Page 70 of Forced Proximity
He followed me out then, and I waved down the doctor. “I’ll be right back.”
Finnian headed to the exit, but didn’t step all the way outside.
I waited until I was at the doctor before I explained, “Please, please, please. Whatever you have to do, can you hide the pregnancy? I’m going to arrange everything for my fiancé. We’ll get it done. But please don’t mention that. I don’t think he can take it.”
The doctor nodded. “It’s not something that has to be told to anyone, really. The funeral home doesn’t need to know. It was quite early.”
“Thank you.” I squeezed her hand. “Thank you for putting them back together, too. That meant a lot to him.”
She smiled. “Try to have a better day.”
That I didn’t think was possible.
But we would try.
I’d never planned a funeral before.
Two new things in one day that I hoped not to experience ever again.
When I’d offered to help with this, Finnian had readily agreed, and I knew that was because he was absolutely sick and couldn’t step in there again after Tavi.
Even though he hadn’t said much about his son’s passing, other than it’d happened, and what I’d overheard between him and his ex-wife, I knew that it was debilitating for him. You couldn’t hide pain like that, no matter how hard you tried. And every time Tavi was mentioned, or his friends were mentioned, he’d flinch, even if it was with his eyes.
I did, however, get quite a bit of help from Silver, Webber’s wife.
The rest of the old ladies had offered to come as well, but Silver had asked them to stay away.
I was thankful, because I was feeling slightly overwhelmed.
Not because of the women themselves, but because of the way that I felt almost at home.
I hadn’t had that kind of feeling since my own best friend had been on this planet.
It hurt to think about her.
I hadn’t been able to buddy read with anyone since she’d passed, but several of the old ladies were avid readers and loved to talk about what they were reading.
It was a reminder.
Then there was the way I used to go out to eat on random jaunts throughout the area with my best friend. We’d choose somewhere new, wait in line for hours, and enjoy.
Just an hour ago I’d heard Aella and Searcy talking about trying a new seafood restaurant that served all their food in the middle of the table, family-style.
It was a ton of reminders that I didn’t need right now, because I needed to focus.
I needed to get this figured out for Finnian, and I would do a damn good job at it.
Because the thought of seeing any more heartbreak in the man’s eyes was unacceptable to me.
Not that I really knew why.
We shared a trauma bond, sure.
We’d had sex, sure.
But we’d both been a little out of our minds.
I doubted it happened again.
