The Cure (A Michigan Sweet Romance #1)

by Parker J Cole

  It made the connection he’d once felt for her pulse anew. A thousand dreams of the past resurfaced. Savannah pressed herself closer into his body and a long sigh escaped his chest.

  Home sweet home.

  “How is your practice coming along?”

  At the unexpected question, his eyebrow arched. “You really don’t want me to talk about that, do you?”

  She nodded against his chest. “Tell me,” she pleaded in a whisper.

  When she said it like that, how could he deny her?

  Did he want to?

  “Well, the practice is thriving. We’ve had some interesting cases, VIPs, charity consults, stuff like that.”

  He kept the topic general as possible, being selective with his words so he wouldn’t bring up the specter of Nascha Dubois. When he exhausted that topic, he went on to talk about his latest trip to the Philippines, where he performed cleft palate reconstruction surgery for the children in the small village there.

  “I remember when you went there before,” she said, still pressed into his body. “I was supposed to come with you but I had a show and couldn’t make it.”

  A tiny smile titled his lips to the side. “You would have liked it there. Knowing we’re doing good work for people who actually need it.”

  “What do you mean? You help people here now.”

  Micah harrumphed. “Let’s call a spade a spade. Over there, you’re using your skills to improve the quality of life for children who need it and who can’t afford it. If those children there continued to go untreated, they could have problems with eating, ear infections, hearing loss, tooth development, speech, the list goes on. Not to mention the societal bane of humanity since the beginning of time – looking different than everyone else.”

  “Very true,” Savannah agreed.

  “There are folks who come into my office that are trying to stuff happiness into a procedure. They’re constantly complaining about what’s too big, too small, or some other such thing.”

  “All your patients can’t be like that, though.”

  He rubbed her arm and planted his chin on the top of her head. No, all of his patients weren’t superficial. Cosmetic surgery was considered the ‘prima donna’ of the medical field due to such claims. However, surgeons such ashe were often in training and residency the longest.

  “You’re right. I truly enjoy what I do for my patients. I’ve been fortunate to help women reclaim a sense of femininity after surviving breast cancer. Restore the faces of people severely injured in some calamity. My patients have had corrective procedures from birth defects or horrific accidents.”

  “Well, aren’t you modest, Dr. Reddington,” Savannah chided in a playful tone.

  “Just stating facts, Savvy.” He unconsciously called her by her nickname. “I’m good at what I do. In all fairness, most people simply want to refresh their looks, you know? They’re getting older but they don’t feel older. So yeah, they may want an implant or two, a tummy tuck, etc. A percentage of my clientele are people who think beauty is unearthed by augmenting their bodies to look like someone else instead of being content with what God gave them.”

  “Surely you don’t tell them that?” She splayed her hand on his chest to look up into his face.

  His brow arched again and he said in a deep, Barry White voice, “Mama didn’t raise no fool.”

  She wrinkled her nose and settled once more into him. A breath hitched his throat. He ground his teeth. She felt so good against him. She made him feel as if he could slay dragons and giants when she pressed herself on him like this.

  “I don’t think I could ever get any kind of surgery done.”

  Her words brought forth something else. “I guess that’s one of the things I loved about you, Savvy.”

  She stiffened. “What?”

  “From the moment I met you, you were content with yourself. I don’t recall you ever desiring to change any aspect of who you were.” Not until Nascha poured her poison over her - but he didn’t mention that. Something fragile was building between them and he didn’t want that woman’s ghost to tamper with it.

  An oval-shaped finger toyed with one of the buttons of his shirt. “I never realized that,” she responded slowly.

  “Why should you? You were truly happy with yourself. How many people are?”

  Savannah raised her head and smiled. “What a nice thing to say, Micah.”

