This Love

by Kelly Elliott

  I stared at my younger brother, knowing something about how he felt. When I started to have feelings for Maebh, it freaked me out, but I couldn’t imagine my life without her. The only difference between me and Trevor was that I stopped running to other women, and he hadn’t.

  “Maybe that’s what he needs,” I said, feeling all their eyes on me.

  “What do you mean?” Tripp asked.

  Turning away from Trevor, I said, “He needs to lose her, to see what he has right in front of him.”

  Maebh and I sat in the doctor’s office and waited. My leg jumped up and down as I looked at the different posters hanging on the walls. My eyes wandered over to the model fallopian tubes on the counter and then back to the stirrups.

  “This room freaks me the fuck out,” I stated.

  Maebh looked up from the magazine she was reading. “Why?” She wore a smirk on her face.

  “There’s posters of vaginas on the wall. One with a fucking baby coming out of it.” I shivered. “Look, over there…fake fallopian tubes! Why in the fuck do you need fake fallopian tubes?”

  Her gaze swung to where I was pointing, and she shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m sure they’re there for a reason.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And there is lube on the counter. Lube, Maebh! And you are wearing a paper fucking coat that I swear you can read the Lord’s Prayer through. What the hell kind of place is this?”

  “Would you stop it? I told you to stay in the waiting room. You were the one who had to see what this was all about.”

  Standing, I walked up to the stirrups. “And these. You’re not putting your feet in these, are you? Cause I’m going to have to punch the living fuck out of this doctor if you do.”

  Maebh covered her mouth and laughed before dropping her hands and saying, “Cord, maybe you should go out to the waiting room.”

  “Hell no. Mitchell and Tripp talk about coming back here with Harley and Corina all the time. I want to be here for you.”

  “Be here for me? I think I’ve got it. I’m not pregnant, they are. I’m sure it’s very different when you’re pregnant and when you’re coming in for an exam.”

  Shit. I hadn’t thought about it that way. Maybe I should head to the waiting room. Before I had a chance to make a decision, a light tap on the door had us both looking that way.

  I jumped back, and Maebh set the magazine down on the table.

  “Come in!” my future wife said in a cheerful voice, as if she was inviting someone into her home for dinner and a movie.

  The door opened and a guy not much older than Tripp walked in. A good-looking guy.

  Hell fucking no.

  “Maebh O’Sullivan?” he asked with a stupid-ass smile on his face.

  Prick.

  “That’s me!” Maebh said, holding up her hand with one finger pointed to herself. I looked over at her and snarled. She gave me a half shrug and mouthed what, looking all innocent.

  “I’m Dr. Buten.”

  I laughed. “Ah, dude, I hate to break it to you, but Dr. Buten delivered me, and I’m pretty damn sure you aren’t that much older than me.”

  He turned to see me and reached his hand out for mine while he chuckled. “Dr. Jon Buten, Junior. That’s my father you’re referring to. Jon Buten, Senior.”

  I gripped his hand hard as we shook.

  “And you are?” he asked, pulling his hand out and shaking it while he flashed me a smirk.

  Pussy.

  No, wait, definitely the wrong word to use to describe this guy. He looks at pussies all day long, so I’m gonna have to stick with prick.

  “Her fiancé. Cord Parker.”

  His smile grew bigger. “Tripp, Steed, and Mitchell Parker’s brother?”

  I nodded. “That’s me.”

  Dr. Buten took a seat and motioned for me to do the same. “I delivered Paxton and Corina’s baby, and I’m Harley’s doctor, as well. Actually, I see both of your sisters, too.”

  My body quivered, and I made a gagging sound. “Dude, knowing you’re looking at all my sisters and sister-in-laws, plus my future wife, is sort of freaking me out.”

  “Cord!” Maebh gasped.

  Dr. Buten laughed and turned to Maebh. “So, it’s Maebh? Correct?”

  “Yes, May with a v,” Maebh replied.

  “Welcome. We’re glad to have you as a patient. I hear you’re getting married.” He glanced my way and smiled.

