Page 23 of Honey Bun
The last remnants of Bob and that life were about to disappear. I stood and headed to the anchor. “Tell him I’m in.”
He worked the sails, and together, we had the ship moving. He took the wheel, and I stayed beside him. The boat rocked. “Now, getting back to real estate, I already own property for clients. It’s free for you to go into one of mine if you don’t want to pick one out for yourself.”
I already saw the dock. The winds didn’t want us dawdling today. It had to be a sign. I took some of the ropes and moved the sails to angle us better. “That’s a better idea.” Neither of us said a word for a moment, and then as we neared the dock again, I asked, “Why are you so nice to me?”
He laughed. “Because I like you.”
I dropped the anchor. “So you want to save a damsel in distress?”
He jumped off the ship to tie the dock lines that I tossed toward him. “I like taking care of you and my family, but I don’t make a habit of chasing after people to help them.”
He finished with the back line, and I tugged at my shirt as we walked toward the front to the second one. “So, just because I’m getting your brother to fix me…” I tossed him the line, and he caught it. My face felt hot. “It doesn’t mean I want to…” He gazed at me, and I closed my eyes and said, “You know.”
He climbed back on board and took my hands. I met his eyes, and he said, “I’m not expecting anything and will never take anything you’re not willing to give.”
My lips longed for a kiss, but he wasn’t going to push. “You’re still a sweetheart. It’s why I like you too. Can you drive me to this appointment?”
He helped me off the ship as if I might fall and then walked with me. It was nice being near him. “We can parasail later. Let’s head to the house and grab the keys. After, I’ll treat for an ice cream.”
“You’re on. And sail tomorrow?” I felt carefree and easy as weight was lifted from my soul. I stared at his handsome profile and wished I’d made better choices years back.
“Absolutely.” He held the car door for me.
Arman was a gentleman. It was easy to like him and trust he would never hurt me. Maybe life was better with a partner like him, but I wasn’t going to hoist that sail.
Arman
Maddie’s strength of character was one of the sexiest things about her. She hadn’t told me much about her ex, but it was clear she’d been through a lot. On the drive to a local doctor’s office, I thought about how she hadn’t been taken care of well, and ice raced down my spine. Bruises meant she’d been abused. I fought the urge to go find this Bob and beat the shit out of him. I had to remind myself that there was nothing I could have done until she came to me.
I parked, saw my brother’s Porsche, and squared my shoulders. While I couldn’t change the past, I could damn well make sure she was safe now. It was as important to me as my job. I held the doors for her and walked beside her into the doctor’s office.
Once we’d checked in and the nurse waved her inside, I met her gaze. “I’ll wait for you here.”
Her eyes widened. She waved toward the room. “There’s a sheet. Can you come in and hold my hand?”
“Absolutely.” I knew we weren’t together, but her determination to proceed made my heart melt and wish she were mine.
I headed into the simple office, and she climbed up onto the bed. Elon set up the cover, and my pulse sped up as I stood beside her. My brother went out and came back in, holding a file with her name on it. “Hey, you two. Doctor Lichtenberg is next door and volunteered to assist if you want a female doctor.”
Maddie sat up and said quickly, “That’s nice of her.”
The door opened, and a woman in a white coat held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Leah Lichtenberg, and I wanted to help you.”
“Sounds good,” Madeleine said.
She took the file from my brother and read it. “Elon said you had a daddy stitch, and I was in shock. This isn’t normal practice.”
Maddie massaged her shoulder. “I should have asked about it the day my daughter was born.”
A husband should protect a wife, not hurt her when she’s the most vulnerable.
Leah put the file behind her and then brightened the lights in the room. “You’d be the first case like this that I’ve seen in someone under forty. I’m happy to help. I’ve known the Norouzi family for years.”
I had no idea how Leah knew my family or why she’d said that, but I let it go.
Maddie lay back on the bed and fixed her hair to her side. “How long is recovery?”
My brother stared right at me. “Six weeks. We have to reopen you to your natural opening. So absolutely no sex at all.”
