“I only tore my meniscus, I didn’t nearly die,” I said.
“Yes, but I want to make sure you’re taken care of. Roger told me you tend to not take care of yourself when you get hurt.”
With a fake laugh, I replied, “That’s because I’m so used to getting hurt.”
She smiled softly and sat down on the bed. “I’m so sorry you hurt yourself. I have to say, though, you looked good in my robe.”
I returned her smile. “I’m almost positive you look better in it.”
“We can compare, Ryan took plenty of pictures and video of you wearing it.”
“That bastard!” I growled.
Her hand went to my chest and she let her eyes wander over my body. “Let me go get changed, then we’ll get you up.”
“I’m sure I can get up on my own, sweetheart.”
Saryn’s eyes snapped back up and met my gaze. I could see it as clear as day, she was confused about something. Or possibly worried, even afraid.
I reached for her hand. “I’m sorry if I spooked you.”
“Spooked me?” she repeated, her voice cracking slightly.
“When I said I loved you.”
She chewed nervously on her lip. “You remember that?”
“Roger reminded me. I don’t remember saying it the second time, but I do the first.”
“It’s okay, you were…”
“Wait, let me finish.”
With a nod, she said, “Okay.”
“It’s true, I wouldn’t have said those words just yet, but I know in my heart I feel that way. Yes, we literally just started dating, but I will not deny the way I feel for you. How much I care about you and Liliana. And it’s because of Liliana that I want to do this right. I want to prove to you that I’m committed to the both of you, and I know that we don’t know each other enough for me to say that.
“You may not want a guy who tears his meniscus all the time or who has friends who bet on how often I’ll get hurt. I may snore at night or leave a wet towel on the end of the bed, which is something I do often so I’m disclosing that right now. But I sure as hell want to give this everything I’ve got, because I have fallen for you and for Liliana. I’m pretty sure you captured my heart years ago, and your daughter grabbed onto it day one and she has pulled me in hook, line, and sinker. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for either of you, and even if things don’t work out between us, I do not want to lose your friendship.”
Saryn stared at me for the longest time before she sniffled, looked down at her hands, and then smiled.
“Where did you come from, Truitt Carter?” she asked in such a low voice I struggled to hear her.
“What do you mean?”
She lifted her eyes and met mine. “I’ve never met a man like you. You care so deeply, how is it no woman has ever snatched you up?”
I shrugged. “I think it’s because the woman I’ve been waiting for was off on another journey, but I think she’s on the right path now.”
She giggled and leaned forward, capturing my mouth with hers. The kiss was soft, but it said a million words. She sighed and leaned her head against mine.
“It’s going to be a lot harder for me to say the words. I just want to be honest with you. When I close my eyes, I see a future and it has you in it, but at the same time I have Liliana, and I have to guard her heart as much as I have to guard mine. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, of course it makes sense. Saryn, I’m not asking you to marry me or commit the rest of your life to me. I get that this is new. Like I said, I wouldn’t have said those words yet. I want to do this right, sweetheart. And I’ll do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want to do it. I just want to be with you and Liliana.”
“Oh, Truitt,” she said on a whoosh of air. Her mouth was back on mine, and before I knew what was happening, she drew back and looked at me. “If we don’t stop I’m going to take advantage of you in your sick bed.”
“Hey, you would get zero complaints from me.”
She laughed and stood, then reached for a bottle of pills and my water. She took one out and handed it to me. “Here, take a pain pill, then we’ll get you out of this bed and find you some food.”
I gave her a wink. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Saryn
EVEN IF I wanted to, there was no way I’d be able to wipe the smile from my face. Truitt’s words replayed in my mind as I walked to my room.
“I’ll do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want to do it. I just want to be with you and Liliana.”
A burst of happiness filled my entire body as I quickly changed out of my nurse’s uniform and jumped into the shower. A sound caught my attention, and I turned to see Truitt standing by the side of the tub.
“What are you doing, Truitt!”
With that boyish smile of his, he stepped into the shower, only limping slightly on his right leg.
“Truitt, no! Your knee.”
“Is fine.”
With a stern look I put up a hand and shook my head. “No sex. There is no way you can even attempt it.”
He grinned wider. “Who said anything about sex? I simply want to feel your body against mine.”
I took a step closer to him and let him pull me to him. The moment his arms wrapped around me, a warmth settled over my entire body. I felt so safe in his arms. Everything seemed to slip away, and the only thing that mattered was that moment with him.
“Besides, I feel like I haven’t showered in days,” he said.
“Let me wash you up,” I said as I drew back and reached for the soap. Truitt stood still as I slowly washed his body. I purposely avoided his mid-section and moved gently around his knee.
“How does your knee feel?” I asked, running my hands over his stomach. I’d never seen abs like his before. My fingers trickled over them and caused him to draw in a quick breath. I loved the way his body trembled from my touch. That did something to me and filled me with a confidence I never knew I had.
“It feels sore, but nothing terrible. I actually feel a lot better getting up and moving around.”
My hand moved close to his very impressive erection, but I ignored it. Truitt groaned in frustration, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I know something else that would make you feel better.”
