Page 116 of Bloom: Part 2

My chest burned, anger simmering just beneath the surface. How dare he make our sessions into something more than they were?

“I needed to speak to someone about a decision Logan and I made, but he handled it badly. Logan’s the only man I want, yet he said those things.”

“What things? Bloom, was Dr. Simms being inappropriate with you?”

“What he said was sick. He said he wanted to be with me. That he can give me more than Logan can. I should have killed him for talking to me that way, but I-I was shocked at the things he said.” I grabbed Jamie’s arm. “Was it my fault? Did I do something to lead him on? Will Logan blame me for meeting him in secret?”

“Of course not.” Jamie took my hand in his and squeezed it. “Listen to me. You’re a very attractive guy. Lots of men would want you. It’s natural, but Dr. Simms is your psychiatrist. The second he realized his feelings for you were compromised, heshould have recommended you to someone else. I can’t believe he actually said those things to you.”

“It’s so weird. He’s never acted like he wanted me. I would never have been back to see him if I thought he felt that way.”

“Of course not. Everyone knows how you feel about Logan.”

“He said…he said I can’t tell Logan because then Logan wouldn’t believe that it wasn’t my fault. We’re getting married soon, Jamie. I don’t want to have a fight with Logan or for him to change his mind about me.”

“Logan knows you. He won’t blame you for this. You should tell him, and in the meantime, I will report Dr. Simms for his behavior. It’s gross and unprofessional to hit on a patient.”

“Logan’s gonna want to know why I’ll no longer see Dr. Simms.”

“Exactly the reason you should tell him. Bloom, I know navigating relationships is new to you, but Logan has faith in you. That means he trusts you.”

I let out a groan. “He ruined everything.”

“Not everything. Just his career. I can help you find a suitable psychiatrist if you want.”

“What’s the sense? Logan and I won’t be here anyway.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth as if that could stop the words that had already slipped out. No one was supposed to know.

“It’s okay, Bloom. Everything you say here will be confidential. I promise.”

I dropped my hand. “Why don’t you seem surprised?”

“Because the papers Grimm has been working on for Logan have a new identity for him as well. No reason for someone to need those unless they were preparing to disappear.”

“You can’t tell anyone!”

“Relax. I won’t. Was that what you wanted to talk to Dr. Simms about?”

“Yeah.”

“If you want, you can talk to me about it. I’m not a psychiatrist, but I can give you a listening ear.”

“I don’t really want to go.” I cringed at my confession. “We moved here from Riverton, which was a big step for me, but I had my brothers. This won’t be the same. We’d be in a new country and with no contact with the people in our lives now.”

“That does sound tough. Then tell Logan you don’t want to go.”

I shook my head. “I can’t because he’s right. He needs to escape his family, and I need him to stay alive. If this is the only way, I’ll do it.”

“But it won’t help if you hate it. You might grow to resent him for taking you away from your family.”

“That won’t happen. I love Logan too much. I’ll adjust. I have to.”

“Even if you do decide to go, it’ll make you feel a whole lot better if you explain how you feel to Logan. He needs to understand, so he can help you through it. To get through this, you’ll need each other.”

“It hurts here”—I touched my chest—“every time I think about leaving everyone behind—Crowe, Saint, Bay, Winter—I won’t get to see Winter again before I leave, and Sarge isn’t here.”

“I’m so sorry, Bloom. I feel for you, but think of it this way. You want Logan to be safe, and you also want the bikers to be safe.”

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