A look of relief flashed in his eyes, telling me he felt the same about the moment as I did. He nodded and stood, giving me an excellent view of the most perfect ass I’d never get my hands on. Damn.
Wyatt came back with a box and set it on the ottoman. He lifted the lid and revealed several carefully packaged ornaments. Some were in padded envelopes, some in bubble wrap, and a couple loose in the box.
I lifted one of the metal ones from the box and let the light catch the polished parts of the silver surface. “Where did you get this one?”
Wyatt grinned when he saw the one I held. “That was one of the first ones I got. My first Christmas tree was pretty boring. One of those ones with the lights already on the tree. I didn’t have any ornaments. I found that at a big box store after Christmas. My mom said I had to start collecting ornaments and I teased her that I should get it. She said it would be better than nothing, so I bought it.”
I set the ornament back in the box carefully and chose another one.
“That was a gift from my sister. She had the same opinion as my mom. She took matters into her own hands though and just made me an ornament herself.”
“She made this?” I asked, impressed with the beaded ornament that looked like it belonged in a window display.
Wyatt nodded proudly. “She did. She’s a very talented artist.”
“Does she know Hunter?”
“No. She’s been a stay at home mom since my niece, Ann, was born. She says she doesn’t have time to do anything with her art full time. When both kids are in school she might do something. I told her about Hunter though. He said he’d love to see her stuff when she’s ready, which is pretty cool of him.”
“Vicki adores him. Did you know they’re trying to have kids?”
“Wow, really?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she asked me about it.”
“Damn. I guess I’m that old-fashioned guy who thinks they should be married first.”
I laughed. “I thought Vicki was the same way. I’ve treated people who were married and not married and to me, love is love. You don’t need a piece of paper to say you’re going to stay together.”
Wyatt nodded thoughtfully. “I guess that’s true. I just can’t imagine having kids.”
“I still have trouble seeing that. Not a family man?”
He shook his head and shivered. “Definitely not. It’s not in the cards for me.”
“I’m with you. I have hundreds of kids out there that I get to love on and turn back over to their parents. I keep their pictures in my office to stare at, but I don’t have to deal with everything that comes with having kids. I’m perfectly content with that arrangement.”
Wyatt laughed. “I’m happy being Uncle Wyatt. That’s as close as I want to get.”
I held up another ornament and waited for him to tell me about it. We went through the whole box, Wyatt telling me stories until late in the evening. When he offered to take me home, I was disappointed, but knew it was the right thing.
Still, it would have been nice to have a few more of those amazing orgasms. I would fantasize about what he could have done for years.
Chapter 12
I was still daydreaming about Wyatt the next week. Laura interrupted me a few times with a suspicious grin on her face and an accusation that I was keeping something from her.
It was so disappointing to know there was nothing to keep from her.
I grabbed the file from her, and ignored yet another probing look designed to get me to confess to something, and knocked on the door to room three. I let myself in and smiled at Sherry and Roger.
“How are we doing today?”
I knew they were in for her follow-up, and that she wasn’t pregnant. I had to work hard to keep my spirits up during those appointments or they’d destroy me.
“It doesn’t get any easier, does it?” Sherry asked, her green eyes imploring me to give her good news.
I shook my head sadly. “Unfortunately, no. It doesn’t. I know we were hopeful that this would work. You only have two frozen embryos left. I really thought implanting just one would take. I wish it had.”
Sherry nodded, accepting the shoulder squeeze and kiss on the temple from Roger.
“Aside from the obvious, how are you doing?”
She shrugged and shook her head. “Okay. No pain like last time. Just heartbreak.”
I nodded and checked her lungs and took her pulse. She’d be back in a month to try again if I knew Sherry, and I hated that it was so hard for some of my patients. Sherry was one of the many who’d chosen to have a bunch of eggs harvested and was slowly working through them.
Sadly, it wasn’t the first time she’d had multiple eggs harvested. And none of the attempts had been successful.
“What are you guys thinking?”
Sherry and Roger exchanged a look full of sorrow and my heart simply broke. Shit. I wanted to cry looking at them. I’d had plenty of patients who had trouble getting pregnant. Some who ended up adopting instead of having their own natural children. It was always hard for me. To accept that I’d failed. That I wasn’t good enough.
I knew that wasn’t true, but it felt like it. It felt like I’d let them down. And looking at Sherry and Roger gave me that feeling all over again.
“We want to take a break for a while. We just need to stop worrying about getting pregnant and enjoy each other again.”
She reached for his hand, and he willingly went to her. He took her hand and stepped close enough that their hands rested on her thigh.
“We’ve had trouble remembering why we want to be together,” Sherry confessed. “We know we still love each other, but all this is so stressful that we’re at each other’s throats all the time.”
I nodded, meeting their eyes. It was just one more reason I was single. If I had the same struggles as all my patients, I knew I wouldn’t handle it well and would end up divorced. If I got pregnant quickly, I wouldn’t be able to look my patients in the eye.