  Almost beyond his control, he used his finger and tilted her head further upward. Her gemstone eyes were slumberous as she gazed into his face. He felt himself drowning. The familiar magnetic pull drew him downward, hardly conscious of what he was doing but more than prepared for whatever was about to happen.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Micah reached forward and used his long, blunt fingers to tilt her chin up. The gentle touch seared her clear to the center of her core. Her lungs suddenly lacked enough air to breathe. Savannah was unable to avoid his burning gaze, not that she wanted to. In fact, avoiding this moment was the furthest thing from her mind.

  She had initially asked him to talk to her to distract her from Liliana’s prognosis. As he went on, it was like putting on an old coat. Many times, they’d sit for hours in each other’s company. Sometimes they talked. Other times they watched a show on TV. Went for a hike or a walk. Whenshehad food poisoning, Micah had come and held her until she fellto sleep. When she woke up the next day, she saw that he had never left her. They probably only spoke two words that day because she was still feeling so ill. And yet, none of it mattered as long as they were together.

  She slipped into their former bond with ease and longed to stay there.

  His arms felt wonderful wrapped around her. He pulled her closer as if to fuse to them together. Enveloped in his scent, a strong pleasant musk with earthy undertones, she finally understood what she’d been missing all these years.

  Him.

  His presence, his vitality, his unwavering commitment to her. Hadn’t he dropped everything to be at her side? She didn’t need rescue, although there was part of that desire she associated with him. She needed Micah.

  “Savvy.” His amber eyes glowed as they dropped to her mouth. Her heart thudded in her ribcage. Her breath came out in short gasps. But then, so did his. The coffee-scented breath was evocative in a way she couldn’t explain.

  She opened her mouth to say something – but she could not for the life of her think of what that was. He placed his thumb on her lips. Everything within her seemed to center on the spot. So sensitive was she to the slight touch, she imagined she could feel the ridges of his thumb print. “Perfect. So perfect,” he breathed.

  The words catapulted her to the past.

  Everything about Naschahad always seemed out of this world to her. One commentator stated the woman had taken exotic looks to new heights. Savannah admitted she’d been jealous of her friend for a long time. After all, the world catered to her. Anywhere she went, people gravitated to her,and werehelplessly drawnto her. Men had stopped in midstride, transfixed, enchanted, and bedazzled by her.

  All except Micah.

  Micah had never been infatuated with her friend. He found Nascha pretty, he’d told Savannah that himself, but he’d never had the awestruck, wondrous look like so many other men she’d seen in the past. In fact, the only one who had been the recipient of his fixation was her.

  No, Micah’s obsession had only been for her. He’d cup her face between his hands and smooth the contours of her cheeks. “You’re perfect. You’re so perfect,” he’d whisper with awe, those amber eyes turning into molten gold as they roved over her features.

  “I’m not perfect, Micah,” she’d admonish him, slightly overwhelmed by his adoration but pleased all the same. She couldn’t believe he would find her more attractive than Nascha.

  “Yes, you are,” he’d insist. “Perfect…for me.”

  Perfect…for me.

  Yes, that was it. Micah had been flawless for her, too. His boyish, scholarly looks and unfashionabl
e long blond hair hadn’t mattered to her. Those freckles across his nose had disarmed her more than once. They had the tendency to darken in the sun, drawing her attention to them and giving him an air of adolescence she couldn’t resist.

  A suddenvision of Nascha on the kitchen floor in her house flashed. “How can you love a man that could do this to me?” Her tear-stained face stared at her in accusation, an almost murderous expression subverting the proud features.

  It brought everything to the forefront again. What was she doing? Why was she capitulating to Micah’s embrace when he’d been responsible for a woman taking her life? What was she doing here in broad daylight, in a hospital waiting room, about to submit to his kisses when her niece lay a few feet away, fighting for her life? What was wrong with her?

  “Micah, please let me go.”

  His eyes widened with shock before his drew his arms away. He gave a dry cough and then released her and stood. The second he released her, the air rushed back into her lungs, but with it came a coldness that struck the center of her. The turmoil inside of her continued to swirl about, a mess of tangled emotions. He did as she asked without protest, and yet Savannah almost opened her mouth to call him back. To beg him to hold her in his arms again.

