Page 65 of Doctor Mile High
“Okay, Hanson.” I break first because I don’t want to be here all day. I want to be able to go home to my fiancée and spend time with my son. At this rate, I won’t be getting home until midnight. “I’m Winston Warrick.” I hold out my hand for him to take.
It stays suspended in the air for a few seconds and just as I’m about to drop it, Hanson sighs, meeting my handshake.
Well, well. Looks like there are a little manners in him after all.
“Seems you already know who I am,” Hanson says, taking off his sunglasses.
“Hi, I’m Amy. I’ll be your server this afternoon. Is there anything I can get you?” the waitress asks Hanson, clicking her pen and pulling her notepad out.
Hanson grins, a smooth easy charm coming off him that was no doubt easy to learn, growing up with money. “I’ll take an iced water please. I’m not that hungry.”
“Can I get another sandwich to go, Amy?” I ask her, popping a chip into my mouth.
“Absolutely. It will be just a few minutes to get that out to you.”
“I’m in no rush.” I grin, handing her the menu I kept to look at for Dove. “Mine was so good, I wanted my fiancée to be able to have it too.”
Amy beams, her high ponytail swishing from her excitement as she bounces on the heels of her feet. “I’ll let the chef know. Thanks so much.” She nearly skips away from how much energy she has. She’s in the right business. Her attitude will go far if she sticks with it.
“Fiancée? She’s marrying you?” Hanson yanks off his sunglasses, tossing them on the table. “You have got to be kidding me.”
I chuckle at his outburst, then snag his wrist from the table, applying so much pressure, Hanson begins to hiss. “Don’t cause a scene, kid. You wanted to play dirty, so I’m lowering myself to your level. I have twenty fucking years on you. Let’s see what you can get away with before I have you on your ass begging me to call your mommy and daddy. I asked you here to speak man to man. If you can’t do that, then feel free to leave and never reach out to Dove again. Leave her alone for the rest of her life and let her enjoy the happiness she has. If you continue with your damn attitude, I’ll break your wrist by the end of lunch and you won’t be able to pull out your fucking wallet from your back pocket. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.” He tugs to get his wrist free. “I understand. I apologize. Okay? I’m sorry.”
I let him go and pick up my coffee cup again, casually taking a sip as if I didn’t just threaten him. “Excellent. Let’s get down to business then. Why are you treating Dove this way?”
Hanson sets his elbows on the table, hanging his head in shame. “I can’t talk to her right now. It would hurt too much. I’d hear her voice and I know I’d go through all that anger all over again.”
“And you don’t care what your silence is doing to her? I love her, Hanson.” I lean forward and set my cup on the white saucer it’s paired with, folding my hands together to speak. “I’m in love with her. I’ve loved her since the first night I saw her. I searched for her only to find her on the plane you told her not to go on.”
“Yeah and she almost died.”
“But she didn’t. She didn’t die. She’s her own person. She’s allowed to make any decisions she wants for herself. It isn’t up to you or me, for that matter. Do you love her?” I ask him, silencing the conversation when our waitress returns with his water.
“They’re preparing your order now, Dr. Warrick.”
“Thank you, Amy.” She gives me a small smile and meanders to another table.
“Did you love her too?” Hanson asks snidely.
A chuckle of disbelief escapes me. “You think I fucked the waitress? No, Hanson. I’m not that kind of man. I don’t go around and fuck whoever I want. Answer the question. Do you love her?”
“Yes. I’ve loved her since high school,” he says.
He rubs his hands down his face, and that’s when I see how truly heartbroken he is. He has dark circles under his eyes, and it looks like he hasn’t slept in a weak. His skin is a little pale and his eyes are a bit bloodshot as if he’s cried.
He might have. Dove is definitely the type to cry over. She’s the kind of woman that changes the soul of a man. She has no idea she wields that kind of power either. That’s what makes her so enthralling.
“I’ve loved her every single day and I never told her. That’s on me. I was too afraid to ruin our friendship. I don’t think I was ever honest, because I knew deep down she didn’t feel the same way about me. So when she said she met you on the plane, when she told me you two were together, yeah, I needed space. How am I guilty for that? Do you know how hard it is to know that the woman I love, loves another man? Not only loves him but had his child? I remember dreaming of the day I’d get to do that with her and now that dream is dead.”
“Did you love her? Truly? Or did you love the idea of her only having you in her life? Because that’s different than real love, Hanson. She’s your best friend and you said you never told her how you felt because perhaps you valued your friendship over taking your relationship a step further. It’s just something to think about.”
His brows pinch together in thought as he takes a sip of water. “Yeah, that’s a good point. I’ll need to think about that. How is she? Is Dove okay? Is the baby?”
I nod. “The baby is wonderful. He’s happy and healthy. Dove is actually at the doctor now to make sure she’s healing properly, but?—”
Hanson’s chair grinds across the ground as he scoots closer. “But what? What’s wrong?”