  “Yes,” Maebh and I answered together. Her answer was polite; mine stated that she was mine, so this motherfucker better not get any ideas with that lube sitting there.

  “Are we thinking kids right away, or waiting?”

  Maebh and I looked at each other, and I let her speak. I’d do whatever my Irish cailin wanted.

  “I think we’re going to wait a wee bit. I’d like to spend some time with me lad, before it’s late night feedings and no sleeping for days.”

  Dr. Buten nodded. “I think that’s smart. I know a lot of couples want to move into parenthood quickly, but my wife and I think along the same lines as y’all. We like to travel some so we’re holding off a few years before we take that journey. I really like my fishing trips too much right now.”

  Fuck me. This guy is rubbing off on me a little. Of course, it didn’t hurt he mentioned a wife…and fishing.

  “So, we’re here for an exam and a new prescription for birth control. Your last doctor was in Ireland, correct?”

  Maebh nodded and peeked my way. She lifted her brow and motioned for the door, as if giving me one last chance to bolt.

  Dr. Buten waited for me to decide whether I was staying or going. When I didn't move, he nodded.

  “Let’s go ahead and lean back then, shall we?”

  Maebh scooted to the end of the table and propped her feet into the stirrups as Dr. Buten got a little too up close and personal with my girl.

  “Whoa, hold up,” I said, standing and glaring at the good ol’ doctor. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Dr. Buten looked amused. “I’m about to examine my patient.”

  I went to tell him there was no fucking way he was touching her, when Maebh reached over and grabbed my wrist, jerking me back to her side.

  “Maybe you should wait outside.” The smile she wore on her face was not a friendly one, but more of an I told you not to stay in here smile. My Irish-tempered lass was just under the surface and this was my one warning.

  My mouth dropped open. “While he’s in here touching you?”

  “Examining,” Dr. Buten corrected me.

  I glared at him, and he smiled. Again.

  Bastard.

  “Cord, he’s not touching me. Stop behaving this way or you’ll never be allowed to come back with me again. Even when I’m pregnant.”

  Going to protest, the good doctor cleared his throat and shook his head slightly, as if telling me to stand there and keep my mouth shut or I’d regret it. I decided to follow his silent advice.

  Sometime during all of this the nurse came into the room. She gave me a soft smile and got to work helping the doc examine my girl.

  Maebh and Dr. Buten carried on a normal conversation about the goddamn weather in Texas, comparing it to Ireland. The weather of all things! He successfully ignored the death rays I was trying to shoot his way while he worked. When he stood, everything he said started to sound like he was talking into a can. I couldn’t focus on the words, I was watching him too closely. He moved to Maebh’s breast while continuing to talk about his wife taking up knitting classes, and Maebh mentioned she was interested in knitting, as well. When the nurse chimed in about preferring Bunco games I knew I was in an alternate universe. I’d fallen into the fucking Twilight Zone where a situation like this was completely fucking normal.

  What in the fuck is happening?

  “I’ll get the information about where she’s taking the classes for you,” he said while ripping off his gloves and tossing them in the trash. “Everything looks good. Be sure to continue with your mon
thly breast self-exams. My nurse will call you with the test results, no matter the results.”

  Dr. Buten started to wash his hands, looked at me, and chuckled. I’d never wanted to hit a man so much in my life.

  “I bet this is the last time you ever stay in the room, isn’t it?” he said with a snort laugh.

  “You have no idea how badly I want to punch you right now.”

  “Cord Parker!” Maebh said, smacking my arm.

  The doc laughed before shaking his head. “Trust me, I know exactly how bad you want to punch me. You’re not the first man who has decided to stay in the room…and then regretted it.”

  The nurse helped Maebh sit up as she shot me a dirty look. Then she focused on the doctor. “Thank you, Dr. Buten. Next year he won’t be present.”

  He nodded and said, “Unless we’re in here before then.”

  He winked and Maebh blushed. It took me a few seconds to catch the meaning.

  Babies.

  “You can get dressed now, Maebh. Our office will call you in the next few days.”

