Page 57 of Unexpected Love

“No, this is perfect,” she says as she steps into the water. “But will you sit with me?”

“Of course.” I turn to grab a towel from below the sink, placing it on the floor next to the tub, and start to lower myself, my back screaming in protest again. I wince before I can cover it up.

“What’s wrong?” Ava’s brows pinch, concern lighting in her eyes.

“It’s just an old injury flaring up.” I shake my head, preparing to lower myself to the floor again.

“Get in with me.”

“Rebel, that’s not what this is.”

“I know. You can sit across from me. The tub is plenty big enough, and I’m thinking that injury is the exact reason you have the tub and the Epsom salts.” She reaches a hand out to me. “Get in with me.”

I study her face for a minute, seeing nothing but honesty in her eyes. “Okay.”

I grab a couple more towels from below the sink before carefully removing my clothes and climbing into the bathtub across from Ava—my legs moving to the outside of hers. The hot water instantly has my muscles loosening. My head falls back against the lifted edge, and a moan falls from my lips.

“That sounds like a bad injury.”

I lift my head and see her studying me, that concern still evident in her eyes.

“It’s the injury that led to my discharge from the army.” If Ava can share what she did with me this morning, I can share this with her. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but there’s a scar on my back above my right hip. My unit and I got caught in a firefight.” I lift one of her feet and begin massaging it. “It’s funny—not in a ha-ha way, but…” My words trail off, and it’s the feel of her hand on my shin that brings me back. “I got shot twice, technically. Once in the shoulder—which was more of a graze than anything—and once in the chest.”

I feel Ava’s body tighten, but she doesn’t say anything. Giving her foot an extra squeeze, I continue. “My gear did exactly what it was supposed to, but the shot caught me off guard, and I fell back. Landed on a rockjust right.” My tone is a little mocking at the end.

It’s no surprise I remember that mission like it happened yesterday. I knew I hurt myself the second I landed. After catching my breath, I got up and kept moving, exactly like we were trained. I felt the pinch in my back, but I ignored it,thinking it was just a nasty bruise and it would be gone in a few days.

“A week later, we were on patrol. I stepped off a curb, and pain went shooting up my back. All of a sudden, I could barely walk.” I switch to Ava’s other foot. “Turns out, when I landed on that rock, I ended up with a broken back. They called it a compression fracture. I spent a year in and out of doctor’s offices and physical therapy. They tried surgery, but the pain never went away.”

“But you still have a physically demanding job.” It’s not exactly a question, but it is at the same time.

“I couldn’t pass the physical fitness test to continue as a green beret. It wasn’t a medical discharge. The army was more than happy to keep me, but I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk for the rest of my career.” I shrug and offer a half-hearted smile. “Desk duty isn’t my strong suit.”

“How’d you decide to become a police officer?” Ava asks in the silence.

“I got tired of moping around.” I chuckle. “And I still wanted to help people. It felt like a good fit.”

“The pain is still there?”

“I can ignore it most of the time, but if I push myself too hard, it becomes harder to ignore.”

“What did you do this time?”

I lift my eyes slowly, finally meeting hers for the first time since I started sharing.We’ve never lied to each other.“I couldn’t sleep last night worrying about you, so I spent about two hours in the gym instead.”

“Gage,” Ava whispers.

I shake my head before she can say anything else. “I’m glad you called me, Ava. I’m glad you trusted me enough to be your strength. I don’t want you to regret that because I sure as fuck don’t.”

I don’t look away from Ava. I need to make sure she knows how serious I am. I’ll never be upset that I’m the person she felt safe enough to call. That I’m the person she came to first when she got home. That I’m the person she’s letting take care of her.

Ava shifts in the water, resting her hands on my shins and squeezing gently. Her gaze shifts to the window at our side, staring out at the landscape beyond. It may be winter and barren outside, but it’s still peaceful and beautiful.

When I remodeled the bathroom, I had this window installed so I could enjoy the picturesque views through the backyard. I lucked out with my house backing up to the dense tree line the way it does. It creates my own private oasis. Adding the large window gives me an unobscured view, making it feel like I’m in the beautiful outdoors.

Even in the winter, I love looking out this window. Without the leaves on the trees, you can see the mountains in the distance and all the farmland surrounding the town. I still feel like I’m in my own corner of the world.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask gently, my hands resting on her feet that are against my stomach in the water.

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