Page 65 of Burned By the Broken Doctor

He chuckles. “No groom is ever calm, man. I hate suits.”

I grin as I hand him another one. He takes the jacket from me, slipping it on over his shoulders. “Please, just tell me this one works?” he asks, turning to the mirror and adjusting the lapels.

I step back, tilting my head to one side. “Not bad. But try this one.” I hand him a deep burgundy suit, and he stares at me with a question in his eyes. “Might as well stand out, right?” I shrug.

He laughs, shaking his head. “You really want me to make a statement at this wedding, huh?”

As he changes into the burgundy suit, I lean against the fitting room door.

Damon emerges a few minutes later, sporting the burgundy suit that clings to his athletic build in all the right places. He strikes a pose, a playful smile on his face. “How's this for dapper?”

“Alright, alright,” I admit, forcing a smile. “I think this works. You clean up well, groom.”

“Thank God,” he groans. “Now it’s your turn.”

We continue the charade for the next hour, flipping through suits, exchanging opinions, and cracking jokes. Every time I slip on a new outfit, Damon teases me about how it seems like the perfect suit for my own wedding.

“Dude, how about this one?” Damon holds up a dark grey suit, grinning at me.

I take the jacket from him, slipping it on over my shoulders. “You think it works?”

Damon steps back, tilting his head to one side as he hands me a deep burgundy suit, a playful glint in his eye. “I think this is better. It will be a perfect suit for your own wedding someday.”

I pause, catching his reflection in the mirror. “Honestly, the closer your wedding gets, the more of a sappy romantic you’re becoming.”

Damon chuckles, crossing his arms. “You think I’m a huge romantic because I’m getting married?”

“Well, you getting married has a part to play in this new you, so yes.”

He nods, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “June makes me that way. You know, I thought I’d never love again after Ethan’s mom left. I swore off serious relationships. Then June came along and changed everything.”

I finish buttoning the suit jacket, turning to face him fully. “How did you know she was the one?”

Damon's smile is soft, almost wistful. “It wasn’t one thing, Liam. It was everything. The way she laughs, how she cares for Ethan, the way she sees the world. The right woman makes a righteous man out of a dude. That’s just how it works.”

I mumble a noncommittal, “We’ll see,” feeling a pang of guilt. This whole charade with Emma is becoming more complicated.

The truth is, being around Emma is messing with me. It started subtly—stolen glances, the quiet comfort of her presence. Now, it's a gnawing feeling in my gut, a growing sense of connection that goes way beyond the physical attraction that sparked this whole charade.

Yesterday, after my shift ended, I called her. We spent hours in the park, me watching her sketch and paint with her vibrant crayons, a contentment settling over me that has nothing to do with desire. It scares the living daylights out of me.

I keep telling myself it's just the sexual chemistry, that the closeness, the shared laughter, it's all an illusion. But the illusion feels too real, too damn comfortable.

Damon’s hand clamps down on my shoulder, jolting me back to the present. “You alright, man? Something on your mind?”

I shake my head, but the words spill out before I can stop them. “How did you know you loved June enough to marry her?”

Damon’s expression softens, and he takes a seat, motioning for me to do the same. “You know, it wasn’t like a lightbulb moment. It was gradual. Every day, I started to notice the littlest, weirdest things—how she thins her lips when she’s mad. The way her laughter sounds like tinkling bells, the sounds her feet makes when she walks. It’s in the little things. I started to look forward to those things, to miss them when they’re not there, and then finally, I realized everything about her gives me joy.”

I swallow hard, Damon’s words hitting close to home. “But weren’t you scared? Of getting hurt again?”

He nods. “Terrified. But being with her… It’s worth the risk. I realized that living without her scared me more than any potential heartbreak.”

His words echo in my mind, worryingly similar to how I feel about Emma. Am I really falling for her? I try to push the thought away, but it lingers, gnawing at the edges of my consciousness.

We finish up in the boutique, Damon finally deciding on a classic black suit. As we step outside, a woman approaches Damon, her face lighting up with recognition. I immediately recognize her as one of the women who harassed Emma in the store, leading to that fateful kiss.

“Damon! How’s the wedding prep going?” she asks, her tone overly friendly.

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