Could you imagine if I walked in pregnant every day and had to tell patients like Sherry that it wasn’t going to happen for her, but I was pregnant?
Talk about heartbreaking.
“I understand,” I said sympathetically, even though I really didn’t. I had no frame of reference when it came to relationships. Only that I’d seen enough of them go through the ups and downs of infertility to know it was difficult, to say the least. “I think you guys are making a smart choice. Bringing children into a marriage is stressful enough when it’s easy. When everything goes right and there aren’t issues. Dealing with everything you’ve gone through over the last few years, on top of your marriage changing when you do get pregnant, it could be too much. Fall in love with each other again, then come back and see me.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Roger said. He was a quiet man. He’d only ever said a handful of things to me, but I could hear the relief in his voice and knew he’d been pushing Sherry to take the break. He wanted his wife back. And there was nothing wrong with that.
“Of course. This is your life, and your body.” I met Sherry’s eyes. “It won’t be any fun if you’re unhappy. Find your happiness together. The embryos will be fine for a long time. You can decide what you want to do with them when you’re ready.”
“How long do you think we should wait?” Sherry asked, her voice scared.
I smiled. “As long as you need to.” I opened her chart. “You’re only thirty-one. You have plenty of years left where your body can safely carry a child. I haven’t seen any reason you can’t carry, so take your time. Sometimes couples take a break and can come back and it’s easier. Some come back and decide they want to adopt instead of go through all the medications and anxiety. You guys will figure out what’s best for you.”
Sherry nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Prescott.”
“Of course. And if you want information on a counselor, the front desk can provide you with a few in the area.”
“Do you think we need o
ne?” Sherry asked fearfully.
I shook my head. “That decision has to be yours. Some couples feel it helps to have a safe place to say everything they want to say. Some don’t. Counseling is a very personal choice. I see one regularly.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely. It’s nice to have someone to talk to. But I’m not married with a loving husband to turn to.”
Sherry glanced up at Roger with a look that told me they’d be back before long. They loved each other.
What terrified me about that was the vision of Wyatt that popped into my head.
I was losing it.
I said goodbye to Sherry and Roger and told them to let me know if they decided to try again, then went to my office for a minute. As I was typing up my notes, Laura walked in shaking her head.
“The husband just asked when I’m due.”
“Excuse me?”
“The husband. The one that just left?”
“Roger?”
She shrugged. “I guess. He asked when I’m due.”
“He thought you were pregnant?”
Laura chuckled. “Yep. I think that’s two this week.”
“You’re joking!”
She shook her head. “I need to stop buying these shirts.”
I motioned for her to stand up. She did, executing a twirl for me. She was right. The shirt pulled tight across her ample chest and had a band beneath her breasts, then flowed to her waist. It was easy to think her natural belly bump was actually a baby bump.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. How did I not notice?”
Laura snorted. “Really? Do you even know what you’re wearing today?”
I glanced down and saw a pair of black dress pants and a red sweater. I knew I had a tank top under the sweater, but I had no idea what color it was.
“Point taken. What did you say?”
“I told him I’m not pregnant, just like to make sure husbands are prepared for when their wives look like me. He didn’t know what to say to that.”
I laughed with her. “You’re bad. What did Sherry say?”
“She laughed. I think she knew ahead of time that I wasn’t pregnant and was a little embarrassed that he even asked.”
“When you actually get pregnant, it’s not going to be nearly as funny.”
She shook her head. “Can’t get pregnant without sperm. The closest I get to that stuff is the freezer here.”
I held it for a minute then laughed. And nodded. “Right there with you.”
“Ah, really? I thought things were going well with the mayor.”
I shook my head. “They were. I mean, they are. But I don’t think we should be anything more than friends.”
“Why not? He’s gorgeous.”
“He is. But it just feels odd. Like I’m trying too hard with him.”
“It seemed pretty easy to me. He came here. He likes you. You told me you’ve been making out. Just jump him already.”
I sighed heavily. “We almost slept together this weekend.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me that? Ooh, was it bad? That’s why it won’t work. He can’t get it up? No, no. That’s not it. He doesn’t know what to do with your plumbing. Or he’s too hairy. Or he’s-”
“Stop! Jeez. None of that. It’s just-”
The phone buzzed on my desk. I lifted the receiver to talk to the front desk. “Hey Kristy.”
“Dr. Peyton, there’s a patient up here with a question. She said she just saw you and wanted to ask you something before she left.”
“I’ll be right there, Kristy. Thanks.”
I stood to leave, hanging up the phone and meeting Laura’s gaze.
“Oh, no. You’re not getting out of this conversation without giving me some answers.”
“I have to go see someone,” I argued, going to the door.
“Is it the mayor?”
I laughed. “No. It’s a patient.”
Laura huffed. “Fine. But we’re not done here.”
I nodded. “I know how you are.”
After I spoke to Sherry and saw a few more patients, Laura cornered me again. She knew I had a few minutes and grabbed me in the hall. “What happened?”
