by Sandi Lynn
“Yes, she cried.”
“Then she cared, bro. I’m sure this is hurting her just as bad, but she made her decision and that decision is her career. Do you honestly blame her after everything that happened here?”
“I know it’s hard.” Elijah placed his hand on my back. “But you have to pick yourself up and move on.”
“You don’t have a clue how I’m feeling. Neither one of you does. You both got your girls and your happily ever after. That was something I never believed in or wanted, and now that I do, it’s so far out of my reach.”
“There will be other women,” Nathan said, and Elijah smacked his arm.
“What if I would have said that to you about Allison?”
“Right. Sorry, bro.”
“Listen, I appreciate you coming by, but I really want to be alone. Tell Mom I’m fine, and I’ll call her soon.”
“Okay, little brother. We will.” Elijah hugged me. “Clean yourself up.”
“Take care, bro.” Nathan hugged me. “You know we’re just a phone call away.”
“I know.”
One Week Later
I went back to work a couple days earlier than I said and immersed myself in it. I spent most nights at the station because staying in that apartment was too hard. Everywhere I looked reminded me of her. Fires were breaking out everywhere, and I was grateful, for it kept me focused and it kept Sara out of my head, at least until we put the fires out.
I called Nathan’s realtor to see if the townhouse was still available, and unfortunately it had sold. I needed to do something because I couldn’t stay in the apartment anymore. I had wished Sara would arrange to have her things moved out because knowing some of it was still there, hurt even more.
As I was sitting at my desk going over an arson report, my phone rang, and it was my mother calling.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, darling. Don’t forget family dinner is tomorrow and you will be there.”
“Yeah. I’ll be there. Don’t worry. Today’s my last day for the next three days.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
Chapter 41
Sara
I was loving my job so far, but I was still hurting. Would this ever stop? I asked myself that every day. Every night when I closed my eyes, I would replay the night Mason was here, in my hotel room, professing his love to me. Instead of lessening, the ache in my heart grew stronger every day.
“Hey, Sara?”
“Yeah, Grace?”
“Jamieson and I would love to have you over for dinner tonight. What do you say?”
“Thank you. I would love to.”
“Great. We’ll see you around seven o’clock. I’ll text you my address.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
On my way to the Finn’s, I stopped at the store and picked up a bottle of wine.
“Hi, Sara. Welcome to Casa Finn.” Jamieson smiled as he opened the door.
“Thank you. I brought some wine.”
He took the bottle and looked at it.
“You have excellent taste in wine.”
“Thanks. That was always my mother’s favorite.”
“How is your mother doing?” he asked.
“Pretty much the same. They let me Facetime her everyday so I can see her.”
“That’s great. Come in the dining room. Grace is just finishing up with dinner.”
“I thought I heard you. Welcome to our home.” She smiled as she set a dish of chicken on the table. “I had the nanny take the kids out for dinner so us adults could talk in peace.”
After we finished eating, Grace poured me another glass of wine and placed her hand on mine.
“Go home, Sara.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“Go home to New York. You belong there with him. Not here.” She gave me a sympathetic smile.
“No, Grace. I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. I see how bad you’re hurting. You think you’re doing a good job of hiding it, but you’re not. You’re not doing yourself any good by denying what is meant to be. You love him so much, Sara. Go back to him. It’s not too late.”
“Grace, I—”
Just then her phone rang with a Facetime call.
“Hello, Richard.”
“Hello, Grace. Everything good over there?”
“Everything is great. I have Sara here with me.”
“Excellent. I would like to speak with her.”
I sat there in confusion, for I didn’t know what the hell was going on when she handed me the phone.
“Dr. Sara Davis, it’s finally nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Doctor Richard Howell, head trauma surgeon over at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.”
“Hi, Dr. Howell.”
“Grace told me all about you and how excellent your surgical skills are. She sent over your credentials, and after reviewing them, you’re exactly what Lenox Hill Hospital needs right now. I have a trauma fellowship position available and I’m holding it for you if you’re interested.”
I looked over at Grace, who had a big smile on her face. “Go home.” She mouthed.
“Yes, Dr. Howell. I’m interested. I’m definitely interested.”
“Excellent. I’ll give you time to get back to New York and get settled. Your fellowship will start one week from today. Is that enough time?”
“More than enough time. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. I look forward to having you here with us. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
“You too, Dr. Howell. I’ll see you next week.”
“Bye, Richard,” Grace said as she ended the call.
“I don’t know how—”
“You don’t need to say anything. I know being a trauma surgeon is your dream, and your dream of both trauma and love awaits you in New York.”
“Thank you so much.” I hugged her.
“You’re welcome. Just promise me you’ll keep in touch.”
“I will. I definitely will.”
