XOXO, Winter

by Bloom, Nikki

  “You can’t do this to me. I thought you loved me.”

  “And I do, more than anything else in this world.” He rested his hands on my stomach. “And I am over the moon to know that we will be starting a family together. Who would have thought this was where we would end up when we both got on that plane together all those years ago?”

  “The world’s funny like that,” I said. “And sometimes, you just have to let fate take you on its path, wherever it might lead.”

  The End

  About the Author

  Thank you so much for reading!

  I’m a contemporary romance writer who loves to write about billionaire bad boys! Join my mailing list here for freebies and promos regarding my upcoming releases!

  A bit over a year ago, I took a leap of faith to pursue my dream of becoming a full-time writer. I love to get to know my readers personally so please connect with me for any feedback, questions, or even just to say hi!

  info@nikkibloom.com

  Nikki

  [Love, Autumn] Ch1: Autumn

  “One… two… three…” I huffed, muscles shaking; “…four…” I struggled to bend my arms and reach the ground. My form started to sag. Just one more… I thought to myself but the pain in my calves threatened my demise. Just one more…

  “Five…!” With my final push-up, I plopped onto the ground, breathing hard.

  And, that’s when Sara walked in. She raised an eyebrow in my direction but didn’t bother to ask. She was used to my at-home workouts. Most of the time, she just ignored me as I jumped around the living room like some sort of trained monkey.

  I rolled over and did everything I could to get back on my feet. My entire body ached in protest.

  “Here.” She offered her hand.

  “Thanks,” I said, taking it.

  She gave me a good yank but instead of rising gracefully, I tripped in her direction. Our bodies collided and we fell into the loveseat.

  “Whoa there, Autumn. I love you, girl, but not like that.” She pushed me away from her chest and shook her head. “Seriously, if there was an award for the clumsiest person of the year, you’d take it every time.”

  “I’m not that bad,” I retorted as I brushed off some dirt from my yoga pants. “When was the last time we vacuumed the living room?”

  She shrugged. “Ever since the vacuum broke.”

  “What? So, months ago?” I scrunched my face in disgust. “I work out on that floor!”

  “You work at a gym. I honestly don’t know why you torture yourself around here.” Sara dropped her bag on a kitchen chair and grabbed a beer from the fridge. “But, after you’re done freaking out about a couple of dust bunnies, I have something to tell you.”

  “Oh?” I cocked my head in question. When she failed to explain herself, I poured myself a glass of water. “Mmm.”

  “I swear, you’re the weirdest person I know. Who actually thinks that water tastes good? It doesn’t taste like anything.”

  “It’s better than beer,” I returned. “And you know it.”

  “You’re delusional.” She finished off the bottle and threw it in the recycling bin. “Anyway, so you know how my asthma has been acting up lately?”

  “Yeah?” I hoisted myself onto the counter, cradling the glass of water between my legs.

  “Well, my regular doctor recommended that I check out a thoracic specialist. So, I headed over to the hospital, and guess who my doctor is?” The corners of her lips twitched into a mischievous grin. “You’re going to lose it when you find out.”

  I furrowed my brows together. “Who?”

  “Guess.”

  “I honestly have no idea,” I answered. “Just tell me who it is. You know I don’t like suspense.”

  “Fine but you’re absolutely no fun.” Her grin deepened as she reached into her bag and pulled out an appointment card.

  I took it and for a minute, my blood turned to ice. No. It couldn’t be.

  “Mhm. Your old lover boy. Do you think he’s following you?” The thought made her laugh. “Now, wouldn’t that be something.”

  “And, you’re sure it’s him?” I asked.

  “Well, he’s ditched the teenage acne he had in college but yeah, it’s definitely him. Trust me.” She snatched an apple from our fruit basket and bit into it. “And, I have to admit, he’s turned into quite the hottie.”

  I pretended to gag. “You’re going to make me sick.”

  “Hey, maybe he’s changed.”

  I snorted. “Changed? People don’t change. They just learn how to wear a different mask.”

  Sara rolled her eyes. “You need to lay off the philosophy books.”

  “Hey, it’s true whether you want to believe it or not.” I jumped down from the counter and opened the window. The cool breeze felt miraculous against my burning skin.

  “I honestly don’t know why you hate him so much. Sure, you were still recovering from Danny and you were a little bitter, but you’re almost thirty, girl. I think it’s time you forget about that stupid high school crush.” She tossed an apple in my direction.

  It glanced off my shoulder and smashed against the ground.

  “Why would you do that when you know I can’t catch?” I sighed, leaned down, and picked up the majority of the crushed apple. “And don’t you dare try anything. I do not want you setting me up with your doctor.”

  “Now, whatever made you think I would try such a thing?” Her voice was innocent, but I could tell she was brewing some master plan inside that head of hers.

  “Because we’ve been best friends since the start of time. I know the way you think. You’re just gunning to get that hundred dollars from our bet,” I stated as I washed my hands.

  “I only made that bet because I genuinely thought he’d be a good match for you and that you were being ridiculously stubborn.” She walked over to the sink, wrapped her arms around my torso, and pulled me into a hug. “You still are.” She hugged.

