Page 79 of Gamble
She turned to Jaxson with the same warm smile. “You’re welcome to stay for dinner if you’d like. I always make too much food, anyway. Emma and Chase are welcome too, of course.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Jaxson replied, “but we have a meeting at the elementary school tonight. The twins start kindergarten in the fall, and apparently there are about seventeen forms we still need to fill out.”
“Oh, how exciting! Kindergarten is such a big milestone.” Reagan’s enthusiasm was genuine, not the polite interest most people showed when discussing other people’s children. “Well, maybe you can all come together as a family sometime when Elijah is feeling better. I’d love to meet the twins.”
“I’d like that,” Jaxson said, and Elijah could tell he meant it. “Emma would love to have another woman around who doesn’t think our domestic arrangements are scandalous.”
After Reagan left for the kitchen, humming softly to herself, Jaxson turned back to Elijah with a knowing look.
“She fits,” he declared.
“What do you mean?”
“Into our world. Into your life. She fits.” Jaxson leaned forward again, his expression serious. “Don’t give up on her, Elijah. Don’t convince yourself she can’t handle who you really are without giving her the chance to prove you wrong.”
“Jaxson—”
“Listen to me.” His voice carried the weight of experience, of a man who’d found love in unexpected places. “If an asshole like me could fall in love, get married, and become a father to two incredible kids, then surely an old bastard like you can stop being so fucking scared and fight for what he wants.”
The words hit harder than Elijah expected, cutting through all his carefully constructed defenses.
“What if I’m wrong? What if she runs?”
“Then you’ll know. But what if you’re wrong the other way? What if she surprises you?” Jaxson said. “What if the woman who’s been sleeping next to you every night, taking care of you without complaint, forgiving you for being an idiot... what if she’s stronger than you think she is?”
From the kitchen came the sound of Reagan singing along to music playing from her phone, slightly off-key but unselfconscious. The domesticity of it, the rightness of having her in his space, making herself at home, nearly broke his heart.
“Think about it,” Jaxson said. “Don’t make the biggest mistake of your life out of some misplaced chivalry.”
After Jaxson left, Elijah lay in his bed listening to Reagan cook dinner, wrestling with his friend’s words. Maybe he was being a coward. Maybe he was making decisions for her that weren’t his to make.
But the alternative—risking her rejection, watching her walk away when she learned the truth about his world—terrified him more than any stunt he’d ever performed.
The smell of garlic and herbs drifted down the hallway, along with Reagan’s soft singing, and Elijah closed his eyes. For now, for this moment, she was here. She was his. And maybe, just maybe, that would be enough.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
REAGAN
Reagan looked at her scrubs hanging in Elijah’s closet and felt a flutter of conflicting emotions. How had the past week flown by so fast? Tomorrow she’d be back at Cedar-Sinai, back to twelve-hour shifts and the controlled chaos of the surgical wing. Part of her was ready—she loved her job, loved the adrenaline rush of saving lives and the satisfaction of helping people heal.
But a bigger part of her wasn’t ready to leave this domestic bubble they’d created together.
Over the past week, they’d fallen into routines that felt surprisingly natural. Morning coffee together while she checked his incision site and helped him with his physical therapy exercises. Afternoons spent reading or watching old movies while he rested. Evenings cooking dinner together, with her doing most of the work while he provided commentary and increasingly helpful assistance as his mobility improved.
She’d watched him push himself harder each day, that stubborn streak she’d glimpsed in Vegas driving his recovery with impressive determination. When the physical therapist suggested ten minutes of walking, Elijah did fifteen. When Dr.Jennings recommended gentle stretching, Elijah added strength exercises he’d looked up online.
His fierce independence was both admirable and occasionally infuriating, especially when she’d find him attempting tasks he wasn’t quite ready for. But she had to admit, his refusal to be an invalid was speeding his recovery significantly.
“Ready for the big debut?” Elijah asked from the kitchen doorway, interrupting her thoughts.
Reagan grinned, turning away from the closet. “You mean having dinner out on the patio? I’ve been looking forward to it all day.”
It had been one of the highlights of today’s one-week post-surgery appointment. Dr. Jennings had examined Elijah’s incision, pronounced his progress excellent, and given him limited clearance for spending time outdoors or leaving the house for short trips. Elijah had tried to convince the doctor to approve a soak in his backyard hot tub, but that had gotten a hard no and would have to wait until his incision was completely healed.
“Good, because I’ve been dreaming about at least being able to sit out on the patio again,” Elijah said, with a sly smile. “Even though I can’t take a dip, I still think you should take a soak. Watching you skinny-dip will be even better than soaking myself.”
Reagan felt a heat that had nothing to do with the anticipated hot water course through her. Over the past week, their interactions had been caring but careful. Sweet kisses on the forehead, gentle touches, the kind of intimacy between a patient and caregiver rather than lovers. She’d started to worry that the electric passion they’d shared in Vegas had been a fluke, that seeing her in a nurturing role had somehow diminished whatever attraction he’d felt for her.
