my patients. That their mother, their spouse, their kid…they had many more years to come.” He closed his eyes as he caught his breath, tears sneaking underneath his closed lids and dripping down his face. “It kills me every time I can’t do that.”
“Dex…” I left the armchair and helped myself to his lap, my thighs across his, my arms around his neck, my face against his.
He sniffed and opened his eyes, the tears defeated but his eyes still glistening. His arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me closer, positioning me on top of him so he could feel my heartbeat and I could feel his.
I didn’t notice my own tears until they made drops on the front of his scrubs. I hurt when he hurt, felt his pain as if it transferred from his body into my own. If I could take it from him completely, I would.
His hand cupped my cheek, his fingers moving into my hair slightly. “Baby.”
I lifted my gaze and looked into his, our eyes mirrors of each other because they looked the same.
He looked me in the eye as his thumb brushed the skin of my bottom lip. “I love you.”
Fifteen
Dex
There was no conversation.
It was wordless and effortless. We were together—end of story.
I basically had a three-day weekend because Sicily had canceled all of my appointments. But that weekend wasn’t spent alone, because she was with me. We took a nap together when we got to my apartment, and when we woke up, it was past noon, so we made lunch and watched TV together on my couch.
She wore one of my shirts and my sweatpants, stuck to my side like glue pretty much the entire time.
She slept over every night, but that was all we did, just sleep.
I was in no hurry to make anything more of it.
I was just happy to have her back, to get another chance, to have the opportunity to show her how much she meant to me. Catherine was my past, and while that love was real and true, it didn’t matter anymore. Sicily was my future, the person I wanted to make a life with, the person who understood me better than anyone in this world. I was more than ready to move on and be happy.
On Sunday morning, we slept in, made breakfast, and then watched TV in bed.
She showered at my place and continued to wear my clothes because she hadn’t brought anything at all. I loved the way she looked in my clothes, with her makeup gone, lying beside me, small in comparison to me and my bed.
It was perfect.
The best remedy for the heartbreak I’d just experienced.
Her face was in the crook of my neck while she was wrapped around me, and she released a quiet sigh as she started to move.
“I know what that means…”
She pulled away and propped herself up on one elbow. “I have so much to catch up on, it’s not even funny.”
My arm remained around her waist as I anchored her to me because I wasn’t ready to let go. “Stay. Come on, I’m your boss. You’re supposed to do what I say.”
She smiled slightly as she ran her fingers over my chest. “You’re not my boss right now. My boss needs to show up to work tomorrow and have another flawless day. He needs me to do my part so he can do his. I would never compromise my professionalism, no matter how much I may want to.”
I sighed just the way she had a few minutes ago.
Her grin widened before she got out of bed and put on the outfit she’d been wearing three days ago.
After a painful sigh, I got dressed too and prepared to walk her home.
“Dex, you don’t need to walk me—”
“I know I don’t need to do anything.” It was an overcast day, so I pulled on a hoodie. “I want to make sure my woman gets home safely.”
“Well, I was going to swing by the store—”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
She stopped her argument, but the brightness in her eyes showed that she didn’t want to win the argument in the first place. “Alright.”
We walked to the grocery store, and I pushed the cart while she made her selections, and every time she bent over to grab something, I checked out her ass. It was a great way to spend my Sunday.
My depression didn’t last as long as it should have because of her. She made me too happy to be