  “Well, I vowed I would never date that man and I intend to keep my promise.” Oh, if only she knew what I knew. There was so much I hadn’t told her. “Let’s just drop the subject, okay?” Before Sara could say a word in response, I walked away.

  I heard her follow me but then she stopped as soon as she saw me disappear into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and sighed.

  Leo Thompson.

  Just thinking about him brought back such terrible memories. I squeezed my eyes shut as if that would be enough to make them disappear.

  His laugh – that’s what haunted me the most. The sound of betrayal as I left that party with tears in my eyes. It was the worst day of my life and the day I vowed never to trust again.

  I turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm. Soon, the whole room was filled with steam. I walked up to the sink mirror and dragged my finger along the slick surface. I stepped back and read the message aloud, “I hope I never bump into Leo Thompson ever again.”

  [Love, Autumn] Ch2: Leo

  I glanced at my watch. Ten minutes until closing time, I thought to myself. With this thought in mind, I snatched a clipboard from a nearby door and skimmed the paperwork for my last patient of the day. All I had to do was get through this consultation and I’d be free for the weekend.

  This new job was a bit more difficult than my last. Since I was working at a major hospital, I was now within the healthcare network of many more insurance companies. Primary care physicians were referring their patients to my office by the dozens. I’ll admit, it was starting to get a bit overwhelming.

  I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

  “Is everything alright, Dr. Thompson?” Terry, my head nurse, asked as she placed a hand on my arm. She gave it a little squeeze and flashed a smile. Her eyelashes were long and caked with mascara. They looked ridiculous. Still, she insisted on batting them every time she spoke to me. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that she was interested.

  But there was another girl on my m
ind.

  Autumn Moore.

  Who knew she lived in this town? It was a total coincidence because had I known where she lived, I probably would have moved here sooner. I might even go so far as to interpret this coincidence as a work of fate, bringing us together so I could finally redeem myself and right my wrongs.

  “Dr. Thompson?” Terry repeated, a look of worry etched onto her face. “Perhaps I should cancel the final consultation if you aren’t feeling well.”

  “No. No. We have asked her to wait this long. We won’t waste any more of this poor woman’s time.” With that, I knocked on the door and stepped inside. I greeted the woman with a smile and offered her my hand.

  “Oh no, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she said in an apologetic tone as she motioned to her toddler who was currently gnawing on her fingers.

  I chuckled. “It seems he has quite the appetite.”

  “Hardly. He’ll put anything in his mouth, except food. He’s very fussy,” she said with an air of exhaustion.

  “Well, how can I help you Mrs. Harrison? I hear from your primary care physician that you’ve been having some shortness of breath lately.”

  She nodded. “Ever since my pregnancy. It’s like every day it becomes harder to breathe. It’s difficult to keep up with little Bradley here.”

  “Now, we can’t have that.” I logged onto my computer and looked through her medical records. “Any history of smoking?”

  “No.”

  “Any exposure to asbestos?”

  “That’s the thing I’m worried about…” She started. “Before I had Bradley, I used to work at this old factory mill in town. Some of my co-workers are suing for asbestos exposure.”

  “Did you wear any protective equipment while you worked there? Breathing masks and the likes?” I swiveled in my chair so I could look at her. My experience as a doctor had taught me that maintaining eye contact was one of the easiest ways to establish trust with a patient.

  “Yes. Although, I don’t think they were very good quality. They were always breaking and sometimes it took a while before they were replaced.” She fidgeted in her seat. “I’ve looked up asbestos exposure. It can lead to mesothelioma, can’t it?” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. I could tell she was holding them back for the sake of her son.

  I got up and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. “We will run the recommended tests and figure out the exact cause for your discomfort. And, from there, we will do everything to ensure that you’re brought back to perfect health. I promise you that.”

  She placed her hand on top of mine. “Thank you, Dr. Thompson.”

  * * *

  Once Mrs. Harrison was on her way, I grabbed my things with a heavy heart. From what she’d told me, things were looking very good. I just prayed the test results would come back negative. That woman didn’t need to suffer through such a horrible disease when she still had a son who needed to be raised – a boy who needed his mother.

  I gripped my locker door so tightly that my knuckles cracked from the strain. Sometimes, as a doctor, I felt so helpless. All I wanted to do was help people, but I couldn’t always do that. There were times where all I did was hurt them with a false sense of hope.

  Slam.

  Nearby, Terry closed her locker and swung her purse over her shoulder. “It’s been a long day; maybe you’d like to grab some dinner. I’m sure it’ll help get your mind off things,” she offered with a bat of her eyelashes.

  I shook my head. “I would love to, but I’ve already made plans to hit the gym. I’ve neglected it for too long.”

  In response to my words, her eyes wandered over my body. I could tell she was checking me out – slowly undressing me with her eyes.

  “You’re new in town. Have you already gotten a membership somewhere?” she asked.

  “Actually… no.” I scratched the back of my neck. “My plan was to Google the closest one and try my luck there.”

