But now one doctor stood in my way.
It had to be her. Eric’s kid sister. A cute girl. A good girl. A pregnant girl.
And if I ever found the man who knocked her up and left her on her own? It’d be the one time I didn’t mind getting a little angry and a lot violent.
Fortunately, I lived close to McCrees. Rory met me just outside the door.
Had she always been this beautiful? Rory had matured into a lovely woman, retaining a hint of girlish cuteness in her pudgy cheeks and fluttering, almond eyes. Her complexion was more ebony than honey, and her long dark hair bounced in curls. Classy, but approachable. Pretty, but with a charmingly awkward shyness.
When we were kids, Rory used to say that she hated her smile. That it was too big. She hid behind a tempered smirk for most of her life. If I regretted anything from when we were younger, it was that I never told her that I thought her real smile was…
Perfect.
And it stayed perfect even now. Rory bit her lip and twisted her fingers in the skirt of a little yellow dress. The pale gold contrasted her black skin in a playful tease.
“You look beautiful,” I said.
She brushed her hand through her hair. “Yeah, right. I spent half of the day on my knees.”
“Well…that explains the pregnancy.” I laughed. “Why wasn’t that part of my exam?”
Rory’s eyes widened. She covered her face with her hands. “No! I meant I was throwing up. Not…Jude Owens, since when are you such a trouble-maker?”
“Takes one to know one.”
“Yep…marking that down in your health assessment. Patient exhibits suicidal tendencies by provoking a pregnant woman.”
I smirked. “Oh, come on. When have you ever been in trouble? You never broke a curfew. You had perfect grades. You were president of clubs I didn’t even know our school had.”
“And if I wanted to hear how I’ve ruined my career and future; I’d have gone out with my step-mother tonight.”
She half-joked, but I wasn’t going to let her be ashamed of herself. “You haven’t ruined anything. Not your past, not your future, and not tonight. I’m gonna make sure you have some fun.”
Rory poked at me. “I’m trusting you, Jude. No one else knows. It stays that way.”
“Your secret is safe with me. Hell, I’ll probably forget about it by tomorrow.”
She frowned. Uh-oh.
“Kidding,” I said. She didn’t believe me. Neither did I. “Are you hungry?”
“I have no idea. The only thing I want to eat is confetti cake.”
Fair enough. “Well, allow me to be a little over-protective. You should eat something more substantial.”
“I consider it a comfort food.”
“Confetti cake?”
“Well…it’s the only meal that’s as fun coming up as it is going down.” She shrugged “I’ll take any positivity I can get.”
“Say no more. I’ll be your confetti cake tonight. We’ll work this all out, you and me.”
“You’ve always been such a nice guy, Jude. You haven’t changed a bit.”
I wished I could say the same. God, she was absolutely stunning. Was it the years apart that made her so much more…amazing?
But it didn’t matter. One thing hadn’t changed. She was my best friend’s little sister. I’d do well to remember that. Hell, that was worthy of a reminder. Every day at noon, I’d set an alert.
12:00 – Don’t be an idiot with Rory
Who was I kidding? The alert needed to remind me at night, when my mind would wander with dangerous and tempting thoughts.
McCrees wasn’t any place to take a lady, but the bar seemed nice enough for two friends. Still, it was a better arena for the Ironfield Rivets hazing ritual.
Tonight was karaoke night.
“J-u-u-u-ude!”
The call was loud, exaggerated, and bellowed like a wolf-howl. Wolves were Scottish legends, Lachlan was a Scottish name, and that made it easy for me to cheat and remember who the Rivets’ tight-end was.
Provided he continued to greet meet me in such an excited manner.
It seemed likely. And irritating.
Lachlan waved us towards the cluster of Rivets hanging near the bar. Most of the guys took their seats for the karaoke show. Rory spooked the rest, like she was about to haul them onto the bar and snap on a rubber glove. No one wanted to be the first player benched because of an injury we couldn’t even see. The league’s neurological fellowship made everyone paranoid.
Including me.
“You make quite the impression, Doc,” I said.
Rory wasn’t as thrilled. “I’m only trying to help—them and you.”
She wouldn’t be helping if she forced me to hang up the