I dropped down, and before he could say anything, I took him into my mouth. Tim had never wanted me to do this to him, and I had eventually grown tired of asking. I had no idea what I was doing, but by the look on Truitt’s face he didn’t seem to care.
“Saryn. Fuck, that feels so damn good.”
With a smile, I grew bolder and reached up to gently play with his balls. Truitt hissed and pushed his fingers into my hair. He moved his hips gently and allowed me to get used to taking him in deeper. I could feel my own sex throbbing. When I took him deeper yet, Truitt groaned and pulled on my wet hair.
“Saryn, if you don’t want me coming in your mouth, you need to stop.”
I wasn’t about to stop, not when I was bringing him close to orgasm. The power I felt was amazing, and I almost reached down and touched myself I was so turned on. I moved my hand faster as I sucked on him harder.
“Christ, I’m going to come. Baby, oh God, I’m coming!”
My body hummed with delight. Then it all changed. The feel of his cum hitting the back of my throat and the taste of it was not what I had expected, nor was I ready for it. I pulled back in shock, and then gagged until I nearly threw up.
When Truitt attempted to help me, I put my hand out to stop him and took a handful of water to wash out my mouth. Tears ran down my cheeks from gagging so hard. Once I got myself under control, I faced Truitt, who was still standing in the shower.
The moment my eyes met his, I couldn’t help but start laughing. Truitt looked horrified. Stunned into silence. I must have looked a fright after all the coughing and gagging and laughing like an idiot. He looked utterly confused as to what he should do or say.
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“I’ve…I’ve never done that before, and I guess I wasn’t sure what to expect when you came.”
His mouth opened and closed a few times before he snapped it shut. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have never…oh, shit. Saryn, baby, I’m so sorry.”
Truitt pulled me into his arms, and I practically melted against him. Even under the water, I felt the warmth of his body. The way he held me just felt so right.
“I wanted to do that for you, and the last thing I wanted to do was ruin the moment by telling you I’d never given a blowjob before.”
I felt his body shake and heard him chuckle.
“Your ex really was an asshole to not appreciate the amazing woman you are.”
“He’s the last person I want to talk about.” Drawing back some, I smiled. “I will be honest with you, though, I think the next time I’ll tap out before you come.”
Truitt let out a roar of laughter. Then he kissed me with so much passion that I almost wanted to tell him I was falling in love with him. Truth be told, I was in love with him. A part of me always had been, but I had always told myself it was a high school crush.
When he had said it to me not once, but twice, I had to hide the smile that threatened to appear, and the fact that I wanted to say it back. The ease with which he said it—and with which I felt it—scared me, though. This wasn’t just the two of us in this situation. Liliana was in the mix, as well.
“We better get you out of here and give your knee a rest,” I said, turning off the shower and getting us both out safely.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” Truitt said while he dried off his perfectly chiseled body. The way each muscle moved had me fascinated with him even more.
“It was my pleasure. Now, let’s go get something to eat.”
An hour later I had Truitt sitting in the chair in the living room, the ice pack on his knee and a game of Yahtzee going.
“Okay, seriously, I think we need to switch this to strip poker,” Truitt said before he rolled the dice on the table I’d pushed up next to him.
With a chuckle, I gave him a stern look. “No strip poker because that will lead to sex.”
Giving me a look of dismay, Truitt said, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It’s not a bad thing, but I actually enjoy simply being with you.”
He smiled. “I do, too. I’ve been meaning to ask, did you always want to be a nurse?”
“No, not always. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, to be honest with you. Business was my original major with a minor in art.”
Truitt lifted a brow. “What made you change?”
I let out a long, deep breath. “Honestly, I was bored with business. I told Tim I was going to switch my major to nursing. It just appealed to me. And I knew I wanted to do neonatal.”
“Does it ever get sad working in neonatal?”
“Yes,” I said with a soft smile. “But there are more happy times than sad ones. Tim didn’t like my career change, and I’m pretty sure that’s when things really started to go south for us. I’d actually pick up shifts just to be away from home. I know that sounds terrible.”
He narrowed his eyes and studied me for a long moment. “If you were unhappy with him, why did you stay?”
I let out a humorless laugh. “I have no idea. Maybe I was afraid to fail. Or afraid to come back and be lonely. A part of me wanted to walk away, and the other part wanted to fight for my relationship. I should have listened to the stronger side.”
“The one that said walk away?”
With a nod, I replied, “But then I wouldn’t have Liliana and she’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
A wide grin broke out on Truitt’s face. “She is. Are you sure she’s Tim’s? Cause I can’t imagine that asshole having anything to do with something so amazing.”
I laughed and rolled the dice. “Yahtzee!”
Truitt rolled his eyes and dropped his head back against the propped up pillows. “Ugh, I’m so over this game.”
My cell phone rang, and I jumped up to answer it in case it was my folks calling about Liliana. It was Ryan.
“Hey, Ryan, how’s it going?”
“Your boyfriend’s dog is whining and I think he wants to see Truitt.”
