“I cannot believe your father lets you waste your time watching a bunch of stupid birds,” Aunt Lacy scoffed. “Birds carry diseases, did you know that?” Her critical gaze slid distastefully over my dirt stained jeans and messy hair.
Brooke, who still looked like a little doll with her sausage curls and lacy dress, looked at me with a small smile of satisfaction. “You look like a boy!” she’d said spitefully.
Most parents would have admonished their kid for being rude, but Aunt Lacy had laughed. “She does, doesn’t she?” Aunt Lacy agreed.
Brooke went to play in her room like Aunt Lacy told her, but I stayed outside until Dad came to pick me up, and when I’d mentioned what had happened to him, he’d been furious. I regretted telling him about it and felt guilty for betraying Aunt Lacy and Brooke. It wasn’t as if I’d been upset by the incident, and I knew I should have kept quiet. He never dropped me at their house again, and no matter how upset I was with them, I never complained to Dad about Aunt Lacy or Brooke.
“How are the Wicked Stepmother and Stepsister?” Cora asked me when I got home.
“They weren’t that bad,” I said with a laugh.
Cora rolled her eyes, and gave me an ‘I-don’t-believe-you-look.’ “You’re too nice, Ellie. If you need me to, I can go with you when you pick up the dress.”
“Thanks, but they’re having the dresses custom made. I’ll have to go to at least two more fittings. Something smells great, what are you making?”
I went into the kitchen and saw Cora smile, as she pulled something delicious looking out of the oven. “Homemade chicken pot pie.”
It was my favorite and Cora usually made it when she thought I needed a pick-me-up. “You rock, Cora. But you shouldn’t have. Aunt Lacy and Brooke were tolerable.”
“They didn’t bring up Davis? I think the only reason Brooke wanted him was because he was with you.”
I’d often thought the same thing but didn’t see the point in dwelling on it. “Davis and Brooke are perfect for each other.
“Can’t argue with you there. Davis’s family is rich, he’s got a cushy job at Daddy’s company and Brooke will make the perfect trophy wife.”
We sat down at the table to eat. “I hope they’ll be happy together.” I took a savory bite of the golden-crusted potpie. Closing my eyes, I savored the delicious taste. “This is amazing.”
“Glad you like it, but I didn’t make it because of the Wicked Stepmother and Stepsister,” she admitted.
“Good.”
“You saw Reed today.”
I froze, fork suspended halfway to my mouth. “How’d you know?”
“I ran into Amber at the grocery store. She mentioned seeing you on Reed’s floor.”
Guilt churned in my stomach, along with the fear that Amber might somehow know what happened between Reed and I.
“She didn’t think anything of it,” Cora assured me. “It was just said casually, and I didn’t bring it up to upset you. I’m just concerned.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have gone to see him, but I couldn’t avoid him forever. He’s Isabelle’s brother.”
“How was it?”
I thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain my visit with Reed. “It was weird,” I said finally. “He knew it was me that left the gifts, and he wanted to know why I hadn’t come sooner. When I told him, he was angry.”
Cora tensed, her green eyes flashing with indignation on my behalf. “He was mad at you? What did you tell him?”
“I told him I wasn’t sure if he’d want to see me.”
“That’s what made him mad?” Cora suddenly looked thoughtful. “He didn’t expect you to avoid him. That does seem strange since you’d only spent one night together.”
“Most guys wouldn’t want to have their one-night stands hanging around them especially when they’re trying to get back together with their girlfriends, but Reed told me he never thought of me as a one-night stand.” Hearing him say those words thawed a piece of my heart that had been frozen two years ago.
“He said that?” Cora’s jaw dropped.
“Yeah, he also suggested we be friends.”
“Friends,” Cora echoed with an odd look in her eyes. “Are you sure he’s trying to get back together with Amber?”
“Of course he is. You know their history, and Isabelle still spends holidays with Amber’s family.”
“Yeah, I know what Isabelle’s told us,” she conceded. Still, Cora looked unsure.