  She smiled. “Well, I go to this really nice gym. It’s just down the street. We could walk there from here and burn a few extra calories along the way. What do you say?”

  I tried to think of something that would get me out of the situation, but my mind refused to cooperate. So, I ended up agreeing to go. Hopefully, she wouldn’t interpret this as some sort of date or something. Until I made peace with Autumn, I wasn’t interested in any sort of relationship. Because, maybe, just maybe, I still had a chance with her – the one that got away.

  * * *

  The gym didn’t look half bad. It was a little on the small side, but it had all the necessary equipment and rather impressive-looking free weight collection. In fact, there was someone there already. A woman.

  She was bent over, looking for something. Her leggings were tight against her body, hugging her every curve.

  I bit the inside of my lip at the sight of that lovely backside. Mmm. Oh, I could have some fun with that.

  No, what are you thinking, Leo? You don’t even know that girl. Don’t be such a pig, that little voice inside my head chastised.

  But she was so easy on the eyes that it was impossible for me to look away.

  Terry said something but I wasn’t paying enough attention to decipher her words. With a huff, she marched over to a treadmill and started a high-incline walk.

  I forgot all about her as I approached the goddess-like woman. At the sound of my footsteps, she turned around.

  My heart threatened to stop.

  Autumn.

  Her eyes widened as they locked with mine. “Leo…” she whispered, her face going pale like she had just seen a ghost or something. “What are you doing here…?”

  “I came for a workout,” I answered honestly. “Terry invited me. She’s one of the nurses that works with me at the clinic.”

  Autumn glanced at her over my shoulder. Her eyes flashed with something I couldn’t quite place. Jealousy maybe or something else? I wasn’t sure. Either way, she didn’t look happy to see me.

  “I was actually hoping I would bump into you at some point. I just never expected it would be this soon.” I stepped forward but she took two steps back like she was afraid of my touch. I didn’t blame her.

  “You should leave.” She pointed at the door, her hand shaking.

  Just then, a large gentleman emerged from a back room. “I’m sorry, is there a problem here?” His name tag read, General Manager Tim Hopkins.

  “No, no. Not at all,” I said in a smooth, convincing voice. The last thing I wanted to do was get Autumn in any sort of trouble. “I’m new in town and I was just asking about a membership.”

  Tim smiled. “Splendid. Autumn will be happy to help you with that. If you could just follow her to the front desk, she will handle your paperwork.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded in his direction and waited for him to walk away before turning in Autumn’s direction. She was already headed for the front desk, hips swaying from side to side.

  Damn. She looked good. Really good.

  How long has it been? Five years.

  Oh, how things had changed. Now, I just needed to prove that to her – that I wasn’t the asshole I used to be.

  There was a sour look on her face as she grabbed a pen. She clicked it against her thumb. “Here. Fill out this form and then I’ll put it into our system.” She did everything she could to avoid making eye contact with me.

  So, I busied myself with the form while occasionally glancing her way. I couldn’t get over how beautiful she had become. I constantly kicked myself for ruining my chances all those years ago, but you see, I don’t take rejection very well.

  Abruptly, she broke the silence. “How’s Candi?” She said the name as if it was enough to make her sick. “I’m sure the two of you are super happy together. I wouldn’t be surprised if you bought a house by the water–” She was going to keep rambling, but I stopped her with a wave of my hand.

  “Autumn. Stop. Nothing happened between us, I swear.”

  She scoffed. “I was
n’t born yesterday.”

  “Look, I know what I did wasn’t right…”

  “You’re a goddamn asshole, Leo, and you know it,” she growled. “Now, fill out your stupid form so I can stop talking to you.”

  I wasn’t going to point out that she was the one who’d started it. I knew when to pick my battles and when not to. This was one of those times.

  When I was finished with my application, I handed it over.

  She snatched it out of my hand and punched it into the computer and when I say punched – I mean it literally. I swear it sounded like she was going to snap the keyboard in two. “Um… so I’ll just leave you to it then.” She didn’t bother to answer me.

  I strategically picked out a treadmill where I could still keep an eye on her while I ran. Her cheeks were flushed and I’ll admit, it added to her beauty. She wasn’t one for makeup and that’s what I liked – a natural beauty.

  Now, all I had to do was accomplish the herculean task of convincing her that five years ago had been a mistake – that I’d never meant to hurt her the way I did.

  She moved to the printer and stapled a couple of sheets together. Somehow, she even managed to make something so secretarial look elegant.

  “Do you know her or something?” Terry appeared at the foot of my machine. “You keep gawking like a starving man at a buffet.” Her voice was laced with jealousy and malice.

  I shook my head. “It’s a long story.”

  She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “So, you’ve slept with her.”

  “What? No.” I nearly choked. I wish, I thought.

  “You aren’t fooling me.”

  Across the room, Autumn beckoned me over. I was glad to get away from the head nurse. She was the kind of person who became impossibly annoying impossibly fast.

  I excused myself and rejoined Autumn at the front desk. “I just need you to sign this. There’s no cost to signing up with us but starting on the first you’ll be charged twenty-five dollars every month in order to use our facilities.”