Page 82 of Dr. Off Limits

A revelation like that was enough to knock me out of my wallowing. “You went to the wedding of your ex-boyfriend and your best friend?”

“Long story, but yes. I kind of got an offer I couldn’t refuse from Beck—who was a total stranger to me at the time.”

“Beck wanted to go to the wedding?”

“Yup. I ended up going to the wedding of the man I thought I was going to marry, only to end up finding my true soulmate while I was there. This Jacob guy is just the one before you meet your endgame.”

I smiled like I believed her, but as I’d said to Jacob, things didn’t always turn out for the best. “Thanks, Stella.”

“I know you really liked him,” Parker said, knowing that platitudes weren’t going to make me feel any better. “You’d never have bent your rules for just anyone.”

Stella meant well, but she didn’t understand how difficult giving up Jacob had been. I hadn’t expected it to be so wrenching to say those words to him in the car, to pull away from him and leave. It had taken everything I had. I’d comforted myself with the knowledge that the pain would fade. But here I was, days later, with a wound as fresh as it had been.

“I just didn’t expect it to hit me so hard,” I explained.

Parker and Stella exchanged a look.

“And there’s definitely no way, though?” Stella asked.

I shook my head. “We’ve both tried to think of a solution but we’ve come up blank.”

“It’s such a shame,” Stella said. “It’s not like one of you wants to end it and the other one doesn’t. It sounds like you’re both in love but the logistics don’t work. It’s heartbreaking.”

In love...

I’d suspected. Yes, she was right—I was in love with Jacob. I’d avoided defining my feelings for him—too scared of the implications—but there was no denying it. What I felt for him was different from anything I’d ever felt for anyone. The problem was, love wasn’t enough.

Parker caught my eye. She was looking for confirmation that Stella was right, that I was in love with Jacob.

“He sees the best in me and wants the best for me,” I said. “And I feel the same about him. It’s not just sexual chemistry, it’s... he’s...” I shut my eyes, willing it all away. I’d dealt with hurt before and I knew it subsided. The pain would evaporate. It had too. Only, Jacob had left a mark on me I wasn’t sure would ever fade.

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