“I would never do anything to hurt Amber and Reed or Isabelle.”
“You’re always thinking of everyone else, Ellie. It’s only because I love you that I’m calling bullshit. You still have feelings for Reed.”
Even as I opened my mouth to deny it, I knew that Cora was right. All of the times I’d reassured her that I was over Reed, that I was okay being his one-night stand, and that it didn’t hurt me to know that he and Amber would get back together, it was all a lie.
Covering my face with my hands, I let it sink in. Even when I was fourteen, I’d felt something for Reed that I had never felt for any other guy. At nineteen those feelings had only intensified, and now, at twenty-two, they’d grown into something I was afraid to examine too closely for fear of having my heart split right down the middle.
“I didn’t bring this up to hurt you, Ellie. It’s just that I see the way guys are always hitting on you, and I know that you’ve been out with some great men but you never fall for any of them, and I can’t help but think it’s because of Reed.”
“You’re right,” I finally admitted, not just to Cora but myself. “What am I going to do?”
“Move on. Give some of those good guys a shot with you. I know I’m a hypocrite because I’ve got my own issues with trusting men, but you’re not as screwed up as I am. You’ve got a real shot at a happily ever after. Think of how green with envy the Wicked Stepmother and Stepsister will be.”
“You’re not screwed up, Cora.” I didn’t like it when she said things like that.
She held up a hand. “You can try to fix me another night. Tonight’s therapy is only for you.”
Reluctantly, I agreed.
We spent the rest of the night indulging on a chocolate soufflé Cora had made and discussing the men she thought I should date.
Chapter 6
My heart jumped at the printed name on my patient list. Blinking, I looked again but it hadn’t been my imagination. Reed Bentley was my new patient. I sighed, leaning back into my office chair. I considered switching with one of the other nurses, but everyone was busy and swopping another patient for Reed would only disrupt another patient’s recovery.
Flipping through his paperwork, I realized that I didn’t recognize the address and I wondered if he’d moved in with Amber. It hurt to think of him living with another woman, but it would also make it easier for me to squash any remaining feelings I had for Reed.
Cora was determined that I move on, and I’d been on three dates last week. Two of the guys Cora had set me up with. The third was Stephen Hotchkiss, a pediatric surgeon, and we’d made plans for a second date.
Cora’s reaction when she heard about the date with Stephen was comical. “You’re going out with Dr. Hot Kiss?”
Dr. Hot Kiss was what most of the women at the hospital called Stephen, and Isabelle had talked about him enough that Cora was familiar with the name, not that it was one anyone could easily forget.
“Hey, Ellie. Heard your new patient is a babe. Sandy went out to see him this morning and can’t stop talking about him.”
I looked up at my friend and co-worker, Samantha Diaz, and smiled.
“He’s a military man. Sandy says he could easily land a job posing for a girlie magazine.”
A visual of Reed’s naked body made me start and coffee sloshed over the edge of my mug and onto my scrubs. I reached for some napkins on my desk.
“If he’s as hot as she says, maybe I’ll have to go with you to visit him one day,” Samantha suggested
eagerly.
“You’re married,” Sandy said, popping her head into my cubicle. “Even with that damned IIizarov on his leg, he’s sexy as hell, Ellie.”
“I know,” I told them.
“You’ve already been out to his place today?”
I shook my head, still blotting coffee off my scrubs. “I went to high school with him.”
“Think he’ll remember you,” Samantha asked, curiously.
“His sister is one of my best friends so I’m sure he will.”
“Lucky you. You should ask your friend to set you up with her hot brother,” Samantha suggested wagging her brows up and down suggestively.
“Hey, I saw him first girlfriend,” Sandy laughed. “I’ll fight you for him. We could get on one of those crazy daytime talk shows. I can see the headline ‘Nurses Gone Wild!’”
“Ya’ll are bad,” I laughed. Of course, they were only joking. Everyone I worked with was too professional to get involved with a patient, but they still liked to have fun.
