Page 21 of Breaking Bristol

Overseas. Doctor. Oh my God… this was… I knew who this was. I’d heard all about him from Cheyenne. That’s how he knew her. He totally glossed over that answer because there was way more to the story than he was saying, but I understood why he didn’t divulge every detail. My fingers were jittery, and I tried not to show my hand, literally and figuratively.

Once he raised his head, I asked, “Do you have an ulterior motive for coming here?”

“No… and a little bit yes.”

Huh? Now I was totally confused! “Explain that.”

He took a breath and slowly released it. “No, because I genuinely was worried about you being here alone. And yes, because I admit I’m attracted to you. I don’t know if there’s more to it than you’re insanely beautiful and funny and I can’t stop thinking about you or not.” Turning toward me, he locked his gaze on mine. “You can deny it all you want, Bristol, but I know you feel something for me, too… no matter how insignificant. I figured being locked away in a cabin together for a few days should sort us out.”

If I tried to deny it, I’d be a liar. I was more focused on the fact that he said he was attracted to me out loud. I hadn’t had a man speak those kinds of words to me for years, and my body warmed at the compliment. “Okay, so this question is only in reply to that. I still have another.” He raised a brow, waiting. “What if I’m not attracted to you at all and say I don’t want to take it further?”

“Then I’d respect that. But straight up, Bristol, I don’t know if I even want to. My ex… the divorce and everything that surrounded it?” He clenched his jaw, and his eyes shifted before taking a beat and continuing. “It was messy, and it fucked me up, but I know I need to move on. I’m just not sure if I’m ready.”

“Can I ask another follow-up question to that?”

He held his hand out. “Go for it.”

“Are you still in love with her?”

“Ha. No.” He laughed. “Hell no.”

I didn’t know why I’d asked that, but it was reassuring to know the answer. “Okay, I’ve got one more thing to ask. And it’s important. The most important one.”

His face went serious, and he stood straight. “All right.”

“What’s your name?”

His lips twitched. “Matthew.”

Yup, I knew it. I freaking knew it was him! Matthew Beckett—Beck—or apparently, Dr. B. He was the man who killed Cheyenne’s cheating husband in self-defense. She told me everything about him and all the things he did to try to make it up to her and Lucy even though it wasn’t his fault. How they’d unexpectantly bonded over the tragedy and somehow became a part of each other’s lives. Sutton actually knew him from high school and had nothing but good things to say about him. Cheyenne said that he was the kindest man in the world, and no matter how much she told him she didn’t blame him, he couldn’t forgive himself.

She never mentioned that he was the Hayes’s nephew, but then again, they didn’t talk about him, either. I would assume they were trying to respect his privacy, so it made sense now.

“Did I pass?”

I blinked. “What?”

“Your three questions that turned into five. Did I pass them?”

He probably thought that if I knew what he did, it would change things in a negative way. I understood that more than he could possibly know. But I couldn’t tell him it would have the opposite effect. Knowing the kind of man he was made the lingering doubt I had about him disappear, and as I looked at him now, it was hard to contain the level of attraction I felt for him.

I gave him two thumbs-up. “You passed.”

“Good.”

“What’s in the bags?” I wiggled my finger. “I’ll have you know that I reserve the right to kick you out if you’ve got rope and duct tape.”

“Darn.” He crouched down and grabbed the handles. “I guess I’ll see you around then.”

My hands slammed on my hips. “Shut up.”

“It’s water, food, entertainment, and some clothes for me.” He looked me up and down. “But I don’t think I have anything that’ll make me look as cute as you do.”

And then I remembered that I had on about seven layers of clothes. “Listen, buddy. I woke up at four in the morning freezing, I’d have wrapped the curtains around me if I thought they’d have helped.”

“It’s okay. I like a woman who feels comfortable looking like the Michelin Man.”

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