Page 58 of Coveting Catherine

Chase nodded. “Those questions, only Catherine can answer. I'm only playing devil's advocate. From what Ash confessed to the team, did you consider maybe Catherine suffers from PTSD from Ash threatening her or battered woman syndrome? We weren't exactly happy with him when he confessed; maybe he forgot, or we interrupted before he finished. Catherine visited my house and doesn't seem any happier than you.”

“I don't know what to do. I have loved this woman forever. I miss her. While on the run with Emma, I imagined us together as a family. When Kassie gave me the house, I instantly pictured us there. I didn't picture this person who keeps secrets and doesn’t forgive others when they make mistakes.”

“I don't see it,” Chase denied it. “In her defense, seeing her dead husband, who traumatized her for their entire marriage, come back to life created emotions even Catherine struggles to understand. Kassie didn't call Catherine either. They worked it out.”

“She didn't give me a chance to explain,” Leo muttered.

Chase shook his head. “Remember when you told me to get my head out of my ass? I'm returning the favor. You and she have grown as adults. You've experienced different things. I agree with Saint. Out of everyone at her disposal, she chose you. Do you ever wonder how much courage it took for her to place the call? She worked full time, her father died, and she supported her mom as a single parent. Yet, she didn't forget you. Doesn't that tell you what you already know deep down?” Chase slapped his hand down on his friend's shoulder. “I think you deserve a day off. Consider how much Melody means to you and if the test results matter. Are you prepared to let Catherine go without fighting for her?”

He weaved the truck over the mountain and up the hidden driveway. Since the night he fought with Catherine, he only returned long enough to notice all her clothes missing from her side of the closet. The coffee pot set and fixed for the following day, and a list of groceries for Melody's snacks and mundane items, such as toilet paper, stuck to the side of the fridge. Leo locked up the cabin and never returned. He stared at the home of his dreams as he thought over what his friend advised.

When they went their separate ways all those years ago, Leo used to stare up at the desert sky and imagined her face too many nights to mention. His hands clenched into fists when he thought of Ash threatening her. Was she scared? Had she thought of him? Did she wish they could go back and redo the night he let her push him away?

Leo exited his truck and walked through the empty house. The blanket Catherine threw over her legs as she sat mesmerized by the waterfall lay folded neatly on the couch. The coffee maker ran, and he emptied the days-old liquid into the sink, remembering how Catherine took over the coffee maker after exclaiming he spent way too much time drinking military mud. She ordered some unique beans and ground them. He didn't admit it, but he loved it. She shook her head when they ran out of toilet paper, and he brought the generic stuff from the office. Apparently, women worried about softness and two-ply. He even enjoyed the flushable wipes she placed inside the cabinet. Catherine made his life comfortable. No. She gave him the freedom to enjoy life and let his guard down. Catherine knew his vulnerabilities and weaknesses and still viewed him as if he saved the world.

He walked into the guest room and felt the emptiness of Melody's laughter as she made him sit at the tiny tea table with Mr. Bear and Mrs. Hodges. She held out her little tongue as she poured water into the small cup, careful not to spill a drop as she instructed him how to hold his pinky. He missed all of it. He missed them.

Leo sighed as he made his way to the office. How did he let his own life go FUBAR? He managed to command a team, yet he remained at a loss on handling one stubborn redhead who didn't know her worth.

A mission started to form in his mind. His team would help pull it off. Blood only mattered when you donated. His family consisted of his team, and he’d die for any of them. Melody and Catherine meant more, they became his life, and it didn’t matter what some freaking test proved. Now, he needed to show the woman he loved.

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT

Catherine sat at her desk. A pile of new applications sat before her, and she forced herself to sort them by yes, no, and maybes. Kassie spoke with one of the state facilities about one of their patients. She smiled as her friend argued with the doctor on the other end of the line. He didn't know Kassie’s tenacity, she fought like a dog with a bone. Kassie refused to give up as she advocated for the teen. Since Kassie started working at the hospital, she carried pride and expectations in her mission to help the patients who entered the facility. The hospital promised to become one of the best in the country due to her friend and Chase.

Her thoughts turned to Leo. The morning after their argument, he texted Catherine.

Doc will do a paternity test any day. Name the date and time, and I'll pick you up.

She wanted to tell him to stuff it. He made his declaration and walked out on her. Since then, she discovered him with another woman, and he made no attempt to call or see her.

Kassie entered her office with the files of the new nurses she interviewed and hired. “Why don’t you take the afternoon off. I can tell your mind isn’t here.”

Catherine shook her head. “I’ve never seen him so angry, Kassie. He said I didn't give people second chances. It's true. I didn't give him one. I wasn't willing to talk to you until you tried to talk me out of running. I thought about you, and I refused to make any type of peace offering over my damn pride.”

Kassie rubbed Catherine's arm, “Don't do this. You're beating yourself up. I didn't send an olive branch your way either. We would've eventually worked it out. You honestly don’t know why he believes Melody’s paternity? You used protection with him every single time? You didn't get caught like Chase, and I did when…you know?” Kassie’s face turned sad as she remembered her loss.

No. In typical Leo fashion, they intended to follow the plan he dictated to protect her. No unprotected sex until they married, and if anything happened to him, she’d still gain access to all his military benefits. Although he didn’t discuss his childhood, she guessed his insistence on protecting her stemmed from his mother marrying his abusive stepfather to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.

Catherine's phone buzzed with a text message. Leo's name popped up, and Catherine turned her phone upside down. They missed their window of opportunity. If he, by some miracle tested as Melody’s father, she planned to share custody. She anxiously awaited the test results. Catherine ordered a copy of her medical records. She might have wished Leo as Melody’s dad a million times as Ash threatened her, but she knew, without a doubt, she never intentionally withheld the information. If she even suspected the slim chance, she’d have called him immediately. As if the idea started a movie in her head, she imagined Leo coming for her and her daughter. His chest and giant arms encircled them into safety.

“Catherine…earth to Catherine.” Kassie waved her hand in front of her friend's face. “Do you want to grab some lunch? The nurses finished watching the safety video, and Maddie sent over a ton of food.”

Catherine shook her head. “I'm not hungry.”

The image of the Barbie doll blonde from the restaurant stuck in her head. Leo's relaxed smile as he laughed at something his date said seemed forever burned in her brain. He must’ve lied to her when he said all those things how she was beautiful to him the night they made love. She convinced herself he took pity on her because of her confession concerning Ash finding her disgusting.

“I ate earlier. Have you tried the food in the cafeteria? Where did you find the chef? Plus, my mind keeps dwelling on why Leo believes he’s Melody’s dad. I don’t understand why he seems positive I kept the information a secret from him.” Catherine grabbed another file from the stacks.

“The chef is a vet. He makes the yummiest grilled cheese sandwiches and always adds extra pickles when I order one.” Kassie smiled as if the girl lacked pickles, making Catherine laugh.

“He definitely has my vote if he gives his boss extra pickles.” Catherine rolled her eyes. When her friend sat in the chair next to her desk, Catherine decided to take the spotlight off herself. “I see you have a big red circle written on the calendar. Did you plan a big date or something?”

Kassie's excitement cooled. “We’re trying for another egg retrieval.”

Catherine stood in front of her friend. “Oh, great, Kassie. I'm sure it will work. Stay positive.”

Kassie's face held all her emotions. “Don't mind me, it's the hormones. I swear I went grocery shopping, and every woman in the store walked in pregnant. I went to the post office, and a woman with five kids and another on the way, stood in front of me. And I can't get even one to stick.”

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