m at the conference, and in the evening, we can sample the tastes of Boston. I know you love their cream pie...”
Beth shook her head with a laugh. “You are an evil man to tempt a pregnant woman with food.”
Bryce chuckled. “You say evil, I say persuasive. What do you think?”
“I want to go, but I think I should stay. I’ve got that Bible study starting Monday with Crystal, and we have dinner at Mom and Dad’s because Lynn and her new boyfriend are visiting, and we already signed up for the run Tuesday night.
Plus, I’d need to find someone to cover my Sunday school class tomorrow.
Not to mention asking for time off from work. ”
“Yeah, I knew it was a long shot. But a guy can hope.”
“You know I’d love to go with you, but it’s just not good timing.”
“I know.”
“What time do I need to have you at the airport?”
“I need to be there at 10 AM, I’ll just take an Uber so you don’t miss church. We can sort it all out tonight after work. I’ll meet you at the ER staff entrance at the end of your shift,” Bryce said, kissing her one last time before she headed back to work. Her break was drawing to an end.
Beth nodded. “Sounds good.”
The rest of the shift passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the next morning and they were saying goodbye at the elevator. Beth was heading to church while Bryce had about an hour before his Uber arrived.
“Call me when you get to the hotel, please.” Beth said, hugging Bryce tightly.
“I should be there around eight and will call once I’m settled.”
Due to a delay and the time change, Bryce didn’t make it to his hotel until 2 AM, but he kept his promise and called Beth, assuring her they’d talk more Monday night.
“OH MY WORD, brYCE! You are NOT going to believe how dinner went tonight!” Beth exclaimed as soon as the call connected.
“Hello to you too,” Bryce deadpanned.
“Oops—hi, honey! How was Boston? Did you get any treats?” Beth grinned.
Bryce laughed. “I’m just teasing. Go ahead. What’s the latest Lynn drama?”
“SHE’S MOVING TO FLORIDA!” Beth shouted into the phone.
“She’s what?”
“She’s moving to Florida with this new guy Jordan—ON THURSDAY!”
“This is Lynn we’re talking about. There’s a chance she’ll change her mind by Thursday.”
“Bryce, she’s already packed up her apartment and they brought a U-Haul to Mom and Dad’s.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. They’re packed and ready to go. Jordan’s driving out tomorrow, and Lynn plans to ride her motorcycle across the country by herself after work on Thursday.”
Bryce let out a few choice words.
“What do you think of this new guy?”
“Gag. He’s this pompous, condescending jerk who talked to Dad like he was too stupid to follow the conversation. Actually, come to think of it, he talked to all of us that way.”
“Why is what’s-his-name leaving tomorrow and making her go by herself?
“He’s the drummer in a band playing in Florida on Friday night. I guess they signed a six-month contract at some roadhouse. I didn’t even know roadhouses were a real thing.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, and when we voiced concerns, Lynn stormed off.”
Bryce sighed. “Yikes. No wonder you answered the phone yelling the way you did. Did she just leave the room, or actually leave?”
“She headed back to Denver. I’ve tried calling her, but she won’t answer. I don’t know what to do, Bryce.”
Beth’s voice came fast, like the dam had finally cracked. Her words were tangled in frustration and helplessness—finally letting it out to someone she thought would understand.
“Are you just venting,” he asked gently, “or do you want my opinion?”
“I want to know what you think.” The words came quickly—too quickly.
“I think… because you love her, you sometimes expect her to live by the same Christian values you do. That might be why she feels like she can’t measure up. Like she isn’t accepted.”
Silence.
Longer than a beat.
Beth didn’t answer right away.
When she finally spoke again, her tone had shifted—quieter, cooler, controlled.
“So… you’re saying she has every right to be mad at me.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Bryce replied carefully, picking up on the change. “I just mean… you love her, and you want what’s best for her. But maybe she feels like she can’t measure up. Like you don’t accept her as she is. I know what that feels like.”
Beth didn’t respond.
He heard the faint sound of running water—maybe brushing her teeth, maybe just something to fill the silence. Something to keep from answering.
“Wow, that’s a lot to process,” she said, a sharp edge to her tone. She continued before Bryce could reply. “Thanks for being honest and I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I need to think about it before we discuss it any further. I’m really tired and think I’m going to head to bed.”
“I’m sorry, Beth. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear. Are you sure you want to end the call? I’d love to hear how your Bible study went.”
“It went well. Six ladies, and not all from church, which helped Crystal feel comfortable. I’ll tell you more later. I’m just really tired.”
“Okay. Sleep well.”
“Love you,” Beth murmured.
“Love you too.”
Beth ended the call, crawled into bed, and for the first time since getting married, fell asleep angry.
The next morning, as she stood in front of the mirror getting ready for work, Bryce’s photo lit up her phone screen.
She stared at it.
She let it ring and allowed it to roll over to voicemail.
A few minutes later, a text came through.
?Bryce Hubs:
Love you. Hope you slept well.
Give me a call when you can, please.?
Beth stared at that too… then tapped the little heart beside it and set her phone back down.
She wasn’t ready to talk yet.