Unexpected Love Story

by Natasha Madison

  “But you guys didn’t live with him.” She inhales. “I was such a fool.”

  “No, you weren’t.” I try to get her to see, but she shakes her head.

  “I hate him, like with my whole heart. For as much love as I had for him, I have just as much hatred.” A tear slides down her face. I always wondered when I would be able to tell her about Samantha, and at that moment, with her doubting her whole life, I know this is the time.

  “Hailey, you trusted him. You did what anyone else would have done.” I rub her leg as she stretches her arm out and lays her head on it. “I went to see her,” I whisper. She finally looks at me, but this time, I look back at the water. “I didn’t want to tell you … I just.” I take a deep breath, and then look back at Hailey. “We went down and saw her.”

  “We?” she asks, confused.

  “Well, Blake wasn’t going to let me go by myself, just in case I did something harsh.” I shrug my shoulders. “I just wanted to know, in case you had questions later. She …” She looks at me, and I let go of the tears I was holding all day, the tears that I’m shedding for my cousin, for her pain, and for my empty future. “She is so different from you. She isn’t strong like you are. He’s all she has ever known. She had no idea. She didn’t suspect for one minute that he would do that to her, that he would do that to his family. He always traveled for work, so it wasn’t like a red flag or anything. The only thing that changed is that the FaceTimes got less and less at the end.”

  “They have kids.” I don’t know if it’s a question or not.

  “Yes, and every single day, she has to look into the eyes of her children and see the good in them, or else she is going to go insane.” I wipe the tears away. “That is what she has to live with. I wanted to hate her, to blame her for what he did to you, to us, but she had fewer answers than you did.”

  “I can’t even imagine. I hated her,” she starts to say. “I hated that she had that with him. That she had him forever. That their love would go on forever in their children.”

  I laugh sarcastically. “It was a lie. As much as you think your life was a lie, so was hers.” She nods, and neither of us says anything as we watch the water go from dark blue to black as the sun sets and nighttime blankets the sky.

  My dreams that night are nightmares. Even with the sun shining in them, I see a little girl running on the beach, her feet being swallowed by the waves crashing onto the shore. Gabe runs behind her, pretending to chase her, then picks her up, and flips her upside down. While her laughing and squealing bounces off the crashing waves, he looks back at me, his eyes pure happiness as he tells her something, and she waves at me. I sit there and watch him walk away from me, holding his little girl’s hand. Getting farther and farther away from me.

  My eyes fly open in a panic, and I lie here in the bed, blinking to take in the darkness of the room. I look over and see it’s almost time for me to get up anyway. So I lie here, thinking about nothing.

  Entering work the next day, I’m carrying a box of doughnuts. “Hey, guys, I was up super early and picked up doughnuts,” I tell everyone. Walking past them to the staff room, I find Gabe making coffee while he checks something on his phone. “Morning,” I say more chipper than I planned to. “I bought doughnuts.”

  He turns his head to look at me, his eyes roaming my body. “Thanks,” he says, picking up his coffee and heading out of the room.

  I grab my stuff and walk back to the nurses’ station, seeing a picture of a huge log cabin. “What is this?” I look up to see Ava and Corrine smiling big.

  “It’s our cabin for the weekend,” they tell me. “Dr. Walker cleared the schedule for Friday, so we drive up Saturday and then come back Sunday.”

  I look down at the picture. It looks huge. “How many bedrooms?” I ask.

  “Five,” they both say together.

  “Someone is going to have to share,” Ava says. She looks around, and seeing it’s only us, she says, “I say we pick straws to see who gets to share with Dr. Walker?”

  I look up at them as Ava and Corrine nod, giving each other high-fives. “I’m out,” I tell them. “I’ll gladly forfeit that one.”

  “Are you crazy?” Ava says. “Not only is he so hot, he bought her the best shoes of life. I don’t know how his fiancée left him at the altar.”

  My head whips around. “What?” I ask, trying not to be too eager, my heart pounding against my chest. “I …”

  “Oh, yeah,” Corrine says, looking around again. “He was up at the altar, and everyone walked down but her. Word is that she got some cushy job up in Chicago.”

