Page 43 of The Doctor's No-Strings Deal

His father gave him the most baffled of looks. “Who the hell is that?” he said. “You shouldn’t laugh at people with substance abuse issues, Charlie,” he said. “It’s unprofessional.”

“I know,” Charlie said, still gasping. “She doesn’t have a substance abuse issue. That’s Megan Bright.”

“Who?”

“The girl you wanted me to stop dating.”

His father crossed his arms over his chest. “Looks like the advice was warranted.”

Charlie ignored his father. He immediately crossed the lawn toward Megan. The closer he came to her, the more his arms ached to hold her. Her eyes darted from side to side like she was desperately searching for a way out, but she couldn’t seem to pick a direction. Her feet were planted on the concrete, the sign she’d knocked over still laying useless on the ground behind her. Maybe she hated him, but he didn’t care. Just seeing her reminded him of what it was he’d lost when he lost her — a partner, a confidant, a best friend, and the most remarkable lover he’d ever had.

He didn’t even wait for her to say hello. He just swooped in and scooped her off her feet, giving her the biggest bear hug he could without crushing her. “I missed you so much,” he said. “I can’t keep on like this without you. I’m so sorry, Megan. Please, please, please forgive me. If I could do it all over again, I’d never have done anything to jeopardize my relationship with you. To me, right now, you are all that matters.”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” she said when he finally let her catch her breath.

“It’s okay.”

“I mean, I did mean to a little,” she corrected, “but I didn’t come out here to listen. I didn’t even know your father was here.”

He held her at arm’s length and looked into her eyes. “It doesn’t matter, Bright. It’s okay. I’m glad you heard it.”

“Me too,” she said. “Because now I think I understand the kind of pressure you’re under all the time. It’s crazy. I’m sorry?—”

“Shh…” He put a finger to her lips, partly to make a point, and partly because his father was now headed toward them, and if anyone was going to piss his father off, it was going to be Charlie himself. Megan did not need to be dealing with Jon Sullivan’s infamous wrath. “You have nothing to apologize for. You did everything right, and I am the one in the wrong. I should have never accepted the fellowship.” Just then, his father caught up, waiting to be introduced no doubt, but Charlie wasn’t finished talking to Megan. “I went against my principles when I took that chance from you. Nothing is worth that. Nothing is worth losing myself and everything I believe in, and nothing is worth losing you.”

Charlie’s father had come within earshot, and the frown on his face was enough to tell Charlie that he fully understood what Charlie was saying. Some deep, childish part of Charlie wanted to take it all back and go along with whatever his father’s opinion was. But it was time to let go of all those childhood fears. Charlie Sullivan was not the same as his father, and it was time both he and his father realized this.

It was time to be completely honest. “I love you,” he said to Megan. “I know it now. It was stupid to deny it for so long. We butted heads so much in the beginning, and I think I get it now.You reminded me too much of myself. You were so focused, so driven. I hated competing with you when all I wanted to do was lift you up and make life easier for you. You have talent — so much talent, you don’t even realize. If my father knew you like I do, he would have wished you were a Sullivan too.”

His father grumbled, but Charlie ignored him. There were tears in Megan’s eyes, but Charlie could tell they were happy tears. He had said the right thing, finally. For once, he wasn’t looking to make her angry. He wanted her to be happy, and whatever happy looked like on her at this exact moment was precisely what he wanted to see. “I look ridiculous,” she said with a laugh and an adorable blush.

He picked a twig and some leaves out of her hair. “You look perfect. You’re the most beautiful woman here.”

“Son,” his father cut in, “as soon as you’ve finished with your seduction of this woman, we should get back to the conference. There are a few important people I want to introduce you to before the day is out.”

Charlie fought the urge to obey. “No,” he said. “I think I’m done being introduced to your friends for now, but thank you.” It was always easier to defy his father in a respectful way. If Charlie lost his temper, things would go unbelievably badly for him. “Megan and I have a few things to talk about, if she doesn’t mind. She’s my most important contact right now. And if she can’t mingle due to being forced to hide in a hedge by her stupid boyfriend, then her stupid boyfriend owes her a new dress and a good dinner.” He turned back to Megan. “What do you think, Bright? Dinner tonight?” He attempted a charming smile, which she visibly appreciated. “With a side of forgiveness?”

She smiled up at him, suddenly unflustered by his father’s hovering presence. “Dinner sounds wonderful. We’ll see about the forgiveness.”

“I’ll win you over,” he said, pulling one more twig from her hair. “Let’s go.”

Charlie took Megan to a high-end department store and encouraged her to try everything on. “It won’t make a dent in what I took from you,” he said when she protested. “I just want to pay a little of it back. So please don’t worry about the price.” Then he winked at her. “I promise I can afford it.”

It didn’t matter which outfit she chose. They all looked amazing on her. Megan had one of those bodies that could pull anything off. At least, that was Charlie’s opinion. She chose an old-fashioned dress with a calf-length shirt and three-quarter-length sleeves. It looked like she’d either time traveled from the 1950s or she was the coolest librarian in the stacks. “You look amazing,” he said, meaning every word.

She smiled a little. “Thank you.”

“Now, dinner.” He took her by the arm and brought her to the counter. “She needs to wear these out,” he told the teller. “Little mishap with the landscaping.”

The teller laughed and took his card. She was flirtatious, but Charlie could not possibly care less. The woman on his arm was the only woman he could see just now. Her drive and determination only added to her already gorgeous appearance. He wanted her on his arm for the rest of his life, but he didn’tdare say it yet. There was no chance he was going to screw this up again. Slow and steady wins the race, he told himself.

He took Megan to the best Italian restaurant in the city. His intention, this time, was to show her that he could be more than her resident rival. He wanted her to fall for him for real, and he wanted to show her what kind of long-term partner he would be. He pulled her chair out for her like a high-class gentleman, and sat across from her feeling like every word he was about to say would be the most important words he would say in his life.

“Megan,” he said. “I want you to know that I’m going to give up the fellowship.”

She shook her head. “Don’t do that. It’s not like they’re going to give it to me. If anyone was going to get it other than me, I’m glad it was you.”

“I’m not,” he admitted. “I hate nepotism. I wanted to earn everything I had. Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted that — to prove myself worthy of the life I was blessed with. How can I do that if my father just hands me what I’m aiming for before I even have the chance to compete?” He sighed and reached across the table, hoping she’d take his hand. To his great relief, she did. “You are the one who gave me a real fight, a real chance to prove myself. I know you weren’t doing it for me, but it meant the world to me anyway. Doing all of it without you felt meaningless.”

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