Page 6 of Breaking Bristol

Her eyes danced over to me, and a relieved smile broke out on her face. “I’m good, but I’m ready to head home if you are.”

They mumbled an obligatory round of goodbyes before they darted out the door. I was overjoyed to see them so happy, especially after what they’d been through. Cheyenne was such a kind soul. She didn’t deserve her ex-husband to deceive her in the ways he did, not that any woman deserves betrayal. Sutton gave her the confidence to see how strong she really was, and together they were an unstoppable force.

I sipped my wine, and the rest of us continued chatting until I excused myself to the restroom. The TVs had the countdown displayed in the bottom right corner. When it got to be five minutes before midnight, and the couples were all having their champagne glasses refilled, I snuck out the door. I didn’t want to be around all those first kisses of the new year.

I’d gotten to The Tap late, so I had to go down to the next block to get to my car, and when I did, I stumbled with a gasp. “What are you doing?”

Dr. B. leaned on the driver’s door with his ankles and arms crossed. My eyes drifted over him. He wore dark jeans and a button-down shirt, and his light brown hair was slicked back. Whether in scrubs, running clothes, or this, he was insanely hot in anything he wore. “It’s been seven days.”

“I know,” I replied.

“You didn’t call.”

“You said about a week.”

He raised a hand, the movement making me shuffle back a step. His eyes narrowed, and he lifted two fingers with a piece of paper stuck between them. “Found this in the hallway. Even if you wanted to call me, you couldn’t have.”

“I must have accidentally dropped it when we were running outside. I’m sorry.”

“Accidentally, huh?”

Shit. I guess I wasn’t as slick as I thought I was. It wasn’t that I thought he would hurt me or anything. I just didn’t want to see him again. I was fine with having some girlfriends, but I avoided men as much as possible for a variety of reasons… Dr. B mainly because he made me want to let my guard down, and I couldn’t do that. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question, but since I saw you talking to Cheyenne, I’ve got a good idea why.”

My throat got all tingly, and my fingers trembled. I’d never seen him in Warrenville and assumed I never would since he worked at the hospital in Lawless, which had more and better bars than The Tap. “How do you know Cheyenne?”

It was dark out, but I was parked just beneath a streetlight, so I saw his jaw clench and his body stiffen at my question. “Mutual friend.” He stood to his full height, and I refused to show any fear, but it must have been etched on my face. “I told you I’m not going to hurt you.”

“No, you didn’t.”

He didn’t come closer, but his foot slid forward like he wanted to. “I did.”

“No. You said you didn’t want to.”

“They mean the same thing, no?”

I almost laughed. “Not by a long shot.”

“Okay. I won’t hurt you.” To make his point, his long legs took a huge stride backward. “Ever.”

I blew out a breath. “Well, I won’t be seeing you after this, so it’s a moot point.”

“You won’t be?”

“Nope.”

He tilted his head. “What are you gonna do if you cut yourself again and need to get treatment from a doctor who is willing to do it for cash under the table?”

“You wouldn’t take my money,” I reminded him irritably.

“I know, sweetheart. I was joking.”

“Oh.” God. He gave every indication that he was being truthful about never hurting me. I wanted to believe him so badly—I did believe him—but I couldn’t tell him that. It was too soon… too risky.

He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “My truck’s parked around the corner, and I’ve got a kit in there with some scissors so I can remove your stitches.”

“Uh, that won’t be necessary.” I lifted my palm, and he was in my space in just a couple of steps, poking at my hand and scrutinizing it.

---