I frown. “You okay? You look?—”
She holds up a finger. “I look like someone who needs to get rid of her dickhead brother so she can get back to having sex. Twenty seconds.”
I wince. “Right, sorry. Um, look, Lo. I just wanted to apologize for what I said last night. It was completely inappropriate, and …” I bite back the urge to add something in my defense, to tell her I only said it because I’m always worrying about her. But Daisy was right before; my reasons don’t matter right now.
“There’s no excuse for it, and I’ve never regretted anything more. I was wrong. I’m sorry for hurting you, and even though you deserve to stay angry with me forever after this, especially after all the other times I’ve been an ass, I hope you can forgive me one day.” I gulp as my voice gets thicker. “I love you, and I’m so glad you’re happy, you know, with Blake.”
She turns her lips to the side and looks away as her eyes start to water. “Okay.”
I nod and blow out a breath. “Thank you for hearing me out. I’ll get out of your way now, so you can finish your …” I gesture with an awkward wave.
This time a smile creeps across her face. “Sex? With Blake?” she volunteers, staring me down and looking for my reaction. “My husband and the father of my children, the man, the myth, the legend, also known as Blake ‘the Snake’ Bourgeois?”
I force my expression to remain neutral as she narrows her eyes at me, daring me to flinch. “Yeah, that guy,” I choke out.
“The same man who cried when he saw me in my wedding dress yesterday, who punched you in the face when we were kids because you hurt my feelings, and who’s currently in the kitchen fixingmea sandwich?” she poses, lifting an eyebrow.
“Yep. That’s the one,” I grind out. “Just … freaking …lovethat guy.”
“Good, so do I. Thanks for coming by and for volunteering to return the tuxes. Hope your hangover lasts three days,” she returns. Then she grins and flips me off as she steps toward the door.
I can’t help but smirk. “Love you, too, Lo-Lo.”
“Agnes, you wanna pickle on this sandwich or what?” Blake calls out loudly.
“Only if it’s slathered in peanut butter,” she returns, shutting the door in my face. Then I hear what sounds like muffled footsteps and a squeal from Loren, and I shiver in disgust.
Daisy looks like she’s about to explode by the time I return to the Jeep. “How did it go?” she asks before I can sit.
“Better than expected,” I say with a sigh. “I may be scarred for life, but it sounds like she’s willing to forgive me.”
“I’m proud of you, Landry,” she continues before she cringes. “Sorry, I forgot?—”
“No, thank you for helping me get it right this time. I appreciate your help,” I tell her, and she smiles shyly.
CHAPTER 25
landry
ROBIN,ETHAN P.
I check the name on the chart twice before opening it. Sure enough, it’s Tenley’s nephew. I’m already Jake’s pediatrician, but I’m surprised to