Page 2 of His Alone

She seemed almost ashamed to be saying the words, glancing down at the two rings on her finger while her other hand absent-mindedly touched her stomach. In an instant, I was nine years old again, sitting in my aunt’s kitchen with a juice box as she tried to explain to my mother why she was giving up her career to focus on motherhood full-time.

My mother hadn’t taken it well, but no one could argue that my cousins didn’t come up well. Their parents were a constant, supportive presence in their lives while I barely ever saw my own. While I was grateful for them both and everything they did for me, it would have been nice to have them around more. To have them available once in a while to attend school functions like my aunt did for her children. At least she only lived a few doors down. Most of the motherly advice I’d gotten in my teenage years came from her.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to focus on parenting for a while,” I said carefully, hoping that I wouldn’t offend her. “What does your husband think?”

“He’s happy if I’m happy. He’ll support me no matter what I choose—there’s no question about that. I’m just… not entirely sure what I want.”

“You’re lucky. To have someone that supports you completely,” I said wistfully. “I hope to find a man like that someday.”

“Bad breakup?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“But you are single?”

“For twenty-one years now,” I admitted with a little reluctance. “Just waiting for the right person, you know?”

“Believe me—I know exactly where you’re coming from.”

She gave me a knowing smile before she started to rise from the table. I snatched the plates before she had a chance, carrying them to the trash can and returning to find her shaking her head at me. We’d known each other for less than a day, but she somehow already felt like an old friend.

“I’m not an invalid, you know.”

“I know that. Just trying to be helpful.”

She grunted in response. We still had a few minutes left of lunch, so I sat patiently at the table and watched while she stood to stretch her back and roll her neck and shoulders.

“Do I make pregnancy look like a super fun time?” she asked when she noticed me watching. “Because if you think so—you should probably have your eyes examined.”

I started to laugh, but the sound died off when another presence entered the break room. A man I hadn’t met yet—a doctor, judging by the outfit—looked directly in Emily’s direction and made a beeline straight for her.

I froze. He was gorgeous, the kind of attractive that was usually reserved for the glossy pages of magazines or the television screen, and I instantly felt my body react to him in a way that it never had before. It was insane how fast my heart and body decided they wanted him.

But the way he focused on Emily…

In a moment of sheer terror, I wondered if this man was her husband. He gave her a fond hug when he reached her, but there didn’t seem to be any passion in the embrace.

Not that I really knew what passion looked like.

“Clara said you were in today. How are you feeling?”

“Like a whale, thanks for asking.”

“Well, you look lovely,” he said, chuckling when she rolled her eyes.

“If you say so. Have you met my replacement yet?” She gestured to me when he shook his head. “Piper Davis, this is Dr. James Reynolds. James, Piper, yada, yada. You both know the drill.”

When I met his eyes for the first time, my breath caught in my throat and my heart raced. Love at first sight, maybe? I’d always written off the idea, but I couldn’t deny that something was happening to me. Maybe there was some truth to the theory after all.

At least I didn’t seem to be alone. James appeared to be glued to the spot, frozen in stunned silence just as I was. I could practically feel Emily looking back and forth between us, but I couldn’t look away from his lovely green eyes long enough to check. I was hypnotized.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said as he offered me a hand. When they touched, I felt a shiver race up my spine. “Piper, was it? That’s an interesting name.”

“Thanks… I think. I mean, I guess it’s a pretty decent name. I, uh… I’ve gotten along with it pretty well for a while now. No complaints.”

Holy crap. Kill me now.Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut? I noticed Emily moving to hide behind James, her mouth covered with her hand to stop herself from laughing. I couldn’t even be mad about it. Thirty seconds in and I was already making a fool out of myself.

James just smiled though, ignoring my nervous chatter as his eyes crinkled at the corners.

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