Page 26 of The Secrets We Built Together

I rolled my eyes, not knowing if it was him or me that I was doing it at. After all, Reece wasn't entirely wrong. It just wasn't going to end the way she wanted it to. Or start, if I had anything to say about it.

"Shut up. It's nothing. I'm doing a nice thing for someone who is supposed to be a friend. You know I can't... relationships aren't good for me right now."

Booker's frown came back, but this time it had that sympathetic edge I'd started to grow used to. That didn't mean it didn't infuriate me any less.

I was making this work. I was keeping myself clean. Having them all waiting for me to fall wasn't helping me any.

"Xander..."

"Leave it alone, Book. Are you around this afternoon? We need to talk about the clinic."

“Hmmm Marianne called me too. Who the hell gave her my number?” He scowled like someone had personally wronged him and I resisted the urge to tell him that he was her boss and she had to be able to contact him. “Reece is running some numbers. We can be ready by three to go over everything. You know, after you get back from…”

I threw the truck into reverse and started to pull away before he could say anything else. I didn't need to hear it.

Blake was too good for me and she was in a complicated situation right now. She didn't need me latching onto her and making it any worse.

I refused to let myself look in the rearview as I headed down the driveway. This was pathetic. I was a grown man lusting after the girl next door that was completely out of my league.

I should turn around now and head back home. It wasn't like I didn't have a million things I could be doing right now. I had what felt like a hundred resumes to go through, and interviews to set up. The clinic timeline would need to be accelerated—we'd need to hire staff faster, finalize equipment orders earlier, coordinate with suppliers...

But my heart just wasn't in it today.

So I was going to do the one thing I knew I shouldn't.

Because I couldn't keep away.

I ranted at myself for the entire drive there, which in reality took less than twenty minutes even if it did feel like hours.

The more I told myself it was a mistake, the more determined I was to do it.

And I realized it was because I genuinely did want to check in on them both. I needed to see with my own eyes that Blake was handling this whole thing. She was in an impossible situationand if there was anything I could do to make it easier for her, I'd do it in a second.

I didn't understand myself anymore.

Or maybe I did, but the denial and self-hatred was strong enough to make me pretend that I didn't.

And with that epiphany grating on my nerves, I pulled into Trace and Delaney's driveway and straight for the woman I'd been thinking about all night long.

The sight of the police cruiser outside of the house had my hands tightening on the wheel.

This wasn't good.

What had happened?

I knew I should have come back before now.

My gaze darted around checking for an ambulance even though it was obvious there wasn't one around. Trace would have called me if they needed help. I would have been here quicker than any ambulance.

As soon as I had the truck in park I grabbed my bag and leaped from the truck, taking the porch steps in a single bound and barging through the front door.

"Blake!" I yelled, striding into the house.

Her wide surprised eyes met mine as I made it to the kitchen door and found her sitting at the kitchen table with Ethan at her side.

I froze in the doorway, suddenly aware of the tight knot forming in my chest. Ethan had his hand on her knee. His hand. On her knee.

I hated him, and not just because of that casual touch that seemed far too intimate. The sudden surge of possessiveness caught me off guard. Where the hell had that come from?

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