Page 10 of The Exception

“I haven’t even bought furniture, so I haven’t found anyone to work on that with just yet.”

Mike punched the air in victory. “Looks like we’re getting pizza and wings on date night, Mrs. Brown.”

Tiff rolled her eyes. “Shut up.”

Trav looked between both of them, suspicion creeping in. “You guys had a bet?”

Mike laughed. “Tif was sure one of the nurses at the hospital would have you on lockdown on day one.”

Tif shrugged. “I just thought with you being ready to put down roots, you would’ve been looking for someone to put down roots with.”

“And I told her you still had some sowing to do,” Mike countered, earning himself a slap on the arm from his wife.

“Sorry to disappoint both of you, but the only woman I’ve met since I landed currently hates me.”

The corners of Tif’s mouth turned downward. “How could anyone hate you? You’re tall, good looking, smart, and responsible. You’re the definition of a catch.”

Mike gagged a few times until Tif’s glare shut him up.

“Thanks Tif, but I deserve it.”

With a sigh, he launched into the story about how the pissed off nurse on the plane turned out to be his preceptor. By the time he was done with the story, Trav could’ve sworn he was getting side eye from Asia as well as her mother.

Mike asked, “She’s hot, isn’t she?”

Tif slapped her husband’s thigh. “Mike!”

“What? We all know he’s met more than one woman but the one he has no shot with is the only one he can talk about. Therefore, she must be hot.”

Mike’s logic was sound, and Trav mentally kicked himself for not at least mentioning the nurses who were actually interested in him. Topping that list was the bubbly Nurse Sullivan whom he was sure would take him up on anything he offered. Problem was, he wasn’t motivated to make any offers.

He released a frustrated sigh. “Her being hot is beside the point. I need to pass, so if she could just not hate me, that would be great.”

Tif bounced an increasingly fussy Asia on her knee.

“She sounds like a stickler for rules, so if you want to pass, do good work. If you want her to not hate you, stop acting like a jerk,” she said. “Simple.”

Was it really that simple? It probably was and Trav felt like a complete idiot. The entire time he’d been in the army he’d practiced the “you catch more flies with sugar than shit” philosophy to get by. If it worked with drill instructors and commanding officers, it had to work with nurse preceptors.

Tif stood up and hoisted Asia back to her hip. “This one needs her bath so she can go to bed, so we’ll leave you two to your guy time.” She kissed Mike on the top of his head. “Take care of yourself, Trav. Don’t be a jerk.”

“Gotcha, Tif.”

“Say bye bye to Uncle Trav, Asia.”

Asia grinned and waved to the screen over her mother’s shoulder and Trav waved back. When they disappeared into the hallway, he looked back at Mike.

“You know you hit the freaking jackpot, right?”

Mike tried to hide the smile that brought to his face but failed miserably. “Yep, and I thank whoever’s listening every day for it.”

They were the closest people in his life, but being around Mike and Tif always made Trav feel like he was missing something. It had him questioning his decisions and wondering where he’d be if he hadn’t treated every relationship he had with a woman while he was enlisted as seasonal. Would he have a Tif of his own and an adorable baby instead of an empty house and no one to help him fill it? He didn’t know, but those thoughts were too deep for a video chat.

“So how’s everything going? Really?” Mike asked.

“It’s good. I barely know what day it is most of the time, but busy is better than bored.”

“Definitely,” Mike agreed. “I still don’t understand why you couldn’t stay here and work on your degree. At least we’d be able to see you more often.”

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