“We are,” Sandy and Samantha agreed. “But wait to until you get a look at him all grown up, he’s over six-feet of solid muscle and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. He’d been working out when I showed up and wasn’t wearing a shirt. I just about fainted at the sight of those glistening muscles.”
“Did you offer to give him a sponge bath?” Samantha asked with a wicked grin.
“Hell yes. I am his Home Health Care Aid.”
“Lucky you.” Samantha grinned.
“Not really. He thanked me but said he could do it himself.”
“You should’ve told him that’s what you get paid for.”
Sandy nodded in agreement. “I thought about asking him if I could watch—for safety reasons, but he was looking at me with those intense blue eyes and my brain turned to mush.”
I left to visit Reed with a visual of him shirtless and sweaty and sexy as hell. Just great. I needed a margarita with a double shot, but I had to settle for a latte instead, which only put a jolt into my already edgy nerves.
Typing Reed and Amber’s address into my GPS, I sipped my latte and listened to a song on the radio about a love gone wrong. Twenty minutes later, I turned into a quiet North Houston neighborhood not far from my dad’s house. The houses were older but all custom built and on oversized lots with shady trees and large green lawns.
Reed lived on a cul-de-sac that bordered a park where kids played on slides and swings and ran up and down a large hill in the center of the playground. I loved the neighborhood. It was homey and charming and perfect for families.
Pulling into a large circular driveway, I double checked the address and stared at Reed’s home, which looked like something off the cover of a home magazine. It was a one-story, solid red brick house with a large covered porch and arched windows. My chest ached with longing. This was what I wanted someday, a house that felt like a home, a husband and family.
I got my bag and walked up the steps and onto porch and pulled out the key I had to the house. Nurses were given keys to their patient’s homes so that the patient didn’t have to get up to answer the door. I opened the door but before I went inside I rang the bell and calling out, “Hello, I’m Ellie with the VNT.” It’s what I would have said to any of my other patients.
The sight of Reed walking toward me made my stomach dip. Wearing a black t-shirt, and gray sweats that had been cut off at the left knee to accommodate the IIizarov device that encircled the lower half of his leg and slowed his gait, considerably, he looked good.
Unlike most of the patients I’d visited who’d worn the same device, Reed was already up and moving around. The metal rods that punctured his calf and held his bone in place looked painful but most patients said that it was tolerable. Reed, however, didn’t just suffer from multiple bone breaks; the explosion that had trapped him in a cave in Afghanistan had torn muscle and skin from his calf, and he had undergone skin and muscle graphs to repair the damage to his leg. He was lucky they hadn’t had to amputate. My heart ached thinking of all he’d been through.
Reed smiled when he saw me, and my heartbeat spiked. “Come in.” He reached for the door, opening it wider so that I could enter. “I can’t believe you came.”
He had no idea that I was his outpatient nurse, must not have heard me call out to him. I started to tell him but my gaze riveted on a man behind Reed. He was tall and built like Reed, but his hair was a dark blond and cut shorter.
“This is my buddy, Jase Ford.” He turned to his friend. “Jase, this is Ellie McAllister.”
To my astonishment, Jase seemed to recognize my name. “Ellie,” Jase said slowly, grinning. “I’m glad I get to finally meet you. The Sergeant here talks about you all the time.”
Reed clapped a hand on his buddy’s shoulder. “We should get out of the doorway and let her come inside.”
“Oh, yeah. Where are my manners?” Jase replied mockingly, clearly amused.
Reed and Jase led me into the spacious living room with gigantic windows that overlooked the wooded backyard and a massive stone fireplace that dominated the center of the room and drew even more attention because of the huge flat screen TV that hung over it. It was a simply decorated room done in earthy shades with overstuffed leather furniture that was set on thick rugs that covered the hardwood floors.
“You want something to drink Ellie? I’ve got coffee, tea, beer,” Reed offered me like I was guest instead of his nurse.
