She shakes her head. “No, I’ve definitely met you before. I don’t know where, but I remember.”
How could she possibly remember me?
But deep down, I already know. Before she even says her name, Iknowit’s Willow sitting on my exam table. And I know the gray cat she’s so lovingly petting is the same one thatWilder and I rescued five years ago.
Even with that certainty, it still doesn’t prepare me for the moment the door to the exam room swings open, and her father, Wilder Cameron, steps into the room. His attention is on his phone, his fingers scrolling across the screen, so he doesn’t notice me, mouth agape staring in shock, right away.
“Dad, look!” Willow chirps, holding up the stethoscope as if she’s just cracked a medical mystery. “I’m using Dr. Keating’s stethoscope on Teagan.”
At the sound of her words, his head snaps up. His piercing green eyes lock onto mine, and just like that, I’m twenty-two-years-old again, falling for a complete stranger who has a tender heart for a batch of abandoned kittens and rocks my world with just his tongue and the stillness of the few words that he says.
Five years may have passed, but time hasn’t dulled the sharp angles of his face or the way his presence fills the tiny examination room. His light-washed jeans hang low on his hips, tattered and well-loved, his dark hair tousled and overdue for a trim. The sun’s kissed his skin in that golden way that only comes from working long days outdoors.
An ache blooms in my chest, and before I can stop myself, my eyes dart to his ring finger. I’m terrified of what I might find there, but I look anyway to check to see if he’s moved on the way that I always wished that he wouldn’t.
Chapter 20 – Teagan
Wilder clears his throat and steps toward me, extending his hand for a shake. “Wilder Cameron. It’s nice to meet you, Doctor Keating,” he says with a smile that indicates he remembers me too.
I shake his hand, feeling dazed as I take in the familiar man before me. Five years have aged him in all the right ways. He'd been strong before, but his muscles now look even more defined, and somehow, he seems to have had a late twenties growth spurt. Gone is the cowboy hat that he wore the whole weekend that we spent together. Now, he’s wearing a backward baseball cap that reveals his dark, tousled hair, the same length as it had been before beneath the edges. It reminds me of how it felt to run my fingers through it and tug while he was deep inside of me. He’d whispered words of praise as he brought me to orgasm, telling me all the ways that I was driving him wild.
Anddamn, you never forget how good it feels to be loved properly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Cameron,” I respond, my voice sounding foreign even to my ears. I suddenly remember that his daughter is in the room with us, the one who cracked our shortfling wide open and revealed unhealed parts in us, along with a turtle and a large grey cat that he apparently named after me.
“Um, yes, so about your turtle, Queen. The good news is that she looks healthy. Female turtles often have hormonal changes associated with mating season. Even without the presence of eggs, they may experience increased levels of aggression, restlessness, or territorial behavior as they respond to mating-related cues and interactions with male turtles. That’s what you’re experiencing with Queen.”
Basically, Queen is in heat.Which is a lot like how I feel right now.
Warmth spreads throughout my body and between my legs as I discreetly clench my thighs together in my scrubs and try my best not to look at the man who won't take his eyes off me. I feel flushed and nervous as my body reacts to his presence being here, so close after so much time apart. Clearly, it hasn’t forgotten the way that he held me.
“So, has Queen been around any male turtles lately?” I continue asking.
“No. This is the only pet turtle we have,” Wilder answers firmly at the same time that Willow lets out an audible gasp.
I turn to see her eyes filled with nervousness. "Um, I sometimes take her outside to play with the turtle that hangs out by the pool," she says timidly.
Wilder sighs loudly. “So, she’s pregnant?”
I laugh. “Not necessarily. Even without fertilized eggs, she may be responding because she's been around a male. I didn’t see any eggs during my examination, but you should check her regularly at home—just beverygentle with her stomach. It can be quite sensitive and if she does become pregnant, you’ll want to monitor her carefully, or you can bring her back here for us to confirm.”
“Okay,” Willow responds, and I smile, still avoiding eye contact with Wilder.
“Now, I noticed you didn’t write anything down on the intake form for your cat namedTeagan,” I emphasize her name for Wilder’s sake. “Do you want me to examine her today as well?”
Willow grins. “Nope. She’s perfect. There’s nothing wrong with her unless you consider the fact that she tries to climb up my dad’s body and perch on his shoulder like a parrot. She’s too big and falls but dad calls her his little pirate sidekick.”
I laugh, remembering how the kittens had perched on Wilder’s shoulders the night that we rescued them years ago. “Okay, well, you’re welcome to take Queen home now. Please call if you have any more concerns.”
“Thanks, Doctor Keating!” Willow chirps as she scoops Queen in her carrier off the examination table and heads for the door.
“Hey Willow, will you hang out in the waiting area for a few minutes, please? I need to talk with Dr. Keating,” Wilder asks.
“Okay,” she calls as she leaves the room and gently closes the door behind her.
I busy myself tidying the exam room, pretending the broom in my hand has my full attention while ignoring the way Wilder’s presence seems to fill the space. He’s leaning casually against the doorframe, silent but commanding, his eyes fixed on me. It feels like a standoff, both of us unwilling to break the tension hanging thick in the air.
But my resolve cracks first, as it always has. I’ve never been as good as he has with being silent. “You named the cat Teagan? Really, Wilder?” I hiss.