  Get it together, Savvy. Did she need to remind herself, yet again, what Micah had done? He had ruined her best friend and mentor’s career. Had left her alone when Naschadied, despite her urgent plea for him to cometo her side. She’d stood at the grave site for hours and waited for him to show. She couldn’t allow a moment of insanity to forget exactly what kind of person Micah really was.

  She brushed her clothes and with each stroke, a sense of composure came over. When she felt ready, she stood and stepped away. The moment faded. The sound of activity around her beat against her eardrums, seemingly louder than before. She took a peek at him. His back was rigid with tension. Savannah flitted her eyes away from him.

  Would she be a fool to admit she’d longed for his kiss, almost desperately? Probably. There hadn’t been another man since she broke up with Micah. The days after their broken engagement had been some of the roughest of her life. She’d eaten a whole bag of marshmallows, an entire package of brownies, and downed a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream in three days.

  Yet, the upset stomach and sugar high did nothing to stop the pain of losing Micah.

  “Savannah?”

  She stiffened when Micah called her name. “Yes, Micah?”

  “Why did you let me get close?”

  Savannah whirled around. His profile was to her but he was looking at her from the corner of his eye.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why did you let me get close just now?”

  Did he really expect her to answer that? How could she tell him when she didn’t quite understand herself? And when did he become so blunt? Granted, he had a penchant for plain speaking, but this was a gut-wrenching question and he knew it. “I—I—” The words wouldn’t make it past her mouth.

  “You were the one who broke our engagement, Savannah. You were the one who brought me back into your life for Liliana’s care. I’m asking you again. Why did you let me close?”

  He had turned to fully face her. The molten gold of his eyes had hardened to dark amber. “I’m waiting.”

  “Micah, let’s forget what almost just happened, okay? I apologize for…for my part in this, but let’s just drop it.”

  She had no wish to delve into the complicated reasoning behind their near kiss.

  “We’re not going to drop it, Savannah.” That implacable tone was there again, the one he used with Tisha and Connie when they confronted him. “I want answers and I want them now.”

  ***

  Perhaps it was a good thing she stopped him before he succumbed to the magnetic pull of her lips. It didn’t feel like a good thing, though. The riot of craving lashed against his insides with a ferocity that threatened his control.

  He didn’t want to feel this way again. Not with Savannah. It reminded him of the hold she had over him in the past. When her smile was enough to begin his day. He’d limited his kisses with her then too, because one only whetted his appetite for more.

  Then he remembered how he begged her not leave him. He’d thrown away his pride and pleaded with her to stay. And she walked out the door and tore his heart out of his chest.

  Micah had sworn from that day he’d never let a woman have control over him ever again. He made sure to avoid relationships. His practice and prestige, which had taken a beating during the mess Nascha had created, had been restored to him in her death. If there was something God had done for him during that awful time, it was the restoration of his name. Yes, he’d had to fight through many accusations and over-zealous reporters who tried to ruin his name, but his practice was once again booming.

  Work and the heartbreak he suffered at the hands of this petite woman before him had been his excuse for not seeking another companion. At least, that’s what he told himself. But now, he had to face the truth. The truth was no other woman would ever have command of his heart other than Savannah.

  Micah almost growled out loud. Three years later and she still could do this to him. Yet, she had abandoned him and he wanted answers. He waited with bated breath for her to respond.

  “Micah—”

  “Ms. Woods.”

  His teeth snapped, the sound audible enough to draw Savannah’s attention to him before she turned to Dr. Yamaguchi, who walked over to them. “Yes, Doctor?”

  “Liliana does have an infection like we believed. I’ve ordered her bandages to be changed and dressed again, and we’ve begun a round of antibiotics to help with the infection. She has a fever and we’ll be monitoring her condition closely for the next twenty-four hours.”

  Savannah’s eyes closed. “Are the antibiotics going to interfere with the current treatment she has now?”

