Страница 43 из 48
“Jesus Christ, I love you,” he murmured, burying his face in her chest and absorbing her addictive essence, breath after ragged breath.
She laughed and kissed the now-short hair on the top of his head. “I love you, too.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“The man sitting across from me right now is not the same man who sat in that very seat four months ago.” Dr. Sherman set his notes to the side and smiled. “Minus the scuffed up face, I’m happy with the progress you’re making, Corporal.”
Brody nodded. “I’ve slept a solid seven hours three times this past week.” Not because of the pain pills either, because he hadn’t taken those beyond the first day.
“That’s great. Is Je
He nodded. “Yeah. She’s been my biggest supporter. I couldn’t have done this without her. I almost screwed that up, though.”
“How so?”
“I cut her loose. Told her I needed some space, because I didn’t want to bring her down with me when I hit bottom. Turned out I crashed a lot faster without her. It sucked.”
“So things are better now?”
Another nod. “Yeah. I mean, I have some decisions to make, but already the load seems lighter. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m not complaining.”
“Building trusting, supportive relationships can often be the best solution for trauma survivors, but you have to be sure you’re not using that support as a crutch. Or like a Band-Aid, for the lack of a better term. Maybe you’ve accomplished that.”
“That was some of my worry, yes.” He had to be sure that if things didn’t work out with him and Je
“When you’re practicing your meditation, try to focus on your family and other accomplishments you’ve had. Your work—”
“I hate my job,” he interjected, and the doc arched an eyebrow. “I can’t stand the travel. I have family I don’t see nearly enough because I’m either on the road or too damn tired from being on the road.”
“Is this a new development?” The doctor eyed him in that microscopic way that usually made Brody squirm. Not this time.
“No, but I’m not go
“Family is important to you, then.”
“Damn important. This past year has made that very clear.”
“How so?”
Yeah, that’s where it got tricky. He shifted in his seat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I think we’ve already talked about that in a round-about way.”
Dr. Sherman smiled. “I like that you’re making these co
He nodded again. “I hate that Ernie and Troy will never have the opportunities that I have. I can’t shake that guilt, and I’m not sure I ever will. Hell, Ernie would have been a better father than I could ever dream to be.” He scrubbed his hands over his face, not letting the mental image of his buddy tossing a ball with a couple kids linger too long. “But that’s what I want. To be a dad. A husband.”
The older man’s smile stretched even wider. “You see a future for yourself. You’re not stuck in the past anymore.”
He wasn’t, was he? Was that because of Je
“That’s a phenomenal breakthrough, Brody. It may take some time to fully wrap your head around it, and that’s okay.”
He sucked in a deep breath and tried to organize the thought that had been kicking around in his head for the past several days. “I’ve never been one of those people who’s into that hocus pocus fate bullshit. But I can’t help thinking that meeting up with Je
“Go on.”
“I don’t know what else there is to say. It’s just...we were both in such shitty places in our lives. I was determined not to involve myself with any more complications, but I couldn’t resist the pull to her either. I wanted to, but something wouldn’t let me walk away.”
“What do you think that something was?”
“Ernie. Which sounds totally fucking crazy, I know. But the thing is...she’s exactly the kind of woman he’d go after. Smart, stable, beautiful inside and out...” He scratched a hand around his neck. “She’s everything he wanted and everything I needed, but didn’t know I needed. Hell, if I hadn’t been thinking about him, I would’ve completely missed the deeper co
The doctor nodded. “Is that what you’re doing now?”
“No. Those first few moments aside, it’s been all me. I’m too damn selfish to let another dude get between me and my girl. I mean, I love Ernie like a brother, but I love her more. Not to mention, the fucker would probably haunt me ten times worse if I let her get away.”
Dr. Sherman threw his head back and let out a roar. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
“I’ve got a second chance here, Doc. A lot of guys don’t get this opportunity. Took me a while to accept that it was mine for the taking, but I finally see it for what it is. My life. My future.”
“Your fate?”
Brody shook his head and gri
***
“Ohhh, how about these, sweetie?”
Je
“What is it?” She strode over and fingered the tiny petals. “It smells incredible.”
“I’m not sure. There’s no tag.” Helen lifted a potted square and checked the bottom. “Hmm. Nothing. Take out your phone. Google it.”
Je
“I do like the Facebook.”
Oh, for God’s sake. Maybe a cell wasn’t such a great idea. She glanced around the greenhouse. “I’ll find an attendant. We’ll ask.”
“Ask what? Maybe I can help.”
Je
“Hello yourself, dear. You’re looking as beautiful as ever.” She extended a hand and Je
“In that case, I’ll take it. I’m not much of a green thumb.” Je
The two women shook hands and made small talk about their selections, the weather, and of course how Je
“I haven’t. Truthfully.” She rolled her eyes and thought about all the food she’d made at Brody’s last weekend. Most of it she’d froze, so it’d be easy for him to thaw and reheat, but she’d done plenty of sampling. “How are you doing?” she asked Caroline. “I think about you all the time.”
“Well, you know where I live, dear. If you think about me so much, I don’t see why you don’t just come over and check in on me.” The elderly lady winked and Je
“You have a point.” And now that things were looking up for her and Brody, she really had no excuse.