Page 9 of All I Want

He leaned back, his hand on his chest. “You wound me, Mags. I’ll have you know that many people said my singing was memorable and unique.”

“As in a memory they can’t unhear,” she said.

“Very funny. Maybe we can have a repeat this week when we stop by to deliver presents. I’ll make sure to tell the kids you requested it.”

She gasped. “No. I want them to like me.”

He leaned across the table and tweaked a strand of her hair, giving it a soft tug that she felt down to her toes.

Dammit.

“I bet they love you. Who wouldn’t?”

She sucked in a breath, willing the blush from her cheeks, as she met his gaze. His anger was gone, and she noticed the heat in his eyes. God, it’d been so long since he’d looked at her that way, since anyone had looked at her that way.

Who was she kidding? It’d always only been him. She’d rarely dated while in med school, not that she’d had much time for that with her studies. But no one was ever going to be Alex, and she’d stupidly thrown him away.

“Alex,” she started, her fingers barely touching his.

“Alex, there you are,” a voice called from over Maggie’s shoulder, and she turned to see a stunning woman smiling at them.

Maggie wrapped both hands around her glass, wishing she was anywhere but here.

He might’ve said he was casually dating someone, but he was still dating someone, and she’d spent the last few hours flirting with him. She normally wasn’t a horrible person.

But he’d flirted right back.

Alex’s chair scraped the wood floor as he pushed back to stand, grabbing the chair before it fell over.

“Sorry I’m late. Got held up at work. Great game, Alex,” the woman said, brushing a kiss across his cheek.

His gaze darted between the woman and Maggie. Maggie didn’t miss the guilt in his expression.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” the woman asked.

“Ah, yes. Of course. Madison, this is Maggie,” Alex said, and Maggie wished she’d stayed home tonight.

She wanted to be happy for him. He deserved to be happy. But all she could think about was his hand grazing hers when he handed her that last drink. How it’d felt when he’d hugged her tonight. Dammit. She needed to be over him.

He’d moved on. She needed to be the bigger person.

She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Maggie, an old family friend of Alex’s; we grew up together.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” Madison said.

Her name fit her perfectly: statuesque and stunning. Her blonde hair held the perfect wave, and her makeup was subtle and impeccable. Maggie tucked a wayward brunette strand behind her ear, holding her smile in place.

“Yes, we’ve known each other since we were kids. We were just catching up. Maggie started her residency at Children’s this summer. I still can’t believe she didn’t tell me she was moving here,” Alex said.

She read the tightness in his brow that he tried to mask. Guilt rumbled in her belly. After the last hour, she’d thought they’d moved past that.

“Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m sure you have all sorts of stories about him growing up,” Madison said, putting her hand on Alex’s chest.

“Umm, yes. We’ve known each other forever. Grew up a street apart,” Maggie said, trying to ignore the way Madison leaned into Alex, looking like a perfect fit. Her light coloring was striking against Alex’s tan skin and dark hair.

“What was he like in high school? I bet he got all the girls. It’s the quiet ones, you know,” Madison said, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

And that was her cue to leave.

“I should probably get going. It was nice meeting you Madison, and it was great to see you, Alex.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Madison asked.

“Yeah, sorry. Again, nice meeting you,” Maggie said, then ducked into the crowd before he could reply.

She hated the jealousy that rolled through her. It was her own damn fault.

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