  “I would not let him out of my sight if he was mine,” Ava says. Corrine clears her throat quickly, so she stops talking.

  “Where is everyone?” Gabe stops by my side, looking at his watch.

  “They went to get a doughnut,” I tell him. “So we really doing this whole camping thing?”

  “We are,” he says, watching Ava and Corrine get up and walk away. I turn to look at him.

  “This should be a barrel of laughs.” I wink at him and turn on my heels, ready to greet my first patient of the day.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gabe

  The knock on the door makes me raise my head from the charts in front of me. “Come in,” I say. The door opens, and my father enters.

  “Hey there.” He comes in, going to the chair right in front of my desk. “So what is this whole camping retreat?” He folds his hands together, smiling at me. “You hate camping.”

  I lean back in my chair. “I don’t hate camping,” I tell him, and he raises an eyebrow at me. “What?”

  “I just think it’s funny that you’re planning to take six women with you camping when you don’t even know how to fish.”

  I roll my eyes. “I know how to fish. I just choose not to.”

  “Well, this should be interesting. How is Crystal?” He looks at me, and I know that his question is innocent.

  “She’s great.”

  “She already has all the other nurses on their toes.” He laughs. “Emma said that Ava is not happy she isn’t your go-to anymore.”

  “What is she talking about?” My eyebrows squeeze together. “I haven’t treated her any differently.”

  “Not what she said,” my father starts. “Just that Crystal is always the one you turn to now.”

  “I’m training her,” I counter, “and she knows her shit, sometimes better than I do. She diagnosed a UTI because he had anal sex.” My father throws his head back and laughs. “I wish I was kidding.”

  “I can’t wait to work with her,” he says, and something in my chest tightens. It’s only normal he would work with her; she is a nurse. “So when do you guys leave?” he asks.

  “Friday at six a.m.,” I tell him, making a note to call the guys and see if I can borrow some camping clothes.

  “Bethany called me today,” he says, and I start rocking in my chair.

  “Did she?”

  “Yup, wants to come in and show us the latest things they are working on.”

  “When is she coming?” I ask him.

  “Friday afternoon.” He smiles. “That should be a good time. Your mother is going to sit in the meeting with me also.”

  “You think that’s a good idea?” I ask. My mother is as prim and proper as they come, but Bethany fucked with her boy.

  “I think that it’s exactly what she needs to do. That or”—he pauses—“she told me I would sleep on the couch for a week if I didn’t tell her. Gotta say, not too fond of that fucking couch.”

  I laugh at him. “I don’t feel you there.” He gets up, knocking his fist twice on my desk.

  “Now, go home,” he tells me, and I nod at him, picking up the last chart to find I have nothing to add to it. Crystal is fucking efficient; I will give her that. I pull out my phone when I walk out of the office and call Brody, who answers on one ring.

  “Do you have any camping clothes you can lend me?”

  “Sorry, you
lost me at you and camping.” He laughs.

  “Fuck off. I’m doing this team building bullshit, and we are going camping.”

  “Are you bringing tents?” he asks.

  “Are you insane? I rented a log house. That house is a palace.”

  I laugh, getting into my car. “Can you help or not?”

  “Sorry, buddy, you’re on your own,” he says, hanging up, and I make my way to the mall an hour away. I’m walking into the sporting goods store when I see someone to my right. Looking up, I watch as Crystal walks in. I’ve mostly seen her in scrubs with her hair tied up on top of her head, but now her hair is loose and wild. I speed up to her, scaring the shit out of her when I tap her on the shoulder.

  “You almost gave me a fucking heart attack,” she hisses. “What the hell, Gabe?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” I hold up my hands. “I didn’t mean to. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m picking up clothes for our camping trip,” she tells me. “What about you?”

  I look down and then up again. “Same.”

  She throws her head back and belly laughs. “I knew you didn’t fucking camp. Liar.” Shaking her head, she turns around and grabs a cart.