  Maebh nodded and thanked the nurse and the good doc again as they left the room and shut it behind them. I fell into the chair and buried my hands in my face while letting out a long, frustrated moan.

  “Holy fuck. That was intense. Why did I think it was a good idea to stay?”

  “I told you,” Maebh said as she got dressed. “You didn’t want to listen to me when I said what was going to happen.”

  “He touched your tits!”

  She rolled her eyes. “This is why they don’t want the guys back here. Are you happy now?”

  My stomach rolled. “No! I feel like I’m going to throw up because I now know what in the hell happens back here.” I covered my mouth and gagged when the memory of Dr. Buten saying he was my sister’s doctor hit me like a brick wall.

  “Holy fucking hell. He’s touched every tit in my family except for my mom’s and Aunt Vi’s. I need out of here. Now!”

  Pushing past Maebh, I rushed out of the room and down the hall. Dr. Buten stepped in front of me, reaching his hand out, forcing me to stop.

  “Congratulations again on the engagement, Cord. I can’t wait to hear all about the wedding.”

  I glared as I walked around him and headed out to the safety of the waiting room.

  Maebh was right behind me, the sounds of her laughter not lost on me.

  “Me purse!” Maebh said as she turned to go back to the room. The door opened, and Scarlett came walking out, nearly crashing right into Maebh. The shocked look on Scarlett’s face made her take a few steps back.

  “Ms. O’Sullivan, you left your purse,” the nurse called out.

  “Thank you,” Maebh said as she took the purse and then smiled at Scarlett.

  “Scarlett, how are you?” Maebh said as she hugged Scarlett. I wasn’t even sure when the two of them had even met.

  Scarlett’s eyes looked past Maebh, and when they landed on me, her face turned white as a ghost.

  “Scarlett?”

  Jerking her eyes back to Maebh, she forced a smile. “I’m…fine. You?”

  “I’m great. We’re just leaving. If you are too, we’d love to have you join us for lunch,” she said, glancing over my shoulder. “Cord, wouldn’t it be lovely to have Scarlett join us?”

  I nodded and smiled. “Yes, of course. How are you, Scarlett?”

  “I’m doing well, thank you. I, um…”

  Before Scarlett could argue, Maebh had her arm wrapped around Scarlett’s and was walking her out the door toward the elevator.

  My phone rang and when I pulled it out, I saw it was Connor, the new manager I’d hired to replace Tammy. When I came back from Ireland, I finally let Tammy go. It was hard letting a good employee go, but the last few months Tammy had slipped, and I knew why the day she flashed me her tits in my office. The only thing on her mind was fucking me, and there was no way that was happening. Ever.

  “This is Cord.”

  “Hey, boss, I hate to bother you, but we have a surprise inspection from the health department.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Great, I’ll be right there.”

  Hitting End, I turned to Maebh. “I’m sorry, ladies. Looks like the health inspector decided to pay a little visit. I can’t do lunch.”

  “Oh no! Was this a planned visit?” Scarlett asked.

  “No, it wasn’t. Y’all can still do lunch, if you don’t mind Maebh driving back into town with you, Scarlett.”

  She smiled and replied, “Not at all.”

  “Is that okay with you, baby?” I asked.

  “Of course, this gives me and Scarlett more time to get to know each other.”

  Kissing Maebh softly on the lips, I said, “I love you, and I’ll see you in a few hours. Have fun, okay?”

  “I will, and I love you, too.”

  Waving to Scarlett, I said, “See ya around, Scarlett!”

  Her hand lifted. “See ya, Cord.”

  As I walked to my truck, I glanced back to see Maebh and Scarlett already deep in conversation. I was glad to see Maebh getting to know Scarlett. Even though she was friends with the girls, I had a feeling she and Scarlett would get along well, especially since they were closer in age. Plus, maybe Maebh could find out some information on what in the hell was going on with Scarlett and Trevor. The sadness in Scarlett’s eyes was hard to miss…and seemed to mirror my brother’s.

  With a deep sigh, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the bar, my mind racing about how I could make Trevor see what he was missing out on.

