Page 6 of Devoted

Chapter 2

Brooks

“Brooks! Your drink is ready!” Those glorious words I longed to hear when I entered Skye’s finally ring out, but they’re not as satisfying as I predicted. Maybe it’s because the most pleasant part of entering this small business in my hometown of Emerson Falls was running into a sassy nurse that made my pulse race for the first time in months.

Moving back home was necessary and my reason for being here truly warranted. But I never imagined meeting such an intriguing woman within days of being home. Her small stature of barely five feet made me curious as I listened to her groan in line. And then when I alerted her to the line moving forward, she turned around, and the muscles in my forehead had to work to push my eyebrows back down. She was stunning, but still naturally beautiful in that girl-next-door kind of way. I’ve never been attracted to women with dark hair before, but that sleek ponytail and the way it swayed as she turned back and forth through our exchange hypnotized me.

And then her eyes. They were the same color of grey as my shirt, dark around the pupils and then slowly lightening to a smokey brown at the edges. Her lips were full and pink, showing the perfect cupid’s bow in the middle and for some reason, my tongue wanted to lick that little divot. My dick came to life at seven forty-five in the morning from a short spitfire of a woman, and now he’s even more excited as I recall our encounter full of banter that only added to the attraction I felt for her.

The last time I was in Emerson Falls was at Christmas, just months before one of my worst fears came true. But I never really socialized except with my cousin Ethan, the son of my mom’s sister, my Aunt Liz. And I never met a woman here in my brief visits throughout the years that intrigued me as much as that tiny woman did in just minutes of being near each other. As soon as I spotted that jet black ponytail attached to the miniature girl that made my morning turn around, I had a feeling she’d reel me in. Little did I know I’d be dodging her jabs as she wrestled with my teasing—but fuck if it wasn’t fun.

“Thank you,” I tell the barista before turning to exit the back of the building through a glass door that leads out to the parking lot when a familiar voice stops me in my tracks.

“Brooks Bennet? Is that you?”

My eyes widen in shock as one of my buddies from high school stands from his seat, surrounded by his own group of friends. “Cooper Walsh?”

“Fuck, man. That is you! Nice to see you, man.” Cooper strides over to me, pulling me in for a hug. We’re comparable in height, but Cooper has definitely filled out more in the years between high school and now. I remember him being this scrawny freshman when I was a junior on the football team. Even though I was on varsity and he was on JV, we hit it off and became good friends. I took him under my wing and guided him to filling my role as a wide receiver when I graduated. Man, those were the days—when life was simple and death wasn’t staring you in the eye every minute of every day.

“You too, Coop. You still live here?”

“I never left. You know my parents love this place and it’s home. I’m a sheriff now, actually.”

“Good for you. I remember you saying that was your goal your sophomore year.” Memories of a scrawny boy talking to me on the sidelines flow like a movie through my brain.

“Yup. Engaged and expecting a baby now too with Clara Anderson.” His face lights up when he mentions his fiancé, a name vaguely familiar to me.

“Wasn’t she friends with your sister?” Cooper’s older sister, Olivia, was one year older than me, but I was familiar with her and her group of friends that were inseparable.

“Yeah. Olivia’s husband is actually here. Come on over… let me introduce you to the guys.” He waves me over as we travel the few feet back to the table he was sitting at before. With a few minutes to spare before my appointment, I decide to embark on a trip down memory lane and meet some new guys since I’ll be sticking around for the foreseeable future.

“Brooks, this is Kane, Olivia’s husband.” He points to a bearded man with black hair wearing a red and black checkered flannel. Then he switches to the next guy. “This is Cash, a buddy of mine in the sheriff’s department.” Cash reaches over to shake my hand, a blonde-haired and blue-eyed man that clearly works out in his off time. “And this guy is Luke, a former deputy turned college professor,” he says, gesturing to the last guy at the table, an All-American looking man with dark hair in a navy crew sweater and jeans. “Boys, this is Brooks, a buddy of mine from high school. He was two years older than me, but we played football together.”

“Nice to meet you all,” I reply, taking a seat at the last empty chair at their table. “And I’m still two years older than him if you weren’t sure.” That comment grants me a collective chuckle from the group.

“So what brought you into town, man? I haven’t seen you in years.” Cooper reaches for his drink as I take a sip of my own before answering.

I contemplate my answer for a few seconds, knowing I’m not ready to reveal the entire truth as to why I returned. “I actually just moved back last week. I wanted to be closer to my mom, you know. She’s getting up there in age. But I’m actually gonna be working at the hospital.”

“No shit. I remember hearing through the grapevine that you went to med school,” Cooper adds.

“Yeah. I finished up at UC, Santa Barbara a few years ago and finished my residency out there in California before I got a job. But it was time to come home.” Not that I had much of a choice because the second my mother called me I knew that’s what I would do.

“What’s your specialty?” Cash asks, leaning forward in his chair.

“I’m an ER doctor.”

His eyebrows pop up. “Small world. My fiancé is actually an ER nurse over at Emerson Memorial, so you’ll probably meet her at some point.”

“Nice. Yeah, I start next Monday,” I explain. “I have few things to get situated before I can officially get on the schedule. What’s your fiancé’s name?”

“Piper Davis,” Cash answers proudly. Clearly, he’s enamored with her.

“Well, I’ll be sure to introduce myself and tell her we already met.” I give him a nod and then Cooper pulls my attention back to him.

“We actually know another nurse that works in the ER too. Her name is Jess.”

Jess. Ah, so my fiery little line-companion is an ER nurse—the perfect explanation for her long shift. I caught her name on her badge as she was waiting in line and when the barista called it out, but I wasn’t sure what department she was in.

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