“No thank you.”
Jase came over and shook my hand, watching me with the oddest expression.
“It’s good to meet you, Jase. So how do you know Reed?”
“He was my CO and still is my best friend. He also saved my ass enough times that I’ll never be able to repay him. Sergeant Bentley’s a hero,” Jase boasted with obvious pride.
I glanced over at Reed and found him watching me. “Jase exaggerates.”
“He hates compliments.” Jase grinned. “I think it embarrasses him.”
Smiling, I decided that I liked Jase a lot. He was a charming guy and loyal to Reed.
“Did you know that the Sergeant received a Purple Heart?” Jase clapped his arm around Reed’s shoulders. “He saved the lives of more than a dozen soldiers before that bomb took him down. The soldier that he was trapped in the cave with said he would’ve gone bat-shit crazy under all that rock if it Reed hadn’t been so calm.”
“That’s enough Jase.” Reed shook his head at Jase. “She doesn’t want to hear all that.”
“Yes I do.” I looked at Reed, fascinated with him. He was brave and strong and amazing, and I couldn’t stop the rush of pride I felt for how courageous he’d been. I looked up and met Reed’s steady gaze. “You don’t have to convince me, Jase. I already know that he’s a hero.”
Something flashed in his eyes. “Those men were my responsibility, Ellie. It was my job to see them safe.”
“Not to the families of the men whose lives you saved. I know that’s not how they feel,” I insisted. “They believe you did something incredible.”
“She’s right,” Jase told me with a wink. “They think he’s a hero too. Sergeant here is the only one that has a problem with the ‘H’ word.”
“You’re incredible.” He looked embarrassed. “Congratulations on the Purple Heart.”
“Thanks,” he said quietly, obviously uncomfortable with the attention.
“Sorry ‘bout that. I didn’t mean to spill the beans,” Jase said with a smile that didn’t look in the least bit sorry. He glanced at the watch on his wrist, and shook his head. “I’m gonna have to bail, Sergeant. I just remembered I’ve gotta hot date tonight, but you should stay Ellie. He’s already got two steaks and potatoes ready to throw on the grill.”
I smiled at Jase even though I wasn’t sure about him inviting me to have dinner with Reed.
“Don’t bother seeing me out.” Jase waved. “You kids have fun.”
“I’m sorry about Jase,” Reed said when his friend was gone. “He means we
ll.”
“Don’t be.” I smiled. “I like him. He’s funny, and he’s also right about you being a hero.”
“If he said anything to offend you, I’ll —“
“You’ll go beat him up?” I teased.
Reed gestured to his bad leg, and smiled good-naturedly. “I think he might be able to kick my ass right now, so I’m hoping you’ll just accept my apology forget everything he said.”
“Like I said, no need. You should sit down and rest your leg.”
“It’s not bothering me.”
I should have told him then that I was his nurse and was there to check his leg, but instead I heard myself say, “So, you’ve been talking about me to Jase?”
“That surprises you,” Reed observed, watching me with interest. He took a step towards me, then another. “Let me set you straight on something that you seem to be completely mixed up about.” Another step brought our bodies within an inch of each other and my breath hitched. My skin felt tight and tingly and hot. It was like my body came to life around Reed.
“What’s that?” I asked, and was shocked at how rusty and breathless my voice sounded.
“Two years ago I wasn’t in a position to make promises to you. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be coming home. God knows I shouldn’t have touched you, but I’d never wanted anything more.” He paused, his eyes locked with mine. “The only thing I regret about that night is leaving you.”
Reed reached out and slid his knuckles lightly along my jaw and I shivered. He noticed and I think he liked it.
“I told you I’d never thought of you as a one-night stand, Ellie. If I hadn’t of been going to Afghanistan, I’d have wanted more. A lot more.”
I stood stunned, staring up at Reed.
“You’re looking at me like you don’t believe.”
“It’s not that,” I said, still processing all he’d said.
Fireflies From Heaven Page 5
