a mistake. I’d been burned too badly to ever believe in love for myself again, but she could still have it.
“You know, there may still be a man out there for you,” I said. “If you think money would be a nice bonus, I’d bet we could find you a Pretty Woman experience of your own.”
Katie didn’t give me any response other than to flip me off behind her back, making sure Adi’s attention was on the stove.
Yeah, maybe I could’ve phrased that better.
Damn it. One of these days, I really had to look into getting myself a fucking filter. My mouth was bound to get me in trouble sooner or later.
Chapter 9
CHRIS
“Adi’s coming in for her first session today,” I said when Hunter and I walked out of the break room. I sipped my sludge and turned my head to face him. “We have to take good care of them, okay? April is one of our own. They deserve the five-star treatment.”
“So you’ve said. Repeatedly.” He made a face like he’d sucked on a lemon, then laughed at me. “Don’t we give everyone the five-star treatment? I know I do.”
“You know what I mean.” I nodded at two nurses who walked past us. They waved before bending their heads together and giggling about something.
Hunter raised his brows at me. “I don’t actually. Do you really only give a patient your all if they’re hospital staff? Because if so, you really should’ve told me we were doing that.”
“You’re so full of shit.” I lifted my mug and pushed into the therapy room with my shoulder, turning away from the door so I wouldn’t spill the scalding-hot liquid. “Every patient gets my best. I’m just saying that we need to make sure Adi gets exactly that.”
“Does this have anything to do with a certain mother who will likely be coming in with her?” Amusement glinted in his eyes when he shot me a look before going to grab her file.
“Of course not,” I said, but he just rolled his eyes at me. “Why are you giving me a hard time about this? All I said was to take care of our patient. Why is that so strange?”
“Because you don’t say it before every patient.” He smirked. “In fact, you’ve only ever said it about this one. It just makes me wonder why.”
“Nothing to—” I was interrupted by the door opening.
Adi appeared first, her smile wide and excited. April followed her in, seemingly always only one step behind her daughter.
My palms suddenly felt sweaty. April looked way too appealing with her hair pulled up into a messy bun, tendrils of it framing her delicate face. She wore jeans, a black tank top, and a deep red poncho that was knitted so loosely I saw the top she wore beneath it. I also saw the curves the shirt clung to, and my mind momentarily got stuck on them.
Hunter giving Adi a fist bump jerked my mind back to reality. “Hey, kid. You ready to get started?”
“So ready.” She beamed up at him before turning toward me. “Hi, Chris. Mom said we’re going to work hard today.”
“That, we are.” I forced moisture into my dry mouth before addressing April. “I’m glad you guys came in. Are you staying, or do you need to get to work?”
“I’m staying for this session,” she replied, not even trying to mask the worry tightening her brow. “Just to be clear, this therapy of yours isn’t going to hurt, is it?”
Adi came to stand next to her mom, looking up at me with apprehension in her gaze. I dropped into a crouch in front of her without hesitating, focusing my attention fully on my patient.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Some of the exercises might be a little uncomfortable at first, but they shouldn’t cause any pain.”
She sank her teeth into her lower lip but nodded. April put a hand on her shoulder, taking half a step closer to her. “I’ll be right here, baby. If it hurts, just tell me.”
I glanced up at her, wishing there was something more I could do to reassure her other than the smile I offered. “We won’t push her, April. Don’t worry. Let’s have a chat before we start.”
She dipped her chin in acknowledgment, then followed me to the mats where Hunter was already waiting. He got a short stool for Adi to sit on and motioned for April to have a seat on the bench of a leg-press machine.
Once they were settled,