“We had you over for dinner because one, we like you, and two, we wanted to do this for you outside of the hospital. Plus, we know we won’t see you after tonight for a long time. When you get back to the hotel, make sure you pack because your flight leaves tomorrow morning at six thirty a.m. with a two-hour layover in Detroit and arriving in New York at five-thirty p.m.”
“Sorry about that,” Jamieson spoke. “It was the only flight with the best option that would get you into New York early. For some reason, the airlines didn’t offer any direct flights.”
“You two are amazing people. Please let me pay you for the ticket.”
“Absolutely not,” Jamieson said. “It’s our gift to you. Consider it a congratulations gift.”
“Congratulations?” I smiled.
“On the new fellowship and reuniting with the love of your life.”
I looked down as a thought entered my head.
“What’s wrong, Sara?” Grace asked.
“What if Mason moved on?”
“Oh, sweetie. I doubt it. From what you told me, he loves you more than life and he’s just not going to get over it that quickly.”
I thanked them both again and headed to the hotel. I couldn’t believe I was going home tomorrow. I’d just hoped Mason would be happy to see me.
While I was in the Detroit Airport waiting for my next flight, I found a Starbucks and grabbed a coffee. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings as I took my coffee from the counter and quickly turned around, bumping into someone and almost spilling the contents of my cup on them.
“Oh, excuse—Nathan?” I stood there in shock as I looked up.
“Sara? What the hell?” He hugged me. “What are you doing in Detroit?”
“I’m coming home, Nathan.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yes. Please don’t tell anyone. How is Mason?”
He ordered his coffee, and as soon as it was ready, we took a seat on a bench nearby.
“I can’t believe you’re here. Are you on flight 315?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the plane I’m flying back to New York.” He smiled.
“Wow. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe I’m talking to you, here, in Detroit.”
“Fate, Sara. Fate. I was never a believer in that until I met Allison.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“To answer your question about Mason, he’s a total hot mess. I’ve never seen him like that before and I don’t ever want to again. Why the sudden change of mind?”
“Because I can’t get over him. I love him too much, Nathan. And Grace, the trauma surgeon I was working under, knew it. So, she told me to go home.”
“That was nice of her. What about your fellowship?”
“I start next week at Lenox Hill Hospital under Dr. Richard Howell.”
“Excellent.” He grinned.
“Do you know if Mason is at the station tonight?”
“He’s off and tonight is family dinner, so he’ll be at our mother’s. I’m going there straight from the airport so we can ride together, and you can surprise everyone.”
“Okay. I’d like that.” I smiled.
“Man, Mason will be so happy when he sees you. He’s been such a miserable douchebag.” He smirked.
“I love him so much, Nathan.”
“I know you do, love. He loves you too.” He grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Chapter 42
Mason
“Where the hell is Nathan? I’m starving,” I said as I took a seat at the table.
“He just called, and he’s stuck in traffic. He’ll be here soon.”
“Mom, can we just eat already?”
“Fine. Nathan can eat when he gets here. Dig in everyone.”
A few moments later, the front door opened, and Nathan walked into the dining room.
“You already started eating without me?”
“Bro, we couldn’t wait anymore. What the fuck took you so long?” I asked.
“Traffic, douchebag. Tons of traffic. There’s a package for you on the front porch with your name on it.”
“That’s weird. I didn’t order anything. You couldn’t have brought it in?”
“Nah. It’s not for me.” He smirked.
“I’ll get it after dinner.”
“You better go get it now. It’s pretty big and someone may steal it. You never know around here.”
“Nathan! How dare you insinuate my neighborhood is bad.”
“Relax, Mom.”
I sighed as I got up from my chair and opened the front door.
“Sara?” I stood there in shock as my heart rate rapidly increased.
“Hi, Mason.” A beautiful smile crossed her lips.
“What are you doing here? Is everything okay? Is your mom okay?”
“My mom is fine. I came home because I love you and this is where I need to be and where I’m meant to be.”
I looked down, and when I noticed her suitcases, tears filled my eyes.
“You’re home? For good?”
“If you’ll have me.”
“Oh my God.” I threw my arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I love you so much and I missed you.”
“I missed you too. I’ll explain everything later.”
I broke our embrace, placed my hands on each side of her face and kissed her soft lips.
“Mason, what is going—Sara!” My mother exclaimed.
“She came back home, Mom. She’s here to stay.”
“Thank the lord! It’s so good to see you, darling.” She hugged Sara tight.
“It’s good to see you too, Caitlin.”
Everyone walked into the foyer, and excitement filled the room when they saw Sara.
“Aren’t you happy I forced you to go get your package?” Nathan smirked.
“You brought her here?”
“She was on my flight from Detroit. Imagine my surprise when I saw her in the airport.”