I smiled. “Rus is missing you.”
When Truitt didn’t answer, I looked over to find him fast asleep on the sofa.
“I think Truitt’s pain pill kicked in, he’s asleep.”
“Can I slip Rus an extra one? Seriously, he is not happy.”
“Why don’t you bring him here? I’m sure Liliana will love helping to take care of him.”
Ryan sighed. “Saryn, you have your hands full with Truitt, who by the way is very capable of going home.”
“I like having him here, and Rus won’t be an issue.”
“What about work? You just got moved to L & D the other day?” Ryan asked.
My brother always had a habit of trying to control things around my life. I knew he meant well, but I was almost twenty-nine years old, I didn’t need a babysitter.
“It turns out they didn’t need a nurse in L & D after all. They told me today they were moving me back to the ER. I told them I was going to have to decline.”
“You quit your job?”
“Yes, Ryan. I did. There’s a NICU in San Antonio that’s hiring for a few positions and they’re not night shifts. I’m going to look into applying after the holidays.”
He remained silent for a few moments. “I’m sorry, Saryn. I know I tend to interfere in your life sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” I asked mockingly.
“Ha. Ha. Listen, are you sure you want the dog there? He has to go out on a leash.”
“I’m sure. Truitt can walk him, actually. It’s good for him to get up and walk around on his knee.”
“You really like him, don’t you?” Ryan asked. “Truitt, I mean, not the dog.”
I didn’t even have to think about my response. “Yes. I really do.”
“Y’all hardly know each other, Saryn.”
I laughed and shook my head even though he couldn’t see it. “He’s your best friend, Ryan. I’ve known him my entire life, practically. Are you telling me you don’t want me to date him?”
“Hell no. There’s nobody like Truitt and I know he’s a good guy. He’s one of only a handful of people I would trust with my life, and the only guy I think even remotely comes close to deserving you. I fully support this relationship, I just think y’all are moving fast, that’s all.”
I slipped out the back door and onto the porch so that I didn’t wake up Truitt. “Fair enough. To Truitt’s credit, he did want to take things slowly, as did I. But seeing him with Liliana, and having him here...I don’t know how to explain it, Ryan. It feels so right.”
“Why do I hear a bit of hesitation in your voice, then?”
“I’m scared. What if Liliana and I fall head over heels for him and…” My voice trailed off.
“That’s what life is about, sis. Taking chances. Loving someone is a risk. You of all people should know that. Tim wasn’t the one. Truitt might be, or he might not be. Do you remember what grandma said to us the day you declared you were going to marry a cowboy and live on a ranch?”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I thought back to that day. I had been fifteen and Ryan sixteen. Little did my brother know that the cowboy I had been thinking of was the man asleep on my sofa that very moment.
“She said something about working on love.”
He chuckled. “She said you don’t stumble onto true love. You build it, master it. Help it grow. Those words are exactly why I knew Miranda wasn’t the one. It just took me a bit of time to realize it and accept that it wasn’t going to work. Sort of like you did with Tim. Neither of us were ready to build it. To work on it. You stayed with the douche for your reasons, and I stayed with Miranda because I didn’t want to admit I’d made a mistake.”
I closed my eyes and
thought about my sweet, gray-haired grandmother. I missed her so much.
“She was right. It’s a partnership and it takes work. I know that now.”
“I know you’ve got Liliana. I also know that Truitt would never hurt you, or her. When they say find one of the good guys, Saryn, he’s the mascot for it.”
“So are you, sweet brother.”
He scoffed. “I’m actually having a bit of fun now that I’m single, so don’t judge me.”
“Ugh, don’t give me any details. Bring Rus over when you get a chance. Liliana and Truitt will be happy to see him.”
Ryan laughed.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“It’s just so damn funny that Truitt and his dog had the same surgery done. That guy has the worst luck, I swear.”
I peeked into the window and felt my stomach do a somersault at the sight before me. Truitt was sitting up with his leg resting on a pillow propped up on the table, reading a book to Liliana as my mother cleaned up the Yahtzee game.
I didn’t even realize they had come over.
With a slow shake of my head, I let out a soft sigh. “He may be unlucky at times, but I’ve never met a man like him.”
“Then he’s worth the jump.”
With a smile, I replied, “So worth the jump.”
Truitt
“TWUITT?”
The little voice instantly had my eyes snapping open. There, standing over me with a huge smile and those bright blue eyes, was Liliana.
“Hey, pumpkin,” I said, sitting up and finding Evie standing there with a grin that said she had just won the lottery. “Hi, Evie.”
“Hello there, Truitt. How is the knee doing?” Evie asked with a slight twinkle in her eye.
“It’s doing good, thanks to Saryn.”
“I’m so glad I suggested she just have you stay here. You can’t be all alone after surgery.”
My mouth twitched. Evie was playing matchmaker again, and I had no problem with it at all.
“It was a minor surgery, I’m sure I could have stayed at home.”
She tsked and shook her head. “Don’t be silly. You shouldn’t be staying home alone after any sort of surgery.”
Lucky in Love Page 22
