by Lucy Rinaldi
“I love you, Paige.”
“No, you don’t. You love running around town with any woman who so much as smiles at you.” He opens his mouth to speak, but I’m not done yet. “Please don’t try to justify what you’ve done. There’s really no need.”
“So this is it? We’re over?” I nod my head while crossing my arms over my body. “There’s nothing I can do to change your mind?”
I shake my head no and smile slightly. “Whichever way you look at this, we’re over.”
“You’ve just been waiting for the chance to run off to that prick, haven’t you?”
I roll my eyes. It’s always the same thing, we argue, he throws Enzo in my face. It’s not like the whole town, including Enzo, don’t know that I still have feelings for him. God, it’s not like I haven’t tried to stop loving him.
My friends have told me time and again over the past year that I shouldn’t have been with Kyle, that it would only end badly. I knew it yet I didn’t stop our relationship, nor did I pull him up about his cheating ways. Even though we live in a small town where nothing is ever secret. I only found out about his latest squeeze in the next town over because he got the girl pregnant and she came looking for him.
“My decision to end things has nothing to do with Enzo and everything to do with the fact you got someone else pregnant!”
He stares at me for a long moment, not saying anything, just looking at me.
“Look, it’s over, Kyle. Go be with Daphne and your unborn child. Have the life you’ve dreamed of, but leave me alone. It’s over.”
He nods, lifts the bag I packed his clothes into, hooks it over his shoulder and leaves without another word.
I sink down onto my bed with my head in my hands. I am in no way upset, I’m relieved that this is finally over. Kyle and I didn’t live together, but he stayed over sometimes. Not once in the last six months though. Why would he when he’s been off with whoever doing whatever? And obviously getting someone else pregnant.
Shouldn’t I feel something?
Shouldn’t I feel upset that he’s obviously be sleeping with other girls, that he must see them as sexier than me?
I should but I just don’t. Is that weird?
I wanted this, I wanted my freedom from him but now I feel a little lost. Where do I go from here? Yes, I have a good job working as a nurse at Oak Springs General Hospital. I love my job because I love helping people. But what do I do now?
I’m not good on my own. No I don’t need a man to make my life complete, but all of my friends are either married or getting married. That will never be me. I’m not lucky enough.
Ha! More like I measure every man I date to the one man I can never have. Lorenzo Ryker. Or Enzo as everyone calls him. God, he doesn’t even know I exist.
Okay, he does, we’ve been friends for years. But he sees me more the little girl who used to follow him around, the little sister of his best friend. I doubt I’ll ever be anything but that in his eyes.
My best friends big sister, Callie, married Enzo’s little brother, Sonny, last year. They’ve loved each other for so many years now, since they were four years old, in fact. He left town for five years, leaving her behind.
Callie was hurt badly in a viscous attack by a mad man. She was left scarred across the left side of her face and most of her abdomen. She spent a year in the shadows until Hudson came home and showed Callie just how beautiful she still was in his eyes. How much he still loved her. Callie then went through plastic surgery to help repair some of the damage to her body. It worked to a degree and Callie now walks around with her head held high. Just as she always should have done.
Callie and Hudson also became the proud adoptive parents of twin just after her surgery to fix her scars on her face. Those babies came into the hospital I work in, orphaned due to a car accident. Took me a while to convince Callie that she could be their mother. She’s unable to have children of her own after what that lunatic did to her.
As soon as Hudson met them, he knew he’d be their father. Both Callie and Hudson took those babies into their hearts, took away their fears and showed them it was okay to be loved again. Little Todd and Robyn are now Ryker’s, and they love their uncle Enzo.
But a miracle happened a few months ago, Callie gave birth to a little boy. And he really was a miracle. After being told you could never have a child to suddenly finding out you’re pregnant? I can’t imagine the joy she felt in that moment.
Della, Callie’s sister and my best friend, is married to my big brother, well, he’s not technically my brother but our parents have been together for years, so in our hearts we’re brother and sister.
Freddy and Della are so in love. It makes me sick sometimes watching the way they are with each other. The way they’re always so considerate of each other. The way they hold each other no matter who’s looking.
Yeah, I’m jealous, I wish that could be me. I wish with all my heart I could have that with Enzo. I won’t, and I fear that I will never get over him should I stay in this town.
When is it my turn to be happy?
I can’t think about this any longer. Kyle is finally out of my life, and I can move on. On to what, I don’t know. I can’t think about it now, I guess work calls. I may not be in the mood for it right now, but it’s my job and I need to get going. I slip on my light purple scrubs and head out. I don’t want to be late.
*
“Paige?!” My name is yelled out and the voice behind it reverberates off the walls of the hallway I’m walking down. I turn to see Tori running up behind me. God, what does she want? I’m too tired for her dramas. “You’re needed.”
“For what? I’m on my way to the nurses station to hand in these files.” I lift the files in my arms enough for her to see.
She practically snatches them from my hands. “I’ll take them. We have a patient and the family are asking for you to be his nurse. They don’t want anybody else.”
“Oookay…” It’s not unlikely that a patients family will ask for a specific nurse to tend to their loved ones. But, it’s not normally me who is asked for. Apart from when Callie was admitted a couple years ago after her attack. I wasn’t even fully qualified then, but I was the one they wanted to help. “Does this patient have a name?”