I shrugged, glancing around to make sure no one heard us. “We were making out and he, well, you know.”
“Got hard? Pinched your nipple too hard? His dick is tiny?”
“Jeez!” I pulled her into my office and closed the door behind us. “He gave me one orgasm just grinding against me. He said he wanted to get his hands on me and rolled us, but we were on his couch and rolled right off the couch.”
I chuckled to myself thinking about it again. It really was funny. I met Laura’s confused eyes and sobered.
“Anyway, after that it just wasn’t right. The mood changed.”
“That’s it? You two aren’t right because you think the mood changed when you fell off the couch?”
“It did change.”
“I’m not arguing with you. Did you laugh?”
I shrugged.
“Okay, that means you cackled like a crazy person. That’s your kind of humor. Stupid shit that happens at the wrong moment. Why does that mean you two can’t be together?”
I shrugged. “It just felt different.”
“Did he get mad?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then try again. Text him. Ask him if he wants to get dinner. I know how hard today was for you. Between Sherry not being pregnant and talking to Cassandra about adopting, I know you need a break.”
“Vicki will be home.”
“So? I know you love your sister, but you need a night out with a man. Someone who’s going to make you forget about today. And if he can get you off without even touching you, he’ll definitely make you forget about everything else.”
“I can’t just call him up for a booty call.”
“Why not? Men do it all the time. Give me your phone. I’ll do it for you.”
“You sure are eager for this. It’s like you’re the one having sex.”
Laura shook her head. “Nope. Just need to live through you. I’m not ready to sleep with someone new.”
Shit. I almost forgot about her breakup.
“Oh, no,” she said, waving a finger at me. “Don’t give me that look. No. I’m not depressed. I don’t need a girls’ night. I just need you to get laid. And tell me all about it.”
I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone. Wyatt and I texted the entire day after our failed date so I knew he was okay with being in touch. He was still flirty. And I still thought he was hot. Maybe a night out wouldn’t be so bad. And if it ended in his bed, or on the floor in front of his couch again, so be it.
I sent a quick text asking if he was busy that night and if he wanted to grab dinner. I slid my phone away and went to the door, ignoring Laura’s triumphant grin. My phone buzzed before I even opened the door. I paused, reaching for it again, and couldn’t stop my own smile when I saw his response.
Hell yes.
By the time I finished with my last patient, I had a text from Wyatt to meet at his place. I finished my notes and glanced at the work I should do. Stacks of paper lined my desk with files on the bookshelf behind me. It was getting out of hand.
But I closed up my office and left to meet Wyatt.
I took the stairs up to his place after he buzzed me in and knocked on the door. I wondered if I should have text him that I was on my way, but before I could worry more, the door opened.
To a hot, sweaty, shirtless Wyatt.
“Damn,” I breathed, unable to tear my eyes from his chest. A bead of sweat ran between his pecks and I had the undeniable urge to chase it with my tongue. It moved lower, hiding in the hair on his belly and giving me an excuse to take in the rest of him.
Abs. Vee. Low slung shorts. With a slight bulge.
I was in serious trouble.
“My eyes are up here, doctor,” he teased.
I shook my head to clear it and finally
met his amused gaze. “I’m a doctor. It’s my sworn duty to admire the human form.”
“Could we at least do it inside my apartment instead of risking all my neighbors watching you admire me?”
He had one hand on the doorframe and the other high on the door, making him seem bigger than usual. I took another second to appreciate him, then pushed him inside.
Warm, slick skin. Firm muscles.
Screw dinner. I wanted to feast on him.
“I wasn’t sure what time you were going to get here. I was just getting in a workout real quick.”
“Don’t let me stop you,” I teased. “I can be your coach.”
He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “I imagine you’d be a great coach.”
I nodded, scanning his chest and abs again. “It doesn’t really look like you need the help though.”
“Why Dr. Peyton. I think you just complimented me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please. You know how hot you are.”
“It’s always nice to know you think I’m hot though.”
“I don’t think your ego could take any more compliments.”
He laughed. “I’ll take as many as you want to hand out.”
I shook my head at him, smiling.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to jump in the shower. There’s wine in the fridge by the sink if you want to open a bottle.”
He walked backward down the hallway until he disappeared. I paused for a minute, enjoying the fantasy of following him to the shower. I sighed. Laura was right. The mood might have changed, but there was still a chance it wasn’t gone forever.
Chapter 13
I found his wine fridge, more than a little impressed that he had one, and selected a red I’d never heard of. The description on the back sounded good, so I opened it and searched for a glass.
Slowly.
But I wasn’t snooping.
Of course, Wyatt was neat and organized and I didn’t find anything remotely interesting in his cabinets.
What did I expect?
I was sipping the wine, with an empty glass waiting for him, when he walked back into the kitchen. His hair was still damp and tousled like he’d run his towel over it. His blue sweater somehow made his brown eyes richer.
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