Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Angie’s been here for a week, helping with wedding plans, so she and Jason haven’t seen each other for a while. Jason, of course, was all for joining in.
And I’m his best man. He’s the groom. So telling him no wasn’t really an option.
I pull into a parking spot on a side street and stop the car.
I look out the driver-side window. “Did you go to Lisa’s restaurant when you and Angie were here after…”
God, it’s still so hard to say the words.
Jason raises a hand—it’s so steady, not a single tremor after his experimental surgery—to indicate that I don’t need to revisit the traumatic memory. “No, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time in town. Angie needed to be home with her family, and that worked for me too.”
I made myself scarce for the most part during that time. Stayed at my own place and only came over to Mom and Dad’s when they had the family over to meet Jason.
And I wasn’t particularly social during their visit. I was present physically, but in my mind, I was revisiting that horrible day at Angie’s townhome in Boulder.
“You sure you’re okay?” Jason asks me.
It’s got to be the fifth time he’s asked me since he arrived at the house.
I rub at my forehead. “I’m not sure how many more ways I can say it, Jason.”
“If it’s any consolation, I get what you’re going through.”
I cock my head at him. “I guess you never told me that you shot a guy.”
“I didn’t. I don’t even know how to shoot a gun.” He frowns. “I should probably learn.”
“It’s a good skill to have,” I say dryly.
“What I mean is that I know what it feels like to take a life.” His gaze darkens. “Every surgeon does.”
I narrow my eyes. “Last time I checked, you’re in the business of saving lives.”
“I am. But I made a mistake once.” He takes a deep breath, exhales it out on a sigh. “A mistake during surgery when I was younger. It cost my patient his life.”
I go numb for a moment.
It’s not the same thing, but how do I tell Jason that?
Maybe it’s worse. The life he took was wholly innocent, and that person was depending on him to keep him safe.
At least the life I took was a degenerate who didn’t deserve to live anyway.
But Jason didn’t intend for his patient to die. When I shot that gun, I was doing so to kill the man who had a knife against my sister’s neck.
And the patient knew the risks when he went under the knife. He would have signed a consent form acknowledging them.
I’m sure Jason feels awful and carries the weight of that man’s life with him every day, but it’s like comparing apples and oranges. I’m not going to tell him that. It’s his damned wedding, after all.
I slap on a sympathetic face and nod slowly.
“I’m sorry,” is all I can say.
He claps a hand over my shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to go through it,” he says. “I’m not saying it’s the same thing at all.”
“No, it’s probably worse for you.”
He frowns. “In a way. But in a way it’s worse for you.”
I get what he means. God knows I’ve thought circles around it for the last several months. But I’m done talking about this. “Here we are,” I say as we arrive at Lorenzo’s. Through the window, I see Angie and her bridal party. One blond head stands out among the brunettes.
Tabitha.
Her back is to me, and she’s sitting next to Angie.
I draw a breath and open the door to the restaurant, the bell above us dinging.
Nora, one of the waitresses, comes running.
“Henry!” She grabs me into a hug.
“Hi, Nora,” I say, breaking away.
Ever since Nora came to town, she’s been pretty obvious about her interest in me. It started at one of the famous Steel parties at Aunt Jade and Uncle Talon’s house.
Nora leads us to the table and gestures to two seats at the end.
Sage jumps out of her seat. “Jason, take mine. You should be sitting next to Angie.”
He grins. “Don’t mind if I do.”
He pulls Angie up out of her seat and gives her a giant open-mouth kiss right in front of everyone.
Tabitha watches them, her cheeks flushed.
God, our kisses last night.
I’ve done my share of kissing, but Tabitha…
Already my groin is tightening.
But that’s the last thing I need.
Especially in a room in front of all my female family.
Right now, I just need to get through dessert.
Nora is clearing away the lunch dishes. “Would you two gentlemen like a drink?” she asks.
“Just black coffee,” I say.
“Same,” Jason says.
“All right,” Nora says. “That’s all black coffees except a cappuccino for Gina and an iced tea for Maddie.”
I sit down awkwardly next to Tabitha.
It was either that or sit next to Maddie, who’s across from Tabitha. I’d then have to avoid looking at Tabitha.