Page 28 of Forever Flirting

“Can’t bewhat? I told you I was almost a doctor when I met you.”

“Briscoe? You’re… Ricochet’s sister?”

Everly stared at him, her heart thumping in her chest as everything she thought had once clicked into place suddenly exploded into a tangled chaotic mess, like some snarled knot that was made out of only one thread, it seemed.

The Petersens, the ‘friend’that had flown into town and was talking about her brother… Mallory, the mysterious man who’d gotten her friend pregnant, the offer of the free flight just to come by and meet them.

“You’re… Maestro, aren’t you?”

“I am,” he said hoarsely. “Your brother is in my squadron, and sleeps two bunks down from me – and will never let me live this down.”

Everly looked at him and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hold herself together as her eyes drank in those features she remembered so well. Yeah, he looked a little more bitter and had a harsher look to him than she remembered, but that was only because the soft, gentle, boyish side was gone.

This was a man.

… With a child - from her best friend.

Everly put her hand on her forehead again, taking a deep breath, before looking at Alex again. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to take a hike – but she really wanted to talk to Mallory now, and was trying to remain calm.

“Please…” he whispered, as if he knew what she was thinking, and then glanced at the doorway once more. “Please let me just talk to you.”

She hesitated as her mind raced.

This was Alex – the man she dreamed of, fantasized about, and couldn’t get out of her mind. She’d seen his face a thousand times as she turned around that first time and knew there was something special about him.

She never believed in ‘love at first sight’ until him… and knew why it hurt so badly now.

“One hour,” Everly breathed, barely choking out the words. “You get one hour tomorrow, and need to be here at three in the afternoon.”

“Thank you…” he let out in a rush of air, closing his eyes in relief.

CHAPTER9

EVERLY

Two hours later…

Everly was sitting on the couch – waiting.

She was trying not to come unhinged and had a list of things she wanted to know, things she was going to question Mallory about the moment she walked in the door. Her microwaved dinner was sitting on the end table untouched, because her stomach was so upset… and she heard the front door open.

“Hey Everly… Oh gosh, I am so tired. My feet are killing me, and you are never going to believe what we had come in tonight…” Mallory hesitated and looked at her, angling her head. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Everly said simply, hating the disbelief, pain, and tears in her voice.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Mallory said, sitting down immediately on the opposite loveseat and looking at her with so much care that Everly almost threw up – again.

“I want to know aboutthatnight,” Everly said quietly.

Mallory rolled her eyes.

“Again? Can we talk about something else – I mean, seriously, tonight was a mess, and you would have laughed at the x-rays that came through…”

“No. We need to talk about that night, and I need the details,” Everly stared at Mallory and saw the other woman look at her, before she sat back on the couch.

“You saw Alex and Caleb,” Mallory said bluntly, not hiding it in the slightest.

“How could you?” Everly hissed tearfully, her voice wrought with betrayal. “My Alex? The guy I have literally blabbed to you about repeatedly over the years about how much I wished things had been different – and how I should have gotten his name or phone number…”

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