Page 120 of Bloom: Part 2

“Excuse me for a minute, will you? I have to talk to Bloom.” I pushed away from the table and navigated through the clusters of people, the scent of leather and the tang of alcohol growing stronger as I approached the bar.

“Hey.” I placed my hand on his elbow. “Bay, do you mind? I need to talk to Bloom for a second.”

“Nah, that’s good. I need to find what’s holding Ger up anyway. Nice party, man, and the food’s good.”

I nodded, waited until he was out of earshot, then turned to Bloom.

“Logan.” Bloom’s smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

“Is it true that Dr. Simms hit on you?”

He opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, he swallowed. I dropped my arm and took a step back. His reaction was confirmation enough.

“You kept this from me for almost a week?”

“No, just a couple of days.” He bridged the gap between us and placed an arm around my waist as if he thought I would disappear on him.

“A couple of days? When did you see Dr. Simms?”

“I went to see him without telling you because I was worried about”—he leaned in and lowered his voice—“us leaving together. I thought I could talk to him about it so I wouldn’t feel so nervous about leaving everyone behind.”

“What happened exactly?”

“Nothing! I told him no. He was saying a bunch of things about me staying and being with him, but I threatened him and left. Jamie said he would deal with it. Was he the one who told you?”

“No. Sven did.”

He scowled. “Why is he in my business?”

“He was telling me about the hospital, not you specifically. I wish you had told me.”

“It was already taken care of. I talked to you about the most important part. How I felt about us leaving together. Remember, we spent most of that night talking about how we’d handle it together.”

We had, but he had still hidden the rest from me, and I didn’t like it at all. “I knew there was a reason I hated his guts. Did he ever try anything with you during your sessions?”

He shook his head. “Which is why it was shocking, to be honest. He was always forceful about me leaving you, but he’s never said anything about having feelings for me.”

“Thank god we won’t have to see him again. We’ll find you someone more suitable when we move.”

“Maybe not for a while? I think I’m all drained out on therapy for now.”

“We’ll see how it goes. You might need one after the move we’re about to make.” With a sigh, I softened and tugged him into my arms, resting my chin on top of his head. If Dr. Simms had been in front of me, I would beat him with his clipboard. How could he have broken Bloom’s trust this way and all this time pretending he had Bloom’s interest at heart?

“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No, I’m upset with him for breaking your trust like that, but in the future, you can tell me anything, Bloom.”

“I’m sorry. The asshole told me you’d be upset if I mentioned it to you, that you wouldn’t trust me anymore.”

And of course he would weaponize Bloom’s insecurities and use it against him. If he could plant such blatant lies in Bloom’s head, just what else was he capable of? I frowned as a sinking feeling entered my gut.

I released Bloom. “Are you enjoying the party?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I see my uncle and brother just walked in. Want to greet them with me?”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

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