Page 15 of Undeniable Love

It was his father who hit them.

And he’d walked away and went on to the career he and Ty used to dream about.

“Jax,” Tyler said, breaking into his reverie. “Don’t do this for me. Don’t do this because of me. You worked hard to get where you are and you should be doing something in your retirement that you’re genuinely passionate about.”

“That’s just it; I am passionate about the camp. Doing this isn’t going to erase what you’ve been through, and it’s not something you’re going to benefit from. This is because I met those kids in the hospital, and I’ve seen dozens more over the years on team visits to hospitals. I think this is something I can do to maybe clear my own conscience—no matter what you say—and…and maybe get some of that good PR Simon’s fiancée is talking about.”

“That would be a good thing. And think of the great spin if you announce that you’re doing it in your hometown.”

The wheels in Jax’s head were already spinning.

“Call me with the info on Monday and I’ll talk with Noah to see where my finances are at. And if it all seems feasible, I’ll talk to Declan and Travis to see if they’re in.”

“And then to your future sister-in-law.”

“Exactly. The sooner we can get Juliette working on this and getting the word out, the more successful we can be.” He knew it was too soon to get excited, but…he was. “Hey, do you think Lucy would come in and consult on the project? I mean…if she’s a pediatric physical therapist, she’d be the perfect person to weigh in on what we should and shouldn’t incorporate.” Pausing, he laughed softly. “Wow, it’s hard to imagine Lucy being all grown up and having such an impressive career. The last time I saw her, she was like…what? Twelve? Thirteen?”

Tyler quietly laughed with him. “Something like that. I think the last time you would have seen her was before you left for college, so…yeah.”

“Do you think she’ll come and join us if we put something together?” When his friend didn’t respond right away, he prompted him. “Ty?”

“Um…I’ll ask her. Usually her schedule is pretty hectic, but I’m sure I can at least get some info from her, even if she doesn’t join us in person.”

That seemed a little odd, but Jax shrugged. “How cool would it be if we could make this happen and we were all involved? You, me, your brothers, my brothers, Lucy…it will be like when we were kids!”

Another laugh. “Dude, it would be a miracle if we made that happen.”

Chapter Three

A week later, Lucy was wiping down her table at the clinic and feeling a little defeated. Her last patient was an eight-year-old girl who would benefit from aquatic therapy. Unfortunately, this clinic didn’t offer that. It wasn’t even big enough for it to be something they could add. The local YMCA had an indoor pool, but it was almost impossible to reserve a lane for therapy.

“If I lived in a bigger city and worked at a bigger facility, I’d have access to everything my patients would need,” she mumbled and she placed a fresh pillowcase on the pillow.

But then a hard truth hit her—if she lived in a big city and worked at a bigger facility, her current patients wouldn’t have anyone here to help them. Lucy was the only certified pediatric physical therapist in the area, and while most physical therapists could work with children, there were certain skills that only came with the pediatric certification.

I want to have my cake and eat it too.

That wasn’t likely to happen. For now, it seemed like she was doomed to stay in South Creek and simply dream about bigger and better things.

It was almost the end of her shift, and when she pulled out her phone—which had been on silent—she noticed a missed text from Gemma.

Gemma: Whatever you do, do NOT stop at the pub after work.

Frowning, Lucy quickly tapped out a response.

Lucy: Why? I thought we were meeting there for an early dinner and drinks?

Gemma: Let’s go to Bellas and grab pizza instead!

Gemma: I can really go for some pizza!

Something was up.

Lucy: You said you got food poisoning from Bellas when we ate there last month.

Lucy: What’s going on? Why can’t we go to the pub?

There was a long pause with nothing but those dancing three dots on the screen for what felt like forever. Finally…

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