Page 50 of The Matchmaker and the Marine

She glanced around the spacious and tidy room. “Nice place.” This certainly didn’t look like the typical bachelor pad. It was simply furnished with a dash of color here and there. It even had curtains.

“It’s comfortable.” He slumped into the recliner.

“Can I help you get your work boots off?” She started to bend over.

“NO!”

Stunned by Adam shouting the single word, she stumbled backward. “I’m sorry.”

“Mel, I’m sorry.” He dropped his chin towards his chest. “It’s been a rough day and for now I just want to chill.” He pointed to the sofa. “Would you grab me a pillow so I can elevate my hand?”

“Here you go.” She handed him two slender pillows. “Are you comfortable? Should I adjust the AC?”

“I’m good.” He looked at her. “Please sit down, you don’t need to fuss over me.”

She picked up Skye and perched on the edge of the sofa. “Can I get you something to drink, water?”

“You can tell me what was going on when I found you crying in the waiting room.”

Mel concentrated on petting Skye. She wouldn’t look at him in the eye. “It was nothing, really.”

“Bull.”

She lifted her face. Her eyes locked on his. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.” That one-word answer was almost her undoing.

She took a deep breath and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “The last time I was in an emergency room was the day John died.”

“Mel,” he exhaled, “I had no idea.”

She looked away. Struggling to keep her voice steady, she continued, “I told you he was hit by a drunk driver.” She clenched her hands, her nails biting into the palms of her hands. “The jerk came flying down the road, swerved to supposedly miss a squirrel, and he hit John.” She wiped away the tears that she could no longer control. “He never regained consciousness.”

She pushed to tell Adam the rest of the story. “His partner picked me up from our house. When I got there, I knew it was bad, really bad, but I never dreamt he wouldn’t make it. I saw him for a brief moment, I was holding his hand until the doctor asked me to wait outside the room. While he was examining John, he coded. They did everything they could, but his internal injuries were just too severe.”

Tears flowed down her cheeks unchecked. She choked out the words, “I never got to tell him I loved him or kiss him goodbye.”

Adam held open his arm and beckoned her to him. In two quick steps she rushed to the warmth of his embrace. He held her in his lap while she cried. After her tears had run dry, she put a hand on his chest. She could feel the flush rise in her cheeks.

“Adam, I am so sorry.” She tried to get up, but he held her close.

He kissed her temple as if to soothe away the agonizing memory. “Thank you for telling me.”

Humbled by the sincerity of his statement, she said, “I haven’t talked about that day to anyone, other than Will and Rob, John’s partner, right after the funeral.”

“You told Will?”

She sighed. “Yeah. He was easy to talk to.”

“You’ve had that bottled up inside of you all this time?” He brushed her damp cheeks with his thumb.

“It’s not something I want to remember.”

“I believe that sharing your pain with a friend helps to lessen the burden of carrying it alone.” He took her hand. “I’m here if you ever want to talk about anything. Your secrets are safe with me.”

She slipped from his lap. “Thank you.” Unsure what else to say, she changed the subject. “I’ll get you some water, maybe a snack? Those pain pills can do a number on your stomach.”

He nodded. “There are some cookies in the cabinet next to the sink.”

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