Page 30 of Christmas With My Ex

She nods enthusiastically. “Dr. Harper was right—it’s a partial tear, not a full one. No surgery needed. If you take it easy for the next few months, you’ll be as good as new. Just make sure to see an orthopedic doctor when you get home and start physical therapy to ensure it heals properly.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “That’s amazing news. Thank you, Megan. I can relax now that I know.”

Megan smiles warmly. “You’re welcome. Just don’t go skiing or doing anything crazy while you’re here, okay?”

I laugh. You mean, like having sex in the bathroom? Got it. “I’ll do my best.”

She gives me a wink and a wave. “Enjoy your night! Merry Christmas!”

As Megan walks away, I lean back in my chair, feeling a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. No surgery. I can handle a few months of PT and rest. I glance over at Nicholas, who’s watching me with a soft smile.

“Well,” I say, “that’s a Christmas miracle if I’ve ever heard one.”

We are cackling at something else when I catch sight of someone approaching our table. Benjy, the backcountry guide, grins and waves as he makes his way over. I wave like a crazy person, excited to know not one, but two locals at the favorite watering hole.

The holiday atmosphere is still light, the twinkling lights and festive decorations keeping everyone in high spirits. Benjy's full red beard is perfect for the vibe today. He even has on a red and black check flannel shirt to complete the outdoorsman look he is mastering.

“Well, look who it is!” Benjy says, clapping Nicholas on the back and giving me a nod. “Merry Christmas, you two! Fancy seeing you both here together.”

I smile, feeling strangely popular in this tiny town. What are the odds? Not bad for someone stuck on crutches. “Hey, Benjy! Merry Christmas to you too.”

Benjy pulls up a nearby empty chair and turns it around, straddling the back as he joins us, casual and cool as a cucumber. “How’s the knee holding up?”

“It’s doing okay,” I say, glancing over at Nicholas, who suddenly looks stiff. His whole body tenses, and for a second, I’m not sure why. I turn back to Benjy, my mind turning.

“I had no idea you two knew each other? Or, did your little spill spark a match made in heaven?"

I laugh as it suddenly occurs to me that these two are familiar. "How do you two know each other?" I ask, gesturing between them. There’s a hint of suspicion creeping into my voice, but I brush it off. Maybe they crossed paths here at the saloon earlier or something.

“Oh yeah,” Benjy replies cheerfully, completely oblivious to the tension thickening in the air. “Nicholas and I were on that backcountry tour yesterday when we found you.”

The words hit me like a cinderblock to my head.

Nicholas was with Benjy? On the mountain? He was there when Benjy helped me and brought me down? He was the other silent man, holy shit.

I glance over at Nicholas, waiting for some kind of explanation, but he’s still tense, his eyes avoiding mine. The pieces fall into place, and suddenly, everything about today shifts.

He knew. He saw me lying there in the snow, helpless and injured, and he didn’t say a word. Not then, not later. Not even when he saw me hobbling around on crutches. He acted like he didn’t know about my injury, like we were just two people reconnecting by chance. But it wasn’t chance at all.

It was a lie.

My stomach turns, a sick feeling rising up as I try to keep my composure. Benjy, still completely unaware, keeps talking, “Yeah, it was a hell of a day. But you’re in good hands with this guy. Dr. Fancy Pants. He was all calm and collected, making sure we were all in line.”

I can’t hear him anymore. All I can focus on is Nicholas, sitting there, silent. He knew. He watched me, and he said nothing.

The heat rises in my chest, burning through the lightheartedness that had filled me moments before.

This isn’t about embarrassment. This is about trust—about the fact that he saw me at my most vulnerable and let me think we were starting fresh, when all along he was hiding the truth.

I feel like a fool.

The laughter from earlier evaporates, replaced by a wave of rage so hot, it takes everything in me to stay seated. How could he not tell me? How could he sit there and pretend he didn’t know?

He even asked questions about my injury!

My hands tighten around the crutches at my side, the edges of my vision blurring with anger. I try to swallow it down, but it’s bubbling up faster than I can control. I blink, fighting back the burning in my eyes.

“Rives? You okay?” Benjy asks, his voice distant, like it’s coming from underwater.

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