Page 27 of Demo

Demo: I appreciate you noticing that I’m a guy. Your “nice” gesture is noted and ignored. You will NEVER have to pay for anything in my presence.

Paige: If I ask you a question, will you be honest with me?

Demo: Depends on the question.

Demo: If you ask me if those pants make you look fat, I will answer ‘no’ without even looking so I won’t know if it’s the truth or a lie.

Paige: Ha-ha. You’re so funny. (She says sarcastically.)

Demo: I’m hilarious. (He says seriously.)

Demo: What’s your question, beautiful?

Paige: Did Steel talk to you? I mean, I know things got a little out of hand with us flirting during your appointment. I’m still sorry about that. That was entirely unprofessional of me. But were you here and then the food afterwards… I mean, was that because Steel told you to?

Paige jumped as her phone rang unexpectedly. She was sitting in her car in Cindy and Ronald’s driveway texting Demo. It was silly to take advantage of a couple of minutes of kid-free, work-free time when there was so much she had to do, but she felt bad about having not texted him back yet. Especially after he sent all that food over to the clinic with Kelly.

She hesitated slightly before answering her phone. “Hello?”

“Steel came by to see you?” There was something odd in his voice. More so than the fact that he skipped over a greeting entirely.

“Yeah,” she said honestly. It wasn’t a violation of her doctor-patient confidentiality to ask about Steel. She just wouldn’t add about Jenna coming in after their conversation to get treatment. “He came in shortly after you had my lunch delivered. He went on about needing to apologize to me. That family’s important and I’m family through Harper. He made it sound like I was this big oversight on his part.”

Demo was silent for a long minute. “And you think Steel made me fake shoulder pain to come to the clinic and flirt with you?” There was disapproval but no censure in his voice.

“What?” she gasped out. “No! That’s not what I meant at all. I know you weren’t faking the pain.”

“But you think I was faking the flirting?”

Paige flinched, pinching the bridge of her nose. “No, yes… I don’t know. I’m a mess, Demo! As much as my inner goddess was swooning all day at your attention, my stupid, logical brain has to question it. I’m not a catch. I don’t have riches or a young woman’s body. I have stretch marks from my pregnancies. I just… I appreciate you flirting with me. I appreciate the food. I just… I guess I don’t understand it.”

“You know, it’s a shame you don’t know where your husband is.”

Her eyes flew open and she sat up straight in the driver’s seat of her car. “What?” she demanded harshly.

“If you knew where your husband was, I’d hunt him down and kick his ass. What the fuck did he say to you,doto you, to make you question your beauty, Paige? Could you put some meat on your bones? Fuck yes—butyou are beautiful just as you are.You thinkrichesmake a woman desirable? I would take an honest woman who lived in a travel trailer and earned minimum wage over some rich skank who only cares about how she looks to others any day. Did I flirt with you becauseSteeltold me to? Fuck. No. I wouldn’t even if he had. I’m not that kind of man, nor is Steel. Did he recommend I go to the clinic to see you for my shoulder? Yes. Abby and Bulldog have been pushing for me to go see you too. Feel free to ask them. It wasn’t until Steelthreatenedto drag me there by my ear that I manned up and went. I’ll admit to that. They had the influence to get me to your door. But everything afterwards? They hadnothingto do with it.”

Paige’s heart hammered in her chest as she tried to process everything he just said, declared, and admitted. She had no idea how to accept the fact that he thought she was beautiful. Richard hadn’t given her such a compliment since before she’d gotten pregnant with Mikey. Looking back on it, it was a wonder she’d ever gotten pregnant with Nelly Bean. It was a wonder she ever let Richard touch her at all after he casually mentioned to her that pregnant women were ugly to him. She’d made so many mistakes with Richard. Believing his lies and hidden insults.

Was it so impossible that Demo couldactuallylike her? She’d seen his body’s reaction to their flirting and her nearness. She recalled the feel of his hands on her hips and how he’d stared into her eyes like he was searching for her soul.

“Paige?”

“Yeah?” she managed to get out. It sounded like a toad croak.

“I meant every word that I said, but I can also understand your dilemma. I’m your patient. You’re technically still married. I’ve laid out my intentions. I want you in my life. I want to get to know you as no one else does. I want to be your confidant and your supporter. I’ll be your biggest cheerleader if you’ll let me. I will stand between you and all the bad in the world. Not because I don’t believe you’re not strong or can’t fight your own battles, but because you deserve no less.

“I can be your white knight if you let me.

“Why don’t you take some time? Think it over. I don’t want to stop treatment on my shoulder. You’re actually the first doctor I’ve seen that was able to help me without turning my medicine cabinet into a pharmacy. But I will gladly take myself off your schedule if it will ease any guilt you may possess about dating me too. And if it turns out that all you want is friendship, well, I’ll be the best friend you ever had, Paige Hannigan.”

Her breath hitched in her throat. “What I want and what I should do are two entirely different things, Demo,” she admitted softly.

“Yeah,” he drawled, “but only one of those lets us go dancing naked in the moonlight.”

Paige let out a loud laugh in spite of the tears in her eyes. “I need to go pick up my boys.”

“Go,” he encouraged. “I’m here when you need me. And Paige?”

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