by Teague, AS
I frowned. It was way too soon for that, but I didn’t want to kill his enthusiasm. “What time is your appointment?”
“Eleven a.m.”
“I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
“Perfect. We can celebrate together.”
I pressed my lips together and nodded. “Yep. Good night, Aiden.”
“Night, Mel.”
I closed the door behind me and then made my way to the front door. I’d just slipped inside when my phone chimed with an incoming text.
Aiden: Your ass is incredible.
I grinned and flipped on the light switch before dropping my purse on the sofa table. I kicked out of my flats, my feet still sore, but not throbbing like they were earlier, and padded down the hall to the bedroom. After stripping out of my clothes, I slipped under the covers and typed out a response.
Me: Yes, it is. Your date was incredible.
I pulled up the text thread with Brooke.
Me: I’m home and in bed.
Her response was almost immediate, as though she’d been waiting for my message.
Brooke: Alone?
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling.
Me: I’m not that kind of girl. I’m offended you would even insinuate otherwise.
Brooke: Liar.
Me: Okay, fine. I am that kind of girl. But, yes, I’m alone.
My phone vibrated in my hand with a message from Aiden, and I switched over to his thread.
Aiden: My date was literally the worst in history.
Me: It was not! I laughed, a lot. I ate amazing food. Drank delicious wine. And spent hours in the company of one very charming man. I’d consider it a success.
Another message from Brooke came through.
Brooke: So, you gonna tell me about it, or are you going to leave me hanging?
I settled further under the covers while trying to decide what to tell Brooke. She didn’t want the details of the date, though I would tell her that too. She was more interested in knowing how I felt after it all.
But that was just the thing. I didn’t know how I felt. I’d never known how I felt when it came to Aiden. For the better part of my adult life, I’d been so conflicted about all things Aiden Shaw. I sighed and began to type.
Me: He planned out this amazing night, and it went all wrong. But in the most charming way possible. And, gah, you should have seen him when he realized I couldn’t eat cheese. Crestfallen. Totally bummed. And I think that was when I decided that I like him. Like, really like him. And I know, I know, I’ve always really liked him. But this is different. It almost feels like we are finally there, ya know? Finally, after almost eight damn years of missing each other, two ships sailing past each other in the night, it feels like maybe we’ve finally docked at the same port. And that scares me. Cause what if the waters get rough? I know, I’m being dramatic. I’ll stop. But, really, I swear… Tonight felt good. It felt great. It felt like it was meant to be…. And feeling his lips on mine wasn’t too bad either.
I hit Send and then dropped the phone and let my head fall back against the pillows. With that admission to Brooke, I’d made my decision. I wanted Aiden. I wanted all of him. I wanted us. And I was freaking giddy, basking in the post-date glow and finally admitting to myself that this was exactly what I wanted.
My phone chimed with a response, and I picked it up, expecting to see a million bug eye emojis and an ‘I told you so’ from my best friend. Instead, it was Aiden.
Aiden: I was not crestfallen.
I wrinkled my brow, and then panic gripped my gut.
No. No. No.
Quickly, I scrolled back up, and the panic turned to sheer humiliation when I realized that the long, rambly, gushy message that was intended for my best friend had instead been sent to the man it was about.
Shit!
I pulled up the thread to Brooke to see that I hadn’t even opened her message. I must have seen it at the top of my phone screen and just replied while still in the thread with Aiden.
Double Shit!
My phone chimed again.
Aiden: Tell me more about how great tonight was.
“Asshole,” I grumbled to myself.
Maybe I should just turn my phone off and go to sleep. I could deal with this tomorrow. But I knew there was no way that I would be able to fall asleep without making up some sort of excuse.
Suck it up, Mel.
I began to type out an apology response, explaining how that wasn’t meant for him, but quickly erased the words.
Me: Nope.
Aiden: Oh, come on. I’m dying to know how much you like me.
Me: Like you don’t already know.
Aiden: You’re a tough nut to crack. I wasn’t so sure.
Me: Whatever. I’m going to bed. See you tomorrow.
Aiden: Good night, Mel. Sweet dreams. My lips and I will be waiting for you.
“Argh!” I let out a strangled cry and flipped to my conversation with Brooke.
Me: I just sent your text to Aiden. He now knows how I feel. I have to go to sleep before I die from embarrassment. I’ll call you tomorrow.
Brooke: Wait! You can’t just leave me hanging! This is against the friendship rules.
I took a screen shot of the messages and forwarded it to her and then typed out a quick, ‘Call ya tomorrow’ before powering off my phone. I needed to sleep. Hopefully until Aiden was old and had forgotten all about me and that text message.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Aiden
I’d read her text at least half a dozen times before finally going to sleep. The next morning, I’d gotten up and read it again, grinning like a damn lunatic as Sandy drove me to the hospital for my follow-up with Dr. Reed. I hadn’t seen him since I left Atlanta, but I felt like I’d made a lot of progress since then.
He’d examined me, taken X-rays and an MRI, and then sent me to the waiting room while he waited on the results. Throughout the entire appointment, I’d been high. It was like I’d taken drugs, even though I’d never done it before, and there was literally nothing that would dash that heady feeling I had every time I read the words that weren’t meant for me.