“Douchebag.” I smacked him. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“And ruin the surprise? Never. I’m happy she’s back, bro.”
“Me too. I still can’t believe it.”
After everyone welcomed her back, I took hold of her hands.
“Are you hungry?”
“I am. But not for food,” she whispered in my ear and instantly my cock started to spasm.
“Hey, Mom, I’m taking Sara home.”
“Darling, don’t you want to stay and eat?” she asked her.
“Mom, please. We need to go home.”
“Oh. Right. You two have a lot of catching up to do. Have fun and don’t hurt yourselves.” She gave us a wink.
I grabbed her luggage and threw them in the trunk of the cab. She climbed in first, and I slid next to her and wrapped my arm around her while she laid her head on my shoulder.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” I said. “What about your fellowship?”
“I start a new one next week at Lenox Hill Hospital.”
“Really? That’s great. We bring more victims there than at your last hospital. I’ll be seeing you all the time.” I smiled as I kissed the top of her head.
The cab couldn’t get to our apartment building fast enough. As soon as we reached the apartment, I unlocked the door and rolled the suitcases inside. I wasted no time smashing my mouth against hers, picking her up and carrying her straight to the bedroom.
“I have missed your lips so much,” I spoke as I broke our kiss and pulled my shirt over my head.
“I missed everything about you.” She unbuckled my belt.
“Oh baby, you have no idea what I’m going to do to you tonight.” I took down my pants.
“You can do anything you want as long as you never let me go.” She pulled off her shirt and bra and laid down on the bed.
I climbed on the bed and hovered over her, tracing her beautiful breasts with my fingers.
“I will never let you go again.” I leaned down and softly brought my lips to hers.
The way we made love was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It was as if our bodies met each other for the first time. We didn’t need words, only the subtle sound of her breath, the beating of her heart and the soft moans that escaped her lips told me everything I wanted to hear. She whispered in my ear she didn’t want to use condoms anymore and I granted her wish. I pushed into her inch by inch and the warmth inside her took me in. The magical feeling of skin to skin intoxicated me. Her nails dug into the flesh of my back while hers arched as she orgasmed. I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I love you” as she tightened around my cock, causing me to explode inside her. My body fell upon hers as I tried to catch my breath. Her grip around me tightened, assuring me she was never letting go. Before rolling off her, I lifted my head and kissed her lips.
We lay there, our bodies tangled together as I stroked her soft hair.
“Do you work tomorrow?” she asked.
“No. I have the next two days off and we are not leaving this bed.”
“I love the sound of that. Do you promise?”
“I promise you the world, baby.” I kissed the top of her head.
The next morning, I got up and went into the kitchen to make us each a cup of coffee.
“Your phone is ringing, and it’s your Mom,” Sara yelled from the bedroom.
“Answer it.”
Before the second cup of coffee finished brewing, Sara walked over and kissed me on the lips.
“Why are you out of bed? The coffee is almost done.”
“Your mom has summoned us over to Nathan’s house within an hour.”
“What? Why? Did you tell her no?”
“I’m not telling your mother no. Feel free to call her yourself and tell her we’re
not coming.” Her brow arched.
“Why do we have to go over to Nathan’s?”
“She didn’t say. We better take a shower together to save time.” Her tongue ran over her lips.
“I’m right behind you, baby.” I grinned.
Chapter 43
Mason
When the cab pulled up to Nathan’s house, we saw my mother standing on the steps of his porch.
“Why is she just standing there like that?” Sara asked.
“I haven’t got a clue. Let’s go find out.” I opened the door, and we both climbed out.
“Good, you made it.” My mother smiled.
“Like we had a choice. Why are you just standing out here?” I asked.
“I want to show you something. Follow me.” We followed her down the steps and to the townhome that was next door.
She slid the key in the lock and opened the door, motioning for us to go inside.
“Mother, what is going on? Did you buy this place?”
“I did. What do you think?”
I silently snickered because she’d be living right next door to Nathan. The thought excited me.
“Caitlin, this is beautiful. What about your other townhome?” Sara asked.
“This isn’t for me, darling. It’s for the two of you. Welcome to your new home,” she said.
“What?” I glanced at her in shock.
“I bought this place because it was too good of a deal to pass up and you were taking too long to decide. I wasn’t about to let it slip out from under you. Look around and envision all the changes you can make.”
“Mom. I can’t believe you did this.” I kissed her cheek.
“I’ve been saving it for the right time, and the right time has come. The deed to the house is in your name. I paid cash for it so you can pay me back in monthly installments, interest free.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a hug. “Thank you so much. I love you.”
“I love you too, and I know you both will be very happy here. Now, I need to get to the office.” She dropped the keys to the house in my hand and placed her hand on my cheek. “Enjoy your new home.” She softly smiled.