Page 60 of The Lies You Love
I stand, towering over her. Her gaze lights and I can read her like a fucking book. Taking one step forward, she backs up, and I take another and another until her back is against the wall. I let myself drop my defenses and pin her wrists on either side of her head. Her breath catches and her pupils dilate. Leaning in, I’m intoxicated by her scent and the warm air pushing rapidly past her shiny lips. “But,” she says, exhaling. “Only if you accept that this is my heart.”
She’s truly giving me another shot to get this right. My head is on straight and I’ve finished grieving Maisey, a task I didn’t truly start until I found out she was an organ donor. I was forced to accept that knowledge, but no one ever forced me to grieve my sister properly. The career as a Charge Man was a vendetta, a distraction. By some miracle, that deviation from life led to Maisey’s killer being caught, meeting Auden, and finally, finally a sense of peace. Releasing one of her hands, I take my palm and lightly set it on top of her chest. Her breathing is rapid, but I can feel the pounding against my skin and it means everything to me. “Actually, I don’t accept that.” She pulls back to peer into my eyes. “It’s my heart.”
A knock on the door breaks us from the moment. I back away, leaving Auden breathless by the wall. My vet tech comes in, followed by a man. Her man. “Peter, what are you doing here?” Auden says, tone guilty and suspicious.
He holds up her purse. “You forgot this in the car. Figured you’d need to pay?” He raises one brow as he looks between her and me. “She said Pork was going to pull through. I’m so sorry I didn’t pick up the grapes before I went to the bathroom.” He looks hesitant as he brushes past me to take Auden in his arms. My blood boils and my heart feels like fire is ripping through each artery. “He’s okay, babe. I saw him before I came in to make sure.”
I swallow hard. Old habits die hard, and throttling him is all I can think of. She’s mine. But she’s not. I was the dumb fuck that released her into the world. I’m the reason she’s not warming my bed. There is no one to blame for this except myself. If anything, this man is intelligent and knows what he has. My gaze falls to his hand where it rests on her waist. Auden notices and shrugs out of his grasp. “I need to fill out some paperwork.” Her cheeks are pink, but her movements are swift and awkward given the circumstances.
The man moves closer to me, suspicions growing stronger with each second. “I’m Peter,” he says, extending his hand. “Auden’s boyfriend.”
I work to swallow. “Dr. Fallon,” I say, hoping if I leave my first name out, he might not know who I am. IF they’re serious, Auden must have told him my name. With her obvious attraction and feelings still oozing out of every one of her pores… for me, he has to know he’s not going to gain any headway. “See the employee at the front desk for the paperwork,” I say out loud. Auden is already at the door. “There’s no charge for today. You get the friend discount.” I can’t help it, I really can’t. Laying claim would be foolish when they’re obviously together and close, but I can let him know there are threats about.
“Friend?” Peter asks as soon as Auden leaves the room.
Fisting my hands inside my pockets, I nod. “Auden and I have been good friends for a while.”
Peter does something completely unexpected; he closes the door and spins to face me with fear in his eyes. “So, you know her well?”
I run my tongue along my teeth. “You could say that.” Inside out, backward, every inch of her skin is a map committed to memory for all time. “Why?”
He exhales and pulls a ring box from his jacket pocket. “I’ve been trying to ask her for a week and I want it to be perfect.” My stomach flips and I feel honest to God light-headed. I lean against the cold metal examination table and hope it can hold my weight. “I want to do it tonight, but if you’ve known her a long time you’ll know if I’m out of my league here.”
I didn’t give him enough credit. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She said she wasn’t happy without me. I have to believe she wouldn’t say yes, but what if she does? What if this is her best backup plan? I can’t be the reason it gets fucked up. I owe her a fair shot at the life she’s always spoken about. Her dream life. This guy is ready to give it to her. I would give it to her. I would. Seeing her today confirmed that.
“Out of your league, how?” I ask, buying time to make a clear decision with my head instead of my dick.
“She’s amazing as I’m sure you know, but we aren’t intimate, and it’s because she wants to wait for marriage.” I choke on my own spit.
“Oh,” I say. This guy doesn’t have a shot in the dark. I grin, settling my nerves. “I think you just ask her. No sense waiting if you’ve wanted to ask her all week.”
“Marriage is a big deal and I’m gone all week long. The hesitation is I worry it’s selfish to ask her to be by herself all week while I’m working. Auden is perfect, she deserves only the best.”
Something we agree on. “If you love her, jobs don’t matter,” I say truthfully. Her love doesn’t lie with him. It can’t. Not after the intense energy that filled this space when we were alone. “I think you have a real shot.” Not the shot, but a shot. “Ask her.”
He’s sweating as he nods. “Thanks, man. She’s never mentioned a vet friend before. Would be handy to have someone like you on speed dial for our dog.”
“I bought her that dog,” I say, unable to hold it in.
His face changes. “Are you Beckett?”
Keeping a stoic face, I nod as he surveys my name tag for the first time. Not the most observant of humans, I think. “Oh, well this just got awkward. I had no idea.”
“It’s fine.” I grin. “I’m going to get Pork. Call the office if you have any other questions or concerns.”
He stays silent, looking at me like I’m a myth. “Oh, and good luck asking her to marry you,” I say, tone in a hushed whisper. Because you’ll need it, I think, closing the door behind me.
Auden is in the lobby with two people who must be her parents because she’s familiar and loving as she interacts with them, telling them that the dog will be okay and the treatment plan. I tell my nurse to get Pork ready to leave and to take him to the room with Peter. I want a few more moments with Auden. Her posture changes the second she sees me. “Here, here is the paperwork.” She tells me these are Pork’s grandparents.
I extend my hand to her father. “I’m Dr. Fallon,” I say, aware Auden’s mom is staring a hole in the side of my head. “It’s nice to meet you. Your daughter and I are friends.” I move on to her mom, shaking her hand. She holds a second or two longer than she should as she looks at my face intently.
“Lucky you were open and free to take care of Auden’s Pork. I don’t know what she’d do without him.”
“Mom, I’m sure Beck is busy,” Auden says, and my nickname on her lips creates that familiar stirring I’ve never experienced anywhere else. “Thanks again, Dr. Fallon.”
I know I can’t let her leave without throwing my hat in the ring, officially. The tension and connection are obvious, but I can’t chance saying nothing. “I’d love to catch up,” I say, feeling my pulse hammer against my neck. “I could stop by the store and we could go to lunch.”
“Oh, you know each other, Poppet?” her father says. “That’s wonderful. A doctor!” Auden casts an annoyed look behind her at both her parents.
