Page 95 of Only This Once
“Well, you’re still part of the gossip floating around, but it’s changed.” He grinned again.
“Shut up. I didn’t see a reason to hide it.” The hospital staff gossiped about how she would ruin Jinx’s life, but as long as neither of them cared about that, she’d rather show how proud she was to be with him. Each time she did, she watched some of his insecurity fade.
“It’s cute.” Charles lifted his bag to his shoulder. “I never expected you to be the type to mark your territory.”
Julia scowled at him before following his gesture to go first, exiting the borrowed office. She hadn’t expected to be the possessive type either, but she’d forgotten how often Jinx’s personality drew women to him. Not that she was worried. He told her he loved her pretty much every day now, sometimes more than once. She’d never had much opportunity for PDA in the past. Touching him and kissing him in public had become a turn-on. That had been a surprise.
The hickey she’d given him the other day had awoken something inside of her. There was still a faint mark, and she’d been tempted to make it darker this morning.
She was still lost in thought when Charles moved in front of her, dropping his bag to push her back even as he held a hand out in front of him. “Whoa, take it easy.”
“Get out of my way!” a woman shrieked.
Julia winced as she recognized the voice. “It’s okay, Charles. I’ve got this.” She shifted to the side to face Dr. Rutherford’s wife.
“It’s not okay, and I’m not leaving.” Charles’s face tightened into an expression she didn’t recognize. She’d never seen him so angry, even when she’d been hassled at the hospital before.
It was probably because Mrs. Rutherford’s hand was raised in a threat. Julia was glad he’d kept her from being slapped. She never wanted to go through that again.
“Of course you’re protecting her. Are you sleeping with her, too?” Mrs. Rutherford pointed a finger toward Julia. “I know you’re fucking my husband!”
Julia shook her head. “Not me. Not anymore.” She bit her lip and sighed. “But it was me before, so I get that you might not believe that.”
“Stop lying!” the woman screamed, lunging toward her.
Charles caught her wrist. “I won’t let you hit her.”
Julia couldn’t stop herself from flinching. Her cheek burned in phantom pain from the memory of the last time John’s wife had attacked her. She expected to feel angry or guilty, like she had before. Instead, all she felt was pity when she looked at the woman’s tight face streaked with tears.
“I deserve your anger. When I found out who John was and that he was married, I should have stopped sleeping with him right away. I didn’t question his claims of being separated, and I really should have.” Regret was a hard thing, and she hated that she’d done something she wished she could take back. “I haven’t seen him in months, though. If he’s cheating, it’s no longer with me.”
Mrs. Rutherford’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you.”
Anger flared for a second, but Julia swallowed it, pressing her lips together.
“Why else would you be here? He promised me you’d been fired!”
Julia’s eyes burned and she closed them for a moment, taking a breath. “I was. I work for Dr. Holden now.” She nodded at Charles. “He’s a private practitioner who sometimes—”
“I don’t give a shit!” Mrs. Rutherford screamed, jerking her arm free from Charles’s grip. She rubbed at her wrist as she continued to glare. “Don’t think that sleeping with him is going to get you what you want. I’m John’s wife, and that’s not going to change.”
Julia thought they deserved each other but then felt ashamed of the thought. No woman deserved to be treated that way. “Look, I don’t want anything to do with your husband. Sure, he was a good fuck, but that’s all he was.”
Mrs. Rutherford’s nostrils flared. “You—”
“I love someone else!” Julia shouted over her. She swallowed as she realized how quiet the hallway was around them, but she didn’t take her eyes off the woman. “He’s someone I’ve known for years, and he’s amazing and sweet and everything I could want. I’m sorry if your husband is cheating again, but it has nothing to do with me, not anymore.”
She stooped, picking up Charles’s bag, touching his arm to edge to the side with him.
“Is it him?” Mrs. Rutherford asked, her eyes flicking to Charles.
“No, it’s me.” Jinx’s arms wrapped around Julia from behind, and she leaned into him. “And I’m in love with her, too, so I’d appreciate it if you’d stop yelling at her. Please.”
Julia patted his hand where it had curled around her torso. “It’s okay.” She kept her eyes on John’s wife, relieved when the woman shuffled back a step. She held her gaze, wishing there was something she could do to take away the emptiness she saw there. “I really am sorry. I played my part, but your husband did,too. It seems like he’s still doing it. Someday, I hope you get out of this cycle.” She pushed at Charles’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go.”
Jinx’s arms eased, only one staying curled around her back. He walked beside her closest to Mrs. Rutherford when they passed, but the woman didn’t lunge for them again. Julia took a steadying breath after they turned the corner heading toward the garage.
“Sorry about that,” she mumbled to both of them. “I guess what I did will never go away.”