“Yes,” What’s with the smirk? I’m really too tired for this. I’ve been awake for two days straight. I’ve worked two sixteen hour shifts, and I haven’t been able to sleep when I have gone home. What with Kyle and the breakup. “Enzo.”
I think my heart just fell through my ass!
“Ryker?” She nods, still smiling. Of course that’s who she means, how many Enzo’s are there in this town? “What’s wrong with him?”
I don’t think I can swallow. My throat is so dry there’s a huge lump stuck there, and my heart is beating too quickly. What if he got hurt in one of his stupid underground cage fights? What if he got caught in a fire and is burned beyond recognition?
Please don’t let anything really bad have happened to him.
“Well, according to Dr. Lawson, Enzo was coming along Anderson up on Hill Side?” She asks as a question. As if I don’t know where Hill Side is, I live there! Why would he be driving down by where I live? Anderson is two streets over from mine. He has no reason to be up on Hill Side. “Well, he was turning left in his SUV and a truck hit him.”
“Oh my god.” I clasp my hands over my mouth.
“He’s okay. He just hit his head pretty hard on the steering wheel due to the fact the airbag didn’t inflate like it should have. Plus, his ankle was broken, and he’s cracked a couple of ribs. He’ll be fine. But he’s a goddamned terrible patient…”
“Okay, I get it.” I didn’t mean to snap but she could have just told me what was wrong instead of rambling. This is the man I love for Christ’s sake! I was scared enough without her going on and on. “Where is he?”
“Third floor. Room #208” I nod in thanks and walk quickly to the elevator. I need to get to him. There m
ust be a reason Sonny asked for me specifically. Sonny being Hudson, Enzo’s little brother, but we’ve always called him Sonny. There are plenty of good nurses in this hospital, anyone of them could have been chosen.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact most of the women round here would do anything to get Enzo in a position where they’d have to touch him. Him being the local fireman and all. But Enzo hasn’t dated anyone since his girlfriend Autumn died last year after giving birth to their daughter four months prematurely, who was born sleeping. Autumn took her own life just three days later. Enzo was left to bury both of them. He’s been quite reclusive ever since. I’ve tried to be there for him as a friend, but he snaps at me a lot just lately. Everything I do is wrong in his eyes. I think, deep down, he’s still grieving and I irritate him no end. Typical.
I take a deep breath as I reach his room.
Be professional, Paige. That’s all you have to do. Forget that you have loved this man since you were ten years old. He’s your patient, nothing more.
Available Books By Lucy Rinaldi.
The Safe Series.
Always: Blair & Lilah
Silent: Thane & Libby
Quiet: Thane & Libby
Louder: Thane & Libby
Devoted: Aston & Felicity
Addiction: Blaine & Nickole
Fixed: Bradford & Gabriella
Honor: Preston & Blue
The Kids From The Safe Series Will Be Appearing In Their Own Stories As Grown Ups Very Soon ;)
Rift: Ana & Tanner.
Truth: Ed & Casey
Trust: Evan & Krystal
Hardcore: Andrew & Melissa
Sacrifice: Grace & Trent
Tracked: Harmony & Brock
Fact: Lincoln & Tammy
The Skeleton Series, Parts 1, 2, 3 & 4 Alivia & Frankie
Yours: Lauren & Giovanni
Forbidden: Hope & Xavier
Roman Angel: Giannah & Harley
Forever: Emma & Brayden
The Archer Series
Believe: Benton & Sara
Hero: Brandon & Jenna
Lost: Nate & Raine.
Caught: Chance & Paris
Coming Soon In The Series:
Hidden: Kirby & Nevaeh
The Twin Series:
Shattered: Jason & Maisie
Revenge: Blaise & Maddie
Fortunate: Warner & Victoria
Coming Soon
Diamond Snakes MC
Shepard: Prez
Stryker
Tank.
Hammer.
Jet: VP
Hawk.
Draven.
Wrench.
Roman.
Trace.
VJ.
Oak Springs Series:
Dancer A: Chase & Emilee
Scarred: Hudson & Callie
Caution: Enzo & Paige
Traced: Bryton & Roya
Torn: Kory & Aimee
Standalone’s
Beyond The Fire: Bryan & Lyric
Haunted: Drew & Natasha
Fallen: Hunter & Evie
The Prince In The Attic
Bound By The Alpha
About The Author.
Lucy Rinaldi was born in Birmingham, England, in the 1980’s. She has lived all over the world in places including New York, California, Italy and France. Lucy began writing fiction in her early teens after meeting a soldier in a London coffee shop, where he shared his army adventures with her. Lucy was so intrigued by him and what he was telling her that she began to write down his adventures. Lucy wrote them as memoirs and to this day they have pride of place on her bookshelf.
Lucy often finds inspiration to write from those around her. Lucy finds people and their lives fascinating. Lucy is also an avid reader of Adult Romance. She hasn’t read one male lead that she hasn’t liked this far. Lucy has one or two favourite authors at the moment, authors who write stories where she can lose herself within them. Lucy fully believes that books are our escape from the world around us. Books are a place where we can lose ourselves in someone else’s imagination, a place where it’s not wrong to believe you’re the one finding the happy ever after with the one person who understands you better than anyone else.