  “No, but we’re still keeping an eye on things. We want to make sure the infection doesn’t go into her bloodstream.”

  After the doctor left, Micah went over to Savanah. His anger had somewhat abated. Despite the fact she’d played yo-yo with his emotions, she still reached out to him.

  He wanted her to need him.

  Maybe that was why he taunted her years ago when she left him. It was not from a desire to prove himself indifferent. He wanted her to need him as voraciously as he needed her.

  “What do you want me to do, Savannah? How can I help you?” Could she tell the question came from his heart? The heart that had been empty for the last three years until he came into her presence again?

  Savannah remained mute. She folded her arms protectively around her middle and walked to the ladies’ restroom at the end of the hall.

  Retreat.

  Micah dragged his hands through his hair. Maybe that was for the best, then. Why rehash the past when Liliana was truly more important than their feelings?

  He went over to one of the seats and sat down. Fiona would have told him to forgive Savannah for her desertion. Although he chose to have no contact with Savannah’s family after their split, Fiona hadn’t let that stop her from reaching out to him.

  Micah had just hung up from the conversation with Greg about joining his practice. Fiona’s number showed up on his phone. He vacillated in indecision before he answered.

  “Fiona?”

  “I’m glad you decided to answer the phone.”

  “I almost didn’t,” he told her truthfully. “But that would have been childish.”

  “Nothing about this whole situation is childish. Nascha accused you of botching up her procedure. Your fiancé sided with her instead of you. Anything you are feeling is quite understandable.”

  Her words soothed him. “What do you think, Fiona? Do you believe me?”

  “Of course,” she said without hesitation. “You’re a man of integrity.”

  How could Fiona believe him and not Savannah?

  “Why is that so difficult for your sister to und
erstand?”

  There was a pause in conversation. Then Fiona sighed. “I was the one who encouraged Savannah to take upNascha’s offer to become a model. Savannah wouldn’t have gotten as far as she has without Nascha.”

  “I get that, Fiona. Nascha has connections. So what? But the woman is a liar. She’s dragging my name through the mud.”

  She destroyed my world, he’d longed to shout.

  Fiona huffed on the phone but he wasn’t sure what kind of sound it was. “Before she did all of this, Savannah had every confidence in her appearance. Afterward, things changed. She became obsessed with keeping her looks, her figure. Everything. Nascha reached high status in the field. From Savannah’s point of view, the woman deserves her loyalty.”

  “So do I! I was her man!”

  Was. His heart did a painful jolt in his chest. Then and now.

  “I know. Do you have any idea why Nascha would lie?”

  At first, Micah hadn’t a clue why the woman would do something so evil. He’d been bombarded by the media ever since the inquest became known. Nascha submitted to interviews and told the world that adored her that this wretched man had marred her beauty and wouldn’t own up to his mistakes.

  Yet the more he thought about it, after getting over the incredulity, he’d realized that Nascha was fighting to protect her interests, whatever they were. And to ruin his name.

  Was it simply because he hadn’t fallen under her spell?

  At first blush, he’d dismissed the notion. Then he remembered the incident with the tube of lipstick. Berry red delicious. The expression on her face had said it all. She was getting back at him.

  “You still there?” Fiona’s voice had worry tinged in it.

  “If I told you what I think,” he’d started slowly, “would you believe me?”

  “Yes.”

  Her immediate belief only made the wound Savannah inflicted throb more.

  “Nascha is getting back at me because I’m not interested in her.”

  Would Fiona recant now thathehad told her his theory? After all, it sounded crazy saying it out loud. Micah knew he wasn’t a hound dog when it came to looks, but he recognized he would never be ‘that guy’ who made women drool. He didn’t lack for feminine attention but the only one he’d ever wanted was Savannah’s. For the first few weeks when they began to date, he couldn’t understand what Savannah saw in him. He recalled a joke a comedian had once said, “She must love you because she knows you’re ugly.”