Page 8 of Hers to Hold
The doctor studied him for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. “And, yet, you were able to hear a plate shatter?”
Wes shrugged. “You’re right. I can barely believe it myself.”
“Have you asked yourself why you could?”
Wes looked down at his lap, his mind searching for the answer. The doctor waited patiently as Wes struggled to conjure a less-than-scary reason than the only one he could think of. “Because I’m looking for it,” he whispered.
“Looking for?”
“I’m looking for danger,” Wes stated more firmly. “Expecting to be back in that village. Back in Afghanistan.”
“You realize you’re not, right?”
“Of course I do.”
“But you don’t really believe it.”
“I guess I don’t.” Wes kneaded a fist into his opposite palm. His forearms tightened, constriction traveling past his biceps to his neck and settling into his jaw. He worked his jaw from side to side to keep the joints loose. He was already sleeping with a mouthguard to stop the grinding. He didn’t want to wear it all day, reminding him of the time in middle school when he wore one after having braces.
“And what happened next?”
“I…” Kadynce’s shocked expression filled his vision. To see a two hundred and ten pound man barreling toward her was probably the last thing she expected to experience on her first day in a bakery. She didn’t sign up for that. “I tackled Kadynce.”
“Why?”
Wes’s eyes snapped to the doctor. “Why do you think? I thought she was in danger.”
“Her over everyone else in that shop?”
Wes blinked.Yeah.“I…”
“Why her?” the doctor pressed. “Over every other woman—even children! You singled her out.”
“Because…she was in front of me.”
The doctor offered a small, sympathetic smile. “I think it’s more than that, Wesley. You tackled her because you’re attracted to her.”
Wes shook his head and pressed back into the seat. “No. It’s not like that. I—”
“Wesley,” the doctor began in a challenging tone. “We’ve talked about this. Not retreating from the issue. You’ve got to face it head on.”
Wes grunted. He wasn’t a coward. Marines never retreated. Instead of admitting what his heart was already confirming, Wes remained silent.
“Not only are you looking for danger wherever you are, it’s amplified when you’re physically attracted to someone.”
No, really?Of course he’d protect Kadynce from danger. What kind of man would he be if he let her face it alone?Not much of one.
He gripped his armrest, willing the fire racing through his blood to chill. Kadynce was fine. She wasn’t ever in danger. There wasn’t any reason for him to protect her, and she certainly didn’t need him as a human shield against a dropped plate.
Dr. Rafferty calmly closed his notebook. “Wesley, I want you to hear me. Until you’ve come to a place where you are not expecting a battle at any moment, you should not be considering a relationship.”
Wes’s head snapped back. “A relationship? Doc—”
He held up a hand. “Hear me out. You’ve got some work to do. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve made a lot of progress, but you work around noise in construction all day and a shattered plate in the middle of a crowded restaurant triggered you. I believe it was in response to meeting Kadynce. Your attraction for her is causing to regress…rapidly.”
Wes trembled, a chill racing down his spine. It’d been a record number of weeks since his last episode. The doc was right: Kadynce was a contributing factor. From the moment he latched eyes with her, something stirred in his spirit. And just like that, he was back in Afghanistan willing to give his life for her.
“You’re right, Doc.”