I’d wanted to feel even a twinge of guilt when I’d started reading the message and realized that it wasn’t meant for me, but I hadn’t. I’d just soaked up every word and then read it again.
I knew that she was going to be pissed that she’d sent it to me instead of Brooke, but I couldn’t resist giving her a hard time. She was going to deny it; she was going to protest and insist that she hadn’t actually meant what she’d said. But she shocked the shit out of me by simply admitting it.
I was still floating on cloud one hundred and nine when Dr. Reed called me back into the examination room.
I hobbled in and settled into the chair instead of attempting to climb up on the exam table and grinned. “Give me the good news, Doc.”
Dr. Reed frowned and squeezed the back of his neck, his mouth opening and then clamping shut while I waited for him to tell me that I would be back on the field in a month or so.
“What is it? My recovery is so damn great it’s mind-blowing? Rendering you speechless?” I just knew that he was trying to find the words to tell me that I was a modern-day medical mystery, recovering from such a horrific injury faster than anyone had anticipated.
I mean, I felt great. My knee still ached and throbbed after a therapy session, but walking on it had gotten so much easier since Mel had started working with me.
“Aiden…” He trailed off and dropped his gaze to the floor. I watched, the confidence that I’d had just moments ago starting to slip. He lifted his head, and his intense green gaze met mine.
It was in that moment that I knew. But I wouldn’t let the words into my mind.
I shook my head. “No.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he nodded his head slowly. “Aiden, man… I am so––”
“Don’t,” I cut him off and pushed to my feet as quickly as I could with a fucking br
ace wrapped around one of my knees. Just moments ago, my knee had felt amazing, but now, without even hearing the words, it screamed in pain, as though it were in just as much agony as I was.
Dr. Reed stood and stepped in front of the door to block my exit. “Aiden, please. Sit and let’s talk this out.”
“Talk what out? What’s there to talk about? You don’t have to say the words out loud for me to know. As a matter of fact, I don’t want to hear it.”
“I have to tell you. It’s so much more than just telling you that your career is over.”
“No!” I roared, my stomach rolling. “It’s not fucking over.”
I couldn’t breathe. My chest was tight, my lungs refusing to draw in any air. My head swam as his words finally sunk in.
Your career is over.
I was going to be sick. I spun and managed to launch myself at the sink that was in the room just in time to empty the contents of my stomach.
Dr. Reed’s hand clapped my shoulder briefly, and then he reached around me and grabbed a handful of paper towels. Once I was finished expelling the waffles I’d had for breakfast that morning, I reached for the outstretched hand and took what he was offering, wiping my mouth before balling up the paper and throwing it in the trash.
Dr. Reed turned the water on and washed out the sink without saying a word, and I silently thanked him for not mentioning what had just happened.
I sank back into the chair and squeezed my eyes shut as I shook my head. Maybe when I opened them, I’d be in that stupid hospital bed in my guest room and this would all just be a bad dream. I counted to ten and then slowly raised my lids, disappointment washing over me as I took in the doctor’s face, his mouth turned down in a frown, his eyes shining with concern.
“Don’t say it’s over. Please,” I croaked.
Dr. Reed nodded, a quick jerk of his chin, and then he turned the computer screen to face me. After pressing a few buttons on the keyboard, a black and white image appeared and he began to talk, pointing out where the break had been and the scar tissue that was already forming around it.
I heard every word he said, but not a one of them sank in. Even though I was listening to him, I wasn’t able to absorb the information that he was giving me, and when he finally stopped talking, I blinked and then whispered, “Are you sure?”
He reached out and placed a large hand on my uninjured knee and squeezed. “I would never tell you something that I wasn’t sure about. But I am more than happy to refer you to someone else, let you get a second and third opinion.”
I shook my head. “Anyone in the state as good as you?”
“Honest answer? No.”
“Then I don’t need another opinion.”
He turned back to the screen, and another image appeared on the screen. “Now, it’s not all bad news. Your leg is healing.” He pointed to the bone where the pins were. “And hopefully, you won’t always have pain.”
My stomach churned. “Hopefully?”
He frowned. “This knee is going to be extremely susceptible to arthritis. But your PT seems to be really working. Who are you seeing?”
Her name was like ash in my throat. “Mel.”
His lips tipped up. “She is amazing. We were really sad to see her go when she decided to move to Chicago. You’re a lucky man to have her on your side.”
Lucky.
I wasn’t fucking lucky.
I was cursed.
How was I going to be able to convince Mel that we deserved a shot when I may or may not be able to walk again without pain? Without a limp.
“Yeah. Real lucky,” I muttered.
Dr. Reed finished going over the results and told me that he wanted me to continue to work with Mel and to follow up in six weeks.
He stuck his hand out, and I took it, begrudgingly. “I’d say thanks, but, uh, I’m not feeling very grateful at the moment.”
He squeezed my fingers as he leveled me with a stare. “This is not a death sentence, Aiden.”
It may as well have been. “No, it’s just the nail in the coffin of my career.”
