Page 23 of Seven Days

With deep breaths and a splash of cold water to my face, I remind myself what they are. I can go back out there and enjoy dinner and his company without falling in love with him. I just have to remember.

It’s not love. It’s lust.

Simple.

When I walk back out onto the patio, Thomas is pouring glasses of what looks like margaritas for us. His shirt is back on and you would never know by looking at him that he just fucked me like a madman five minutes ago. His pupils flare when he notices the mark on my neck. He looks pleased as he takes in my appearance, so different from his.

“The chef left dinner warming in the oven. I’ll go grab it.”

He walks back into the house and I take a seat at the table, admiring the small arrangement of tropical flowers and candles in the center. A few birds calling and the waves in the background are the only sounds I can hear. It’s completely dark now, the moon nearly full.

“The plates are hot; be careful.” Thomas sets one down in front of me first and then serves himself. The sizzling steak and fragrant chimichurri sauce have my mouth watering. We eat quietly for a few minutes, both of us taking in the ambiance around us.

“Did you ever want to get married or have kids?” I ask as I take a sip of my drink. “Or was it always the bachelor life for you?”

He looks up at me in surprise as he finishes chewing his bite. “I was married, actually. Right between college and medical school.”

“Oh.” I let that brand new bit of information process. “What happened?”

He sighs and sets his fork down before taking a drink. “She was coming home from one of her rounds as a resident and was hit by a drunk driver. Killed instantly.” A melancholic gaze takes over his features, as if he’s picturing her inside his head.

“I’m so sorry.” Tears prick my eyes. “Forget I asked something so rude.”

“It’s not rude to ask those types of questions to the person you’re sleeping with. I don’t mind talking about her. It’s been a while.”

“Tell me about her if you want.”

“Her name was Janet. She was gorgeous, in a studious way. Always wore her hair back and had these sexy glasses.” He smiles fondly at the memory. “We had several courses together, both of us being pre-med, and after a year or so of getting to know her, I asked her out.”

He pauses to take another drink and looks out over the glassy surface of the Pacific. “I proposed during our senior year of college and we got married the weekend after we graduated. She loved kids and was planning on opening her own pediatric practice eventually.”

“She sounds amazing,” I say softly.

“She was,” he quietly agrees. “She was twelve weeks pregnant with what would have been our first baby.”

His eyes glitter with unshed tears as my heart shatters for him and I reach across the table and cover his hand with mine.

“Thomas,” I whisper. “I am so sorry.”

He gives me a bittersweet smile as he links our fingers.

“I’m surprised that in all the years I’ve known your dad this hasn’t come up before. I actually met him in a roundabout way because of that.” He scoots his chair back and pats his knee.

I waste no time moving to his lap and sliding my fingers into his hair. “Because you’re both widowers?”

“Yeah, but actually, we met because of your mom.”

My brow furrows, I don’t remember ever meeting Thomas until after she died. “Really?”

“She had a friend who was going through breast cancer treatments at the same time she was battling pancreatic cancer. I did her friend’s breast augmentation after her mastectomy. Somehow those two got to talking about my wife passing away.”

“And Mom knew she wasn’t going to make it.” I nod, catching onto where this is going.

“Yeah, even fifteen years later, pancreatic cancer is still one of the most deadly forms. She knew the likelihood of her not surviving and reached out to me. She essentially made Jack and I into our very own support group for each other.”

A hot tear rolls down my cheek. It was so like my mom to try to take care of us from beyond the grave.

He catches the next tear with his thumb. “She told me she wanted Jack to have someone who understood his pain after she was gone. Luckily for us, we became fast friends beyond the shared grief of two men losing their wives far too soon.”

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