Hotshot (13 page)

It took every bit of energy I had to finish the charting, and I wish I could snap my fingers and be home, in bed, and preferably with Shaw holding me.

“You’re supposed to come back from vacation rested, you look terrible.” Claire plops down beside me and lays her head on her arms.

“I probably should have slept yesterday, but I couldn’t. Now, I’m paying for it. I’ll bounce back. Another shift should do it.”

“I brought clothes. I’m coming home with you.”

“Okay.”

“We’re sleeping for at least six hours.”

“Sounds good,” I mumble.

“Then you’re going to tell me every single detail of your weekend.”

“Thought I already did that.”

“I want the scandalous stuff. Don’t think you’re getting off that easy. Although, by the look of you when you started this shift, I’d say you’ve been ‘getting off’ a lot with Shaw Bennett.” She cackles at her own joke, and I jump out of my chair, making sure no one heard her.

Unfortunately, no such luck. Nurse Evie is less than five feet away. She covers her mouth too late to disguise her grin. The corners of her eyes crinkle when she gives a little laugh.

“SHHHH! Will you lower your voice?” I slap Claire’s arm.

“Ow! What’s your problem?”

“I’m not ready to announce our relationship yet,” I hiss.

All humor disappears from her expression. “You can’t be serious. Why the hell not?”

I glance at my watch and see we have ten more minutes before the shift ends, so I motion for her to follow me. When we get into the nurse’s lounge, I give a silent thanks we’re alone. Then I proceed to explain my logic of being secretive about our relationship.

Instead of the look of understanding I was expecting, her face morphs into a look of horror. She crosses her arms, staying silent and glaring.

“What?”

“That is the most asinine and juvenile idea you’ve ever had in your life. You are an adult and free to date whomever you want. Nicky may be shocked, but he would be an idiot to get upset. He loves you both and will be over the moon happy.”

“But what if something happens and this goes wrong? It’s still so fresh and new. The novelty may wear off soon, and I’d rather not have the awkwardness.”

“For the love of God! Can’t you let yourself feel happiness for once? You’ve wanted this for as long as I’ve known you. Don’t ruin this because of stupid insecurities. Why can’t you see yourself the way we all do?”

“I’m not being insecure. I’m being cautious.”

“Bullfuckingshit,” she deadpans, staring a hole into me.

“Seriously, Claire, I’m totally comfortable with myself. I’ve left the past in the past.”

“Start acting like it. I saw the way that man looked at you the other night. I felt the intensity of his feelings the second I walked through the door.”

“It’s still new.” I try to remain strong.

“How does Shaw feel?”

“Not happy,” I admit.

“Damn, Bizzy, for someone who claims to love your friends so much, you really don’t give us much credit.”

“That’s not true!”

“Okay, how’s this for a scenario? What if the situation was reversed? What if Nicky met someone special and kept it from you?”

“Not even the same thing. This is his oldest brother. He adores Shaw, always has. If this turns out to be nothing, I don’t want to cause strife between them.” My argument sounds stupid slipping from my lips.

“That’s ridiculous! How long do you plan to keep this a secret?”

Her words slam into me, sending a chill down my spine. “You make it sound so dirty.”

“No, that’s the way you are making it sound. You’re not being fair to anyone in this situation, and I personally can’t believe you.”

“Why are you being so nasty about this?” I grip the back of a chair as guilt floods through me. “I need you to be on my side. Maybe show some understanding.”

“There are a lot of roles I take as your best friend and one of them is to tell you when you’re being an idiot. This is one of those times. Shaw’s not the kind of man that stays hidden. Hell, he was practically shooting laser beams full of sexual tension in the room the other night. Each time he looked at you, it was as if you were the only one he could see with all of us there. There’s so much chemistry, I got turned on. You’re making a mistake here, one you can’t come back from.”

Her words hang in the air then hit me full force. She’s right.

I love Shaw, love him in a way that will never ever be replaced. Even if things between us don’t work out, I’ll always have him in my life. He’s a part of my past and hopefully my future.

“Being discreet about our relationship is ludicrous,” I admit out loud.

“Hell yeah, it is.” Claire waves her hands in the air. “Thank God, I got through your thick head. You can thank me by introducing me to Perry Carver when he’s in town.”

I grab one of her hands, yanking her into me, and blow a loud raspberry on her cheek. She tries to push me away, but I hold tighter. She smacks me playfully on the back, mumbling about being a stubborn ass and getting the hell off her. We both stop moving when a throat clears behind us. I’m prepared to face any number of doctors or nurses we work with scowling at us.

Instead, I turn and my heart drops to the floor. Shaw is standing, propped against the doorframe, watching us with a smirk on his handsome face. My knees go weak as I take him in. He’s dressed for work in a black suit and no tie, his shirt open at the neck and showing off his tan skin against the stark white of his shirt.

My mouth starts to water as I ogle him shamelessly.

“Fuck, it’s getting hot in here.” Claire nudges me, breaking my stare, and fans herself dramatically.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Shaw comments.

“I’ll get my things and meet you at the desk.” Claire breezes by, leaving us alone.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I brought you some breakfast. Thought I’d take you home before I head into the office. Evie told me you two had snuck off in here, so I came to find you.”

“That was really sweet.” I walk to him and rise on my toes to kiss the underside of his jaw. “You didn’t have to do that.”

He leans down and kisses me again then tugs at my ponytail, urging my face to his. “How was your first shift back?”

