I smiled and headed out. Maybe things would finally be okay, but I wasn’t waiting for Ellie.
Now, I was getting my girl back.
36
Jack
“That should be everything,”I told my uncle as I slammed my suitcase shut.
Uncle Evan’s brows pinched as he lifted it off my bed. Or my old bed, I supposed.
“I thought you’d be happier than this, Jack. After all this time, I thought for sure you’d be ready to go home.”
I sat on the edge of the mattress, resting my elbows on my knees. Today was the day. I was leaving rehab and going home to try to get my old life back. Everything was headed in the right direction, so why did I feel so damn lost?
“I am, I guess … I don’t know. Here, I didn’t have to worry about what to do with the rest of my life if I can’t be a firefighter anymore. Now, I have to—” Here I could pretend, delay the inevitable. When I arrived back home, that was a different story. I had a long road ahead of me but no clue as to where it would lead.
“Stop,” he interrupted, dropping a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t lose the faith until someone tells you to.” He slapped my arm. “Is that all that’s bothering you? Your mom will kill me if I deliver a sad lump.”
We shared a laugh. “Yes, well, maybe.” I shrugged and grabbed my jacket off the hanger.
“You’re full of answers today.”
All I had for him was a shrug and a nod before we headed for the door where Danielle leaned against the jamb with a sheepish smile tugging on her lips. My surprised gaze slid to hers.
She looked between Uncle Evan and me. “I was hoping to catch you.”
“Uncle Ev, this is …” I trailed off, at a loss as to what she was to me. My stomach sank at the realization that she was no one. Not my therapist with benefits, not my candy date, not my friend, no one. I hated it, but what could I do? I wanted to ask her about her divorce and why she was so dead set on rejecting us, as PJ suggested, but Danielle didn’t let anyone in. When she gave me my last examination yesterday and said, “good luck,” I’d thought she meant goodbye, too. Seeing her at my door, both surprised and confused the shit out of me.
“Danielle,” she finished for me and extended her hand. Uncle Evan looked back and forth between us before he took it.
Had I imagined something between us? Was I so lonely that I latched on to my physical therapist for companionship? The question had rolled around in my head for the past few days, but the answer was no way. What I felt for Danielle was real, no matter how many times she’d tried to blow it off. Regardless, I wouldn’t press anymore or, as much as I wanted to, read into why she was here.
“I’ll meet you at the car, Jack.” Uncle Evan raised a brow before lifting my bag and heading out the door.
Danielle wrapped her arms around her torso as she took a tentative step toward me. “I didn’t want you to leave like this.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets as I searched her gaze for … I wasn’t sure. Admitting she didn’t want me to leave like this was a big step in and of itself, but why was she here?
“You gave me a final checkup and said goodbye. What else is there?”
A lot more.
“I owe you more than that.” She sat down next to me.
Her eyes darted from mine before she sucked in a long breath.
“My husband had another family,” she blurted out, cringing after the words tumbled from her lips.
My jaw dropped as I leaned closer. “Anotherfamily?”
“Family. You know … another woman, daughter, son on the way.” She barked out a sad laugh. “When I met Cliff, I was young, only a freshman in college. He was this charming older man who always traveled for business and would take me on these amazing trips. I may have gotten rid of the braids and the glasses, but I was still … in the background. Yes, I had friends, but no one really noticed me the way Cliff did. Or, the way Ithoughthe did. We married right after I graduated, and I never questioned why he was home one week and gone for two.” She scoffed and shook her head. “There was someone else from almost day one.”
“Day one?” I asked, hoping she’d continue.
“Yes. They were on and off while we were dating, but he pushed me to get married because he was on the rebound. She was the …” Danielle shook her head before letting out a humorless laugh. “Later on, he told me she was the one who’d gotten away. But apparently, right after we got married, she came back. This went on for years; they had a ‘tumultuous relationship’ as Cliff called it. And then she got pregnant.”
“Pregnant? Are you serious?”
