Page 27 of Healed Hearts

Beck pats the top of my head. “We love you, too, CT. Now, who’s making breakfast?” he asks, and before anyone can answer, he touches his fingertip to his nose and says, “Not it.”

I turn to Roman, and he’s already got his finger on his nose. Fucking assholes. “Hmm, I think I’ll make breakfast,” I say. I have a huge smile on my face as I wiggle off the end of the bed to go start on breakfast. I’m so glad I have both of them. I’m never going to call Beck by his real name again, though. I hope he realizes that.

After my last shift of the week, I wait in the ER for Beck. This has been the longest week, and I’m so ready to get home to start my stretch of four days off. I lean against the wall, watching as Beck gives me a little wave and holds his finger up like he’s telling me just a minute.

While I glance around the ER, I let my mind drift back to Wren and Julian. I really like that sweet girl. She’s adorable, and she always lights up so much when she sees me. It seems like Julian does too, but I’m trying to let myself live in denial of that.

Peds is… I wouldn’t sayharderthan working in the ER, but in some ways it is. Kids aren’t as good at explaining what’s wrong as adults are. But on the flip side, they aren’t as volatile as adults can be. But then, they also need more handholding and one-on-one care. Truthfully, though, that’s where I thrive. I’m also really fond of the patient ratios. Some days, I’m with the same patient the entire day. It really gives me the opportunity to customize their care, and make sure they are getting all they need without being stretched too thin. It also gives me the opportunity to really connect with them and learn their cases, whereas in the ER I may be running a code one minute and cleaning up vomit the next. Overall, I’m really enjoying it, even during the harder moments.

I glance down at my phone. I’m only mildly disappointed that I don’t have a message from Julian. I shouldn’t be. He doesn’t owe me anything, but I’ve gotten quite used to our damn near constant stream of texts. Well, as constant as they can be given my job.

“Ready, Hold?” Beck asks, startling me from my thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go, Beckett.” He groans, but doesn’t say anything. I haven’t let up all week. It’s no less than he deserves, though, so I smirk at him and follow him through the main doors into the parking lot.

When we get home, the smell of my favorite meal in existence—stuffed peppers—greets me as we walk through the door. “Oh fuck, I love when Ro cooks.”

“You know,” Beck says, “He couldn’t cook at all when we were kids.”

Roman laughs as he walks into the living room. “You fucking wish that was true, Mr. I Can Make Breakfast Foods and Spaghetti.”

“Again, I ask, whose side are you on, beautiful?”

“And I’ll tell you again,” Roman says, walking across the room. “Whatever side keeps me alive.” He smiles at Beck and pulls him into a lingering kiss. I don’t care for the strange feeling I’ve been getting in my stomach every time they kiss in front of me. Or that the strange feeling is always accompanied by the image of Julian’s big, dark brown eyes floating in my head. I quickly walk past them and head into the dining room.

Roman has the table set with wine glasses and all. My heart drops out for a second until I realize the bottle he has on the table is sparkling grape juice. I fucking love him. I giggle, then pull my phone out and snap a picture to send to Julian.

I feel rather than see Ro and Beck come into the room behind me. “So, what’s the special occasion?” I ask, pulling my chair out to sit down. Because be real, this is my favorite meal, and I’mstarving.

“You are,” Roman says with a grin as Beck pulls his chair out for him and he sits down.

“Me?” I ask, a little shocked. “Why me?”

“I’m really proud of how hard you’re working and how well you’re adjusting to peds. Lydia came into the center today andhung out for a while, and she was bragging about you so much. So, I wanted to do something special for you. Even if it is just your favorite dinner and some sparkling grape juice.”

My heart swells, and my eyes burn. “Thanks, Ro. I really appreciate that. You didn’t have to, though,” I say, trying to choke back my emotion.

“Wrong. I love you, Hold. I wouldn’t be here without you.” After a few moments, he adds, “You’re going to be my best man, right?”

“Stop trying to make me cry, Ro.” Tears are already spilling over my lower lashes, though, so the warning doesn’t matter. “Of course I will.”

Beck gasps and we both turn to him. “Sorry, sorry. Please continue. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

I laugh, thankful that the attention is no longer on me. “Nah, I need to know what you’re over there gasping about, Beckett.”

He shakes his head with a chuckle. “Right after I asked Roman on our first date, Riley was at my house, and she said she was going to be my best man. Now, I have to call that pain in the ass and request that she follow through.”

Roman laughs. “Before our first date, huh?”

Beck shrugs. “What can I say? I knew from day one.”

I watch as they smile at each other. There’s so much love between them that it makes my stomach twist. When Beck asked me to help him propose to Roman, I had a moment of weakness. I let my mask slip and told Beck that if the two of them couldn’t make it, I was doomed. I meant that. They’re so perfect for each other. Julian’s face pops into my mind, and my stomach somersaults. Oof. Don’t like that. “Stop being so gross. You’re ruining my appetite.”

My voice pulls them out of their trance and they both turn back to their meals. Thank God.

I’m pulled from a deep sleep by my phone going off beside my bed. I crack my eyes open, thinking it’s my alarm, when I remember that I definitely shut them off before I laid down. It stops and then starts up again almost immediately, so I reach over and pick it up.

I blink at the bright light in the dark, trying to get my eyes to adjust, when I realize it’s Julian calling me. Why the hell would he be calling me so late? I answer. “Hello?”

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