  “A wedding in Ireland? How romantic!” Scarlett gushed as we got out of her car and walked toward Aisling. We’d parked around the corner of the restaurant in a small public car park since it was lunch time and parking along the square and directly on Main Street would be insane. As we rounded the corner, Scarlett came to a halt and stared across the square toward Lilly’s Café.

  Following her gaze, I watched as Trevor stood outside the café, talking to a girl with blonde hair. The girl laughed when Trevor leaned in and whispered something in her ear, and even twirled a piece of her hair. There were a group of people standing around them, a few guys and two other girls.

  Me gaze went back to Scarlett’s, and I couldn’t help but notice her eyes welling up with tears. I jerked me head back to Trevor. He placed his hand on the blonde girl’s back and led her over to the car. All three girls got in and when the blonde tried to pull Trevor into the car with him, he laughed and backed away.

  Scarlett was frozen in place. Even when I touched her arm to get her to move, she didn’t. She watched the whole scene play out, nothing but hurt and despair etched on her face while her chest heaved.

  The car drove off and one of the guys slapped Trevor on the back, saying something that made them all laugh. Trevor turned and looked our way, almost as if he could feel the intense stare coming from Scarlett. His smile faded when he saw her. This seemed more a battle of wills than two people in love, but what did I know?

  “Scarlett, let’s go into the restaurant. Come on,” I said, pulling on her arm, trying to break her stare. When her tears fell, I moved to stand between Scarlett and Trevor. I liked Trevor a lot, but right now I was pissed at him, and I didn’t want him to see that he had made Scarlett cry. Not for his sake, but for hers.

  “Do not let him see you cry.”

  My stern voice broke her intense stare. She let her eyes drop to mine. Another tear fell and I spun her around and guided her toward the door to the Aisling.

  Once we were inside, I looked around. There were a number of people here for lunch, and I knew Scarlett was about to have a meltdown. I’d seen that look before on me own face after the whole Kylie thing. I smiled at the patrons and kept me hand on Scarlett’s wrist, practically pulling her through the restaurant as I welcomed people and told them to enjoy their lunch.

  When we entered the kitchen, Eric looked up at us and smiled, but then lost his smile when his eyes landed on Scarlett. “What�
�s wrong?” he asked, concern in his voice.

  “Nothing. Can you send two lunch specials into me office?”

  He nodded and replied, “Or course, right away.”

  Once we’d walked into the office, I let Scarlett go. She walked over to me sofa and sat down, her face buried in her hands, sobs making her body jerk as she let go of her emotions.

  Rushing to her, I placed me hands on her knees. “Sweet, dear Scarlett, don’t cry. He’s not worth one tear if the eejit doesn’t know what he has right in front of him.”

  She shook her head and cried harder. “I’m…so…stupid, Maebh.”

  Her hand dropped to her lap, and she looked at me, chestnut brown eyes puffy and bloodshot from her tears.

  “Why do you say that?” I asked, pushing a piece of her long, dark hair from her cheek where it was stuck from the wetness of her crying.

  “I thought maybe he cared about me. He told me I meant more to him than the other girls, and I stupidly believed him. He’s never going to give up his way of life, and I’m only a midnight call when he has nothing better for the evening.”

  “That’s not true. He does care about you. I think he’s confused and terrified.”

  She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

  “Scarlett, have you told him how you feel?”

  Her eyes filled with tears again. Her teeth dug into her lip and she nodded. “Y-yes.”

  “And?”

  When her chin trembled, me heart broke.

  “He told me he isn’t the type of guy to settle down. That’s not him. At least he said it wasn’t him right now.”

  I squared me shoulders. “Then you have your answer. I know you like him but don’t let him treat you this way. You won’t sit around and wait for him to sow his wild oats. It’s time to move on.”

  Her hand came up to her mouth, and she attempted to hold back her sobs. When she had some control over her motions, she pressed her lips tightly before she dropped a bombshell.

  “But I’m pregnant…with Trevor’s baby.”

  Me mouth fell open, and I tried to say something, but the shock made me fall back on me arse.