“Long, but good.”

“I missed you last night.”

“Missed you, too.”

“Didn’t sleep for shit.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You ready for me to take you home?”

“What about my car?”

“I’ll bring you back at seven.”

“Claire’s coming with us. She’s gonna crash at my apartment and wants details of our weekend.”

“What kind of details?”

“You know, dresses, dinners, and dreams coming true…”

His thumb brushes gently across my chin, barely touching my bottom lip. “I like the sound of this conversation.”

“I want to tell Nicky, and everyone,” I blurt out and watch his face closely. He doesn’t show surprise; instead, his lips tip up in a mischievous grin.

“Good thing I invited my brothers and parents to dinner Saturday night.”

“You didn’t.”

“Absolutely did.”

“What about waiting? You promised me we’d do this my way.”

“We did, and by the time Saturday rolls around, it’ll be almost a week since I got my first taste of the sweetest pus—”

I cover his mouth and peek over his shoulder to make sure we’re still alone. “Stop.”

He opens his mouth, touching his tongue to my fingers, and my body zings to life. All exhaustion is gone, and I wish like hell we were at home, so I could show him exactly how much I want him right now.

“Y’all ready?” Claire interrupts my thoughts, handing me my purse. “Because I’m pretty sure whatever you’re talking about is highly inappropriate for this floor. Remember, children are around the corner.”

Shaw kisses the fingers still against his mouth and lowers my hand, squeezing it lightly. “We better go.”

“No, Mom, you know this won’t be a problem. Why do you always ask?” I roll my eyes at Claire who’s giggling at the conversation.

My mom’s maternal instincts must have kicked in because as soon as Claire and I finished eating and dissecting my entire weekend, Mom called wanting to hear about the trip. I glazed over the romantic details but filled her in. She praised Shaw for his kindness and generosity, offering to make him dinner one night next week.

Unfortunately, with my schedule, next week wouldn’t work, so instead, I invited my parents to Nicky’s game this weekend, reminding her Shaw’s company suite had room for everyone. Of course, she jumped at the idea, but now is questioning whether it’s okay. She does this every time, knowing Shaw always has enough tickets and space for them.

I try to end the conversation but give a little yelp when Claire kicks me in the shin, mouthing to me to ‘tell her’.

“So, Mom, I need to tell you something.” It comes out like a croak and I swallow, trying to calm my nerves.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes, I wanted to tell you, I’m seeing someone.”

“You are?”

“Yes, it’s still new, but I think it’s pretty serious.”

“Okay.” She goes silent, waiting for me to say more.

“He’s amazing and wonderful. I think you and Dad will approve.”

I’m met with more silence, which makes my palms start to sweat.

“Well, the thing is, you know him. Pretty well.”

“Crenshaw Bennett finally see the light?” she guesses without further probing.

“H-h-how’d you know?”

Her laughter flows through the line so loud that Claire joins in.

“Baby, there is no one, I mean no one, I’ve ever seen you look at the way you look at him. I used to wonder if you and Nicky would ever move beyond friends, but the first time I saw the way you looked at Crenshaw, I knew which brother you loved.”

“Oh my God.” I slap my hand to my forehead. “Was I that obvious?”

“A mother knows.”

“Mom, you have no idea.”

“I think I do. You may think you hid it well, but as I said, a mother knows.”

“We’re going to tell Nicky and the rest of his family on Saturday night. So you think you can hold off talking to Maria until Sunday at the game?”

“I can try, but I think you’d be surprised. She’s already called today wondering if you had a nice time. She was prying, looking for information.”

“Oh, shit —I mean crap!”

She laughs again, and I can picture her shaking her head.

“Lizbeth, I’m happy for you. This is a good thing. I only want you to be happy and so does your dad. Go with this. Crenshaw is an exceptional man.”

“I love him,” I admit to her and lock eyes with Claire. “I’ve always loved him.”

“I know, which is another reason I’m so happy for you. You deserve this.” Her voice cracks, causing a lump to swell in my throat.

We don’t talk about my cancer very much, but I know how scared she and Dad were. I heard them one night when they thought I was asleep, discussing treatment plans and selling everything they owned to get me into an experimental program, if it came to that. Luckily, it didn’t. When I went into remission, I was excited, but I remember my mom’s wails as she held me close and thanked God and everyone else responsible for my care.

“Mama, please don’t.”

Claire scoots next to me, grabbing my hand.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll never know how much hearing you’re in love fills my heart. I’ve dreamed of so much for you, and this makes it real.”

“Jeez! You have to stop, or I’ll be a blubbering mess, and I have to get ready for work.” A hiccup escapes as I try to fight back the tears.

“Okay! Okay! I’ll stop. I’ll call you on Saturday to get the details for the game. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Mom. Talk soon.” I hang up and lay my head on Claire’s shoulder.

“You know if Shaw shows up and you’re in tears, he’ll blame me. I’d hate to kick your boyfriend’s ass.” Her own voice is raspy.

“We can’t have that.” I lift my head and look at her, seeing her eyes glisten. “So we better get ready.”

“And by the way, I’m inviting myself to the game on Sunday.”

“Hooker, you’re always invited. You’re the one who turns me down.”

“Yeah, but I’m taking front row seats to the moms. And I can’t wait to see the look on the faces of every woman in that box when they figure out Crenshaw Bennett is officially off the market. There may be tears shed.”