Page 9 of Keeping You

I nod as she goes through the clothes I just folded and grabs a couple of items and her books off the coffee table before returning to her bedroom and coming out with another small suitcase.

“You have everything?” I ask.

“I guess. I can always come back if I forgot something.”

I nod and grab the larger of her two suitcases before we leave her apartment.

Back at my place, I bring her bags into my bedroom and head into my closet, moving all my stuff to one side of the large walk-in to give Hannah space for her things. When I walk back into the room, Hannah is sitting on the edge of the bed watching me.

“I’ve moved all my stuff to one half so you can have the other. You can stay in here and get all your things set up in the washroom. I’ll take the couch and move my stuff into the one in the hallway. Just let me know if you need anything.”

I grab some clothes out of the closet and dresser and head into the washroom, grabbing my things before moving to the hallway washroom. She spends hours in the room, probably napping before her shift tonight.

I decide to shower before making dinner for us. I turn the shower on and lean against the edge of the counter, hanging my head between my shoulders. Hannah Smith is in my bedroom. She’s moving into my apartment.

I am married to Hannah Smith.

That’s not a statement I thought I’d ever say. I’m still in shock about the whole thing. I never stopped to actually process it all. I’m married. I’m fucking married. At the same time I decided I wanted to attend medical school, I decided I wasn’t going to get married. It wasn’t for me. Rebecca proved to me I wasn’t cut out for it.

I step into the water, hoping the heat will relax my tense muscles, but it’s not helping. I quickly finish and change before leaving the washroom. As I open the door, Hannah comes out of my bedroom, I guess now her bedroom, dressed in her scrubs. She walks past me, and I just watch her. I don’t think she realizes how good her ass looks in those pants.

She opens different cabinets, looking for something.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

“I’m looking for a water bottle to take to work. I didn’t grab one from my place.”

I walk up behind her and reach over her, my chest brushing against her back as I open one of the top cabinets. My entire body is on edge as I reach up and grab one of the bottles then hand it to her. She looks up at me over her shoulder, and I stare into her eyes. They’re this soft hazel colour with flecks of gold floating in them.

“Thank you,” she whispers, and I step back, giving her the space to step around me and fill her water bottle.

She doesn’t say anything else as she leaves. I’m only sure she’s gone when I hear the click of the front door. I guess there goes eating dinner together. I quickly make myself something before heading to my game.

CHAPTER 5

Hannah

Ineed a plan. It’s only been twenty-four hours since I landed and Grayson picked me up and I’ve already found myself ogling him or staring into his eyes. I can’t let my resolve break. I need to stay strong. I need to find a way to drive him away so he calls an end to this arrangement before our time is up.

Needing the time to clear my head, I choose to walk to work. When I arrive at the hospital, I make my way to my locker, leaving my bag as I grab my stethoscope and water bottle and head to the nurse’s station. I settle into a chair and log into the system, pulling up the files of the patients currently in the ER. As I’m scrolling, I hear Samantha’s voice behind me. She laughs as she says, “Trust me, Dr. Maxwell and I would have had so much more fun in Vegas than him and boring ol’ Hannah.”

My stomach turns as my thumb plays with the rings on my left hand. I haven’t taken them off since that morning. I don’t know why, it’s not like they hold any special significance to me. They only sit there reminding me of the drunken mistake I made. Despite that, I leave them on.

I turn in my chair and find Samantha looking at me. She smirks when our gazes meet then walks off to one of the emergency bays. I shake my head. A month after Samantha started at the hospital, she became one of those mean girls. We were friendly at first, but then suddenly some switch flipped.

My shift drags, and by the time I’m off, I’m beat. In the locker room, I remember I walked here and now I have to walk back. I groan as I lean against my locker. I just want to take my shoes off, grab a shower, eat something, and curl up and sleep. As I grab my bag, I realize I never got keys from Grayson, so I also don’t have a way to get back into the building. My place is too far to walk to.

What a way to end a shitty shift.

Stepping out of the locker room, feeling defeated, I try to figure out what I’m going to do when Grayson pushes off the wall across from me. He holds out a cup of what looks like lemonade.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“When you left last night, I never had a chance to give you a set of keys, and I realized you walked here. Thought you could use a ride after a long shift.”

I stare at him. Why is he doing these nice things for me? And how long is it going to last? I know it can change at any minute.

As I take a sip of my lemonade, enjoying the refreshing coldness, Samantha walks toward us. She eyes me and Grayson suspiciously. When she gets closer, a smile lights up her face and her hand reaches out to squeeze Grayson’s forearm. My stomach tightens as my eyes lock on the touch. Seeing her hand on him has me wanting to yank it off. I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. I don’t even want to be in this relationship, but I am, and he is legally my husband. Seeing her touch him like this pisses me off. It’s not something I haven’t seen before. I know she has zero regard for others when it comes to what she wants. I learned that the hard way.

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