Page 25 of Healing You
“For as long as she needs me to,” he answered, taking a sip of his drink.
Cam sighed, shaking his head. “You know... I don't think you want her to forgive you. Because her forgiving you means you'd actually have to attempt a relationship with her, and that scares the shit out of you.”
Those words saturated Steve's thoughts. Was his brother right? Steve was scared, he could admit that. He hadn't had a real, long term relationship since high school, and he wasn't exactly great at it back then. He was terrified of hurting her again and getting hurt in return. It had always made more sense to keep Eve at arm's length. But now that she had awakened something inside of him, he wasn't sure anymore.
The letter she wrote was harsh. And blunt. She never wanted to see him again. But it was also a wake-up call. And ultimately it was his choice to walk away. It was his decision to leave without talking to her or confronting her one final time. Those horrible things she said, she thought... she felt about him. They hurt. They cut deeper than the damn scar on his face, but he couldn't blame her for that anger. Could something like that, something so deeply rooted, ever just dissolve? Or was love like water—with the ability to take many forms, switching from liquid to solid to gas and back again. Maybe it was ever changing, ever evolving, and expecting it to stay in one form throughout all kinds of climates was unrealistic.
“Maybe it does scare the shit out of me,” he finally answered, clearing his throat.
Cam looked surprised. But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Because that was Cam— steady, unwavering. Even when he was caught entirely off guard, it was fleeting before he was composed once more.
“What's wrong with that? What's wrong with being cautious? Guarding my heart, her heart... and preserving myself?” Steve ran a hand down his face, his palm brushing against the raised skin at his scar.
“There's nothing wrong with that. But by existing to only preserve what's here already? Means you're not growing. That accident changed your life completely... for the better. Where the hell would you be if you had continued on that path from high school?”
Steve didn't allow him to think about that too often. In a lot of ways, nearly dying had given him life. The chance to reinvent himself. “Who knows where I'd be. Probably lying in a ditch somewhere, hung over.”
Cam was stone-faced. “Your outer wounds have healed. It's time to let the inner ones do the same.”
The sun peeked out from behind a cloud, and a burst of golden warmth shined down on them. And for all of a moment, Steve felt his father there with them. That blast of warmth, of light, was like Mike Tripp, his father, agreeing with Cam's statement. Swallowing past the tightness in his throat, Steve pushed his sunglasses up on his head, grabbing the plates and the empty bottles to bring out to the recycling.
“Where you off to now?”
Steve sighed, throwing his big brother a wink. “I'm a doctor. If I want to heal, that means I gotta take my medicine.”
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townhouse, but she’d wanted Benny to be well exercised meeting Lila for the first time, and Yvonne Y vonne couldn't help but smile as she walked home from Lila's diner—dog-less. Benny, the puggle, was officially fostered... most likely soon to be adopted. His perky, excitable nature perfectly mirrored Lila's energy. It was a long walk into town from Yvonne's didn't mind a two and a half mile walk each way. Living in New England, she wanted to embrace the beautiful weather while she could. Soon enough, they'd be right back in the thick of winter, trudging through piles of snow.
The rush of placing a dog in its perfect home buzzed through her body. She was sad and happy and excited all at once. Foolish tears pooled in her eyes and she swiped them away. It was so stupid to cry. She'd see Benny all the time around town. But even so, as much as she tried to tell herself not to get attached to any of her rescues, she almost always did.
Grabbing her keys from her back pocket, Yvonne skipped up her driveway and stopped dead as she took the sharp turn around the shrubs leading the pathway to her front door. Steve sat there on her front stoop. Mesh shorts hung low to his knees, a T-shirt hugging his muscular chest. He held a leash loosely in his hand. His smile spread slowly like gooey peanut butter over warm toast. “Well, hey there. I was getting worried you were standing me up.”
Yvonne crossed her arms. “Standing you up? I don't think I actually agreed to this—” This what? Date? Jogging buddy? Meeting? What the hell was “this” exactly?
He shrugged. “My mistake. I thought you had.” He pushed off his knees, standing. “But since I'm here... we might as well go together if you were thinking of running.”
“Well, I wasn't.” And it was the truth. She left out the fact that it was because she was avoiding bumping into him again.
Steve nibbled the inside of his cheek for just a moment before nodding. “That's a shame. Molly's great company.” He scratched his dog behind the ear. “But she's not much of a conversationalist. Makes three miles kind of quiet, you know?”
“Three miles?” She arched her brow. “That's a warm-up run for me.”
“If it's that easy, then throw on your sneakers, Sarzacki. Let's see what you've got.”
Damn him. He knew the three-mile comment would spur her competitive nature. “The dogs have all been alone most of the day. I should really spend some time with them.”
Steve shrugged. “Bring them. Four dogs, four hands.” He gestured between them.
“You think they'd all be okay?”
“Well, Daisy should probably rest and let her infection heal a little longer. But the others should be fine. We'll keep a close eye on Gatsby and take a lot of water breaks.”
She perked up at that. “Really? Gatsby could come?” Her poor dog hadn't had a good run since last weekend, before he got sick. She'd been too worried about him to take him out with her.
“If he can't run with a vet, who can he run with?”
Damn. He’d found her kryptonite. Not that it was a huge secret. Those dogs would always be her weak spot.
