Page 25 of The Doctor

I pulled into the same parking spot as I did all those years ago. It wasn’t that I planned it that way but it was the middle of the week and the place was not busy. I’d chosen that spot backthen because there was no light and we were less likely to get caught making out. Nearly two decades later and there was still no light covering that spot. But I’d eventually decided I wanted a little more privacy in case things went further than I expected.

Not that I had expected much. At sixteen all we had done was kiss a few times before we went on our first official date. And it had taken us a while after that before we had sex for the first time. That was a night I never wanted to repeat. At least I was able to take care of her beforehand. I had gone slow because I didn’t want to hurt her. Still, I had orgasmed far sooner than was reasonable.

As time went on, I got better at controlling myself. By the time we had broken up, I knew exactly what Bex liked and I even learned a few tricks on how to last longer. Even so, I was glad I was no longer that horny teenager. Of course, my need for her was deeper than it had ever been. If I wasn’t careful, our time together after all these years could be even quicker than when I was a sixteen-year-old virgin.

But that was not something that would happen with this date. Not that I intended to wait months. Back then, neither of us were ready to take that step. Even when we did, I now had the perspective to see I was way too young. Or maybe that was just because I had a kid who was a year away from the same age I was when I lost my virginity.

I definitely didn’t think Dom was ready for that kind of thing. Not that I knew the kid all that well. Although, objectively, it was possible Dom had already had sex.

I got out of my truck, walked around to Bex’s side and opened the door for her. I helped her out even though she was tall enough to get out on her own.

I kissed her forehead before taking her hand. “Let's head inside.”

She scanned the parking lot bringing another small smile to my lips. She was a soldier through and through. Her training had never left her, always looking for potential threats and keeping those around her safe. I knew that was why she wanted to sleep on the couch.

The arguments she made were perfectly logical. But no woman of mine would ever sleep on the couch. If things went the way I planned, she would never leave my bed. Even after the threat was eliminated.

What I did plan was that Bowzer seated us at the same booth as we had that first time. The place hadn’t changed much. The turquoise and yellow was a little more dull and there were some chips in the black and white tile. Bowzer wanted to hand the diner over to his girls. He and his wife had fostered five girls just before I moved back from New York eighteen months before. Four of those girls were still with him and he was in the process of adopting them. Since then, he’d vowed to keep everything the same until they wanted to make changes.

He walked over to us. “Bex, Logan. Hi, what can I get you.”

“Harry.” Bex was one of the few who called Harry Bauman by his first name. The rest of us called him, Bowzer. She looked surprised to see him. It had been a while since he actually served a table. “I didn’t think you came out front anymore.”

He offered her a gentle smile. “Since Logan wanted to recreate your first date, I decided to play along. Besides, all of my help is at LazerGames or something.”

“It’s PaintBall actually.” She returned his smile. “But you have one of the Ripper boys behind the bar.”

Bowzer had obtained a license to sell alcohol a while back. That was during my time in New York. He looked at the young man behind the bar. “Kid’s an asshole but he’s a good barman. Anyway, if you’re recreating your first date, does that mean youtwo are together now? My girls have been rooting for you two since they found out you dated in high school.”

“Let's not get ahead of ourselves.” Bex frowned and tilted her head to Bowzer. “How do they know we dated in high school?”

“Marina De Ferrier is not exactly a thriving metropolis.” He pulled out a pen and notepad. “News travels faster than a fighter jet in this town. What can I get you?”

I lifted my hand to draw his attention. “Two cheese burgers, one large fries and a chocolate shake with two straws.”

“Wow.” Bowzer smiled. “That’s still the standard date order. It's good to know nothing has changed. Almost like a tradition.”

That said, he walked off.

Bex raised a brow. “That man loves his traditions. It's something he’s passed down to his girls. Pancake Club is one of those things.”

“I still don’t understand what that is.” I knew it had something to do with birthdays. “Do you think Dom had traditions he’s going to miss? I don’t want him to think he can’t honor those things.”

She nodded and smiled. “We can speak to him about it.” Her smile softened. “We are on the same page, aren’t we?”

I didn’t have to ask her what she was thinking. I had watched her over the last few weeks and she had not once hidden what her intentions were. I was on board as well, but then when it came to Dom, I was always on board.

“Yes.” I took her hand, rubbing circles on her wrist. “I will fight for him. He will have a say, of course. But we both know how difficult it is to keep siblings together in the system. An older teenage boy doesn’t stand a chance at all.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes. “But it's not just about him. Yes, I want to keep him. I don’t regret giving him to the Bayers. They needed him as much as he needed them. But now it's him and Vicky and Landon. And I don’t want to let any of them down.Liza took care of Dom when we needed her. I feel like she is asking us to take care of all of them now. I will not give any of them up, Lo. Not without one hell of a fight. They were meant to be our family. Especially with…”

A tear rolled down her cheek.

I caught it with my thumb. “Especially with what, Becky? You can tell me anything.”

Bex squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. In that moment, all sorts of scenarios played through my head. But the biggest fear bubbled to the surface. What if she meant,especially if we weren’t going to be together. The last time I had seen that look on her face she had devastated me. I didn’t want to go back to that place.

“Lo, Ican’thavechildren.” She blurted it like she had to make sure all the words got out before changed her mind.

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