  “Oh, shut up,” I tell her, walking next to her. “This is all your fault.”

  “My fault?” She points at her chest. “Why would this be my fault?”

  “You came in with your team building bullshit, and if I didn’t jump on it, I’d be a pussy.” I put my hands in my pockets as we walk slowly down the aisles.

  She stops when she gets to the plaid shirts, looks for her size, and tosses two in the cart. “You didn’t try them on,” I tell her, and she shrugs.

  “I don’t need to. They’re my size.” She stops when she sees a vest jacket. “Should I get a jacket, or will the vest be good enough? I think I need some thermal underwear.”

  My hands fist in my pockets, thinking of her in any type of underwear. Fuck, if thermal underwear isn’t turning me off her, then I have no idea what will. She fills her cart with clothes, and then we stop by the men’s section. I grab a couple of flannel shirts, a jacket, a vest, and some long johns. “I think I need boots,” she says.

  “Yes, me, too,” I tell her as we walk to the shoe department. She tries on a pair, and fuck, she can work anything. I choose mine, and we make our way to the cashier with her stopping and picking up a beige men’s sweater with black symbols on it and a collar that folds down.

  “What size are you?” she asks as she goes through the rack.

  “A large,” I tell her, and she tosses it in the cart. I look at her, trying to hide my smile “You buying me a gift?” I ask her, smiling.

  “Not a chance in hell. You’re paying for it; I just chose it.” She walks toward the cashier and puts her things on the belt. She pulls out her card to pay for her things, then waits for me. I grab my bags and follow her out. “See you tomorrow,” she says, walking to her car.

  I’m about to call her back and stop her from leaving, but I don’t. I watch her get in the car and drive off. I get into mine and follow her all the way home. She turns off before my exit, so I know she will get home safely. The next couple of days fly by, and then the big day is here. I get out of bed, groaning as I get dressed. I pick up a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and the sweater that Crystal chose. I put my blue boots on, picking up my bag. We are all meeting at the log house at six. I pull up with fifteen minutes to spare and see that I’m not the first one here. Crystal beat me here. She sits on the front step, and her pure beauty stops me in my tracks. She is wearing sunglasses, so I can’t see her eyes, but I see what she’s wearing when she stands. She is wearing the boots that we bought together paired with black leggings that mold to her long legs. Her shirt is a white plaid shirt, and she has the blue vest over it. The shirt stays unbuttoned, revealing a tight gray shirt underneath. Her hair is loose and the front tied back. “Hey,” she says, coming to me. Her citrus smell stops me in my tracks. “I got here ahead of schedule,” she says, and I pick up my own Ray-Ban glasses. “Nice shirt.” She smiles at me and crosses her arms over her chest. I don’t answer her because another car pulls in, and I see that the other four carpooled.

  “We made it,” Emma says, getting out of the car. “Mia had to bail; her son got sick.” Olivia, Ava, and Corrine get out of the car, stretching their legs.

  “Shall we go inside?” I ask them, pointing at the house. I made sure to have the food stocked before we got here. We all walk up the six stairs to the front door. When I open it, I’m stopped in my tracks. This place is fucking huge and definitely does not fit in the camping category.

  The whole house is wood, and in the two-story entryway, a staircase on the left side leads upstairs. The huge living room has a U-shaped couch facing a fireplace with a huge flat-screen television above it. The girls walk around me. “This kitchen is bigger than my whole apartment,” Olivia says as I take in the stainless steel appliances and big wooden table to the side of it. A hallway to the left of the kitchen leads to the two downstairs bedrooms and a bathroom.

  “We have two rooms downstairs and three upstairs,” I say as Olivia, Corrine, and Ava all run up the stairs.

  “There is a hot tub outside on the porch upstairs,” one of them yells. Emma turns to go upstairs to look.

  “Which room are you taking?” I ask her as she goes to the fridge. Opening it, she grabs a water bottle. “You want one?” she asks me.

  “Yeah,” I say to her. She hands me one as the four women come from upstairs.