He shook his head and started to say something else, but I pulled my hand from his and turned away. There wasn’t a damn thing he could say that would make me feel better.
I wasn’t going to see any fucking silver lining, wasn’t interested in the window that would be open now that this door was closed, or any of that other bullshit pep talk mumbo jumbo that I knew he was ramping up to tell me.
I snatched my crutches from against the wall and began to hobble out of the room.
“Aiden.”
Dr. Reed’s voice stopped me. I craned my neck to look back at him over my shoulder.
“Your career may be over, but that doesn’t mean you stop living.”
I gave a curt jerk of my chin in response and made my way out of the room, passing by Sandy in the hall.
“Aiden, honey! What did they say?” she asked, her face lined with worry. No doubt, she’d been expecting me to walk out with a huge grin stretched across my face.
“Nothing important. Let’s go.”
She pressed her lips together and clutched her purse to her side as she silently followed me out of the hospital and to my SUV.
We rode in silence the entire way home, and my mind whirled with how the hell I was going to recover from this blow. We pulled into the driveway, and Mel’s rental car was parked out front.
Fuck.
I couldn’t face her now. “Sandy,” I managed to choke out, “ask Mel to leave.”
Her brow furrowed. “But, honey, she’s been waiting for you for half an hour.”
I swallowed hard and forced my voice to come out as evenly as possible. “I don’t want to see her.”
Sandy shook her head but climbed out of the car and shuffled around to my side to open the door for me before retrieving my crutches and handing them over. Then she walked into the house ahead of me, and as I slowly made my way to the front of my house, I heard her voice, strained with worry.
Mel appeared in the doorway, looking like a fucking angel in a white oversized sweater and black leggings, her eyes wide.
“I need to lie down. Alone,” I grumbled as I pushed past her.
She grabbed my bicep, stopping me just inside the door, and brought her face close to mine, that sweet scent that was all Mel wrapping around me. But instead of being a comfort, it was nothing but a reminder that I’d never be the man I was before.
“I’m not leaving you,” she hissed.
I shook her hand from my arm and glared at her. “That’s not your choice.”
I began to stalk down the hall, ignoring her pleas to stop and talk to her.
I was a fucking coward, but I just couldn’t face her. I couldn’t face anyone. I made it to my makeshift bedroom and passed the mirror and realized that I couldn’t even face myself.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mel
I watched wide-eyed as Aiden stalked down the hall, ignoring me as I called his name. Turning to Sandy, I asked, “What the hell happened?”
She shook her head, her wrinkled face even more lined with the same worry that I felt deep in my stomach. “I don’t know, honey. He was in that exam room a while, walked in with the biggest grin I’d ever seen and then walked back out looking like his puppy had just been killed. Wouldn’t say a word about what was said, and when he did speak… Dear, he sounded defeated. I’ve never, not ever, seen him like this.”
I’d known that he wasn’t going to get the news he had been hoping for today. He was too optimistic, a trait that was great for his therapy sessions because it pushed him to work harder. But that same optimism was probably what was causing him to crash so hard in this moment. I hadn’t needed to be there to know what Hampton was going to tell him. It was apparent to me that he wasn’t progressing in a way that would result in ever playing professionally again.
Guilt rolled in my stomach. Dammit, I should have insisted on going with him. But we’d both been on such a high fr
om our date that I didn’t want to end the night with a fight.
I turned to Sandy. “I’m going to talk to him.”
She shook her head, that crease between her eyes deepening. “He didn’t want to see you. Or anyone. I think it’s just too raw.”
“Exactly the reason he needs me,” I told her before practically marching down the hall to his room.
He’d slammed the door when he’d gone in, so I put my hand on the knob and took a minute to straighten my spine and steel myself for whatever waited for me on the other side of the heavy wooden door. Slowly, I twisted the handle and pushed the door open.
Aiden lay in the bed, an arm draped across his face, but when he heard the door creak open, he slid his face from behind where it was hiding and frowned. “You need to go home.”
I ignored the venom in his voice and stepped inside the room, quietly letting the door click shut behind me.
His eyes narrowed. “Did you not fucking hear me? I don’t want you here.”
I pressed my lips together and crossed into the bedroom, pulling the chair beside his bed away just a bit so that I could sit across from him and see his face. Then I pissed him off further when I settled into it, kicked my legs out, and crossed my feet at the ankle.
“You didn’t want me in your hospital room either. Yet I stayed, and here we are. You should know at this point I’m not going anywhere.”
“I shouldn’t have let you stay then. I’m damn sure not letting you stay now.”
“Then make me leave.” I made a show of looking him up and down and finished, “Get up and carry me out of here.”
He shot daggers at me, and any lesser woman would have wilted under the pure disgust that poured out of him. But I wasn’t a lesser woman, and I wasn’t going to let the hurt he was feeling wound me.
Apparently, this was something he knew about me too, because he pushed up on his elbows and tried a different approach. “Listen, Mel.” His voice was still rough, but not nearly as hateful. “You’ve been great. Dr. Reed said that your therapy has really helped my progress. But it’s all for nothing, so it doesn’t look like I’ll need your services anymore.”