  “Now that Mia isn’t here Ava and I won’t have to share a room,” Corrine says. “Emma is in love with one of the beds up there, and Olivia chose the one with all the windows.”

  “Guess that leaves us downstairs,” Crystal says, looking at the girls and then me. “I’ll take the one closest to the bathroom.”

  I nod and then a knock on the door makes us turn around. Emma walks to it and opens it, seeing a man there. “Hi, folks, are we ready to build us a team?” he asks, all gung ho.

  “I have to change my shoes. I’ll meet you guys out front,” I tell them, grabbing my boots. I change out of my sweater, putting on a plaid shirt and a vest. When I get outside to the group, I see that the guy brought two other men, two good-looking men. One of them is talking to Crystal and standing way too close to her for my liking. She, on the other hand, is laughing away. “Are we starting?”

  “My name is Paul, and this is my son, Luke.” He points at the blond, who salutes us. “That is my other son, Holden.” He points at the one standing next to Crystal. “First activity we are going to work on is communication. You will be paired up, tied at the wrist, and you have to find clues in order to solve your puzzle.”

  Emma snatches Olivia while Ava snatches Corrine, who looks like she would have bolted for me, leaving me with Crystal. “We left five clues around. The first clue leads to the next and so forth. The first team to win gets ten points, second five, and then the third team gets no points.”

  Luke ties our hands together with a blue rope, leaving just enough room between us. “You guys ready?” I look over at Crystal and then off we go. I have to say it is a fucking disaster. We can’t agree on which side to take; I say right, and she says left. I pull on her, and she tries to kick my shins when I am walking. It is safe to say we come in last place.

  “I want to change my partner,” Crystal says as soon as we get back to base, leaving me all alone. Corrine jumps at the chance, and this time, I don’t have to be tied to anyone. It is a scavenger hunt to find things. We all set off, but my eyes never leave Crystal as Holden follows her around everywhere. He smiles at her and the whole while I glare and don’t even pay attention. No surprise we lost.

  Corrine looks over at me, after we lost. “You suck, Dr. Walker.” She walks back to Ava and tells Crystal that she wants to switch back. This time, it is a group challenge. There is this huge ball tied into knots. We have to stand around in a circle, and each person has a min
ute with it, and so on until it is all undone. This, I can do. We form a circle and start picking it apart, slowly at first. I can’t get a knot undone, and I fucking hate it. The girls roll their eyes at me with frustration, and at one point, I want to take the fucking thing and set it on fucking fire.

  “Not too bad,” Peter says when he gets all the ropes back. “Just under ten minutes. We are going to break for lunch and get ready for the afternoon hiking session.”

  I turn and walk back into the house, the lunch spread I ordered all ready. We sit down to eat. “How is this fun?” I finally look at Crystal. “This whole team bonding is going to kill us. I thought Emma was going to stab me when I couldn’t get that last knot.”

  “I wasn’t going to stab you, Dr. Walker. Rip it from your hands, yes, but not stab.” She smiles at me, and I just shake my head.

  “Maybe it won’t work here, but back when we did it, we found out what our weaknesses were and when to ask for help.”

  I shake my head. Not even bothering with this conversation, I’m praying I somehow break my foot or something just to get out of here.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Crystal

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Holden says from beside me, and I swear if I could push him off a cliff, I would. He has been following me around the whole day, and I honestly can’t stand him. At first, I thought it was cute, but bottom line, if you’re a fucking idiot, I can’t stand you. I look over my shoulder, watching Gabe talk with Ava and Corrine, who are just yapping away. They sometimes giggle and even feel the need to touch him. Dude, he’s your boss. “So you think you can sneak away tonight?” he whispers, leaning in.

  I tilt my head to the side. “Nope, sorry.” I turn back around to see Gabe staring at me. “Are we almost done?” I ask, huffing and puffing.

  “Just about. We have about another mile to go.” He turns around, shouting to everyone. “About a mile to go, folks. Then you are on your own for the night.” When we make it back to the house, all of us head to our respective rooms, and I grab my shower stuff. Making my way out to the bathroom, I run right into Gabe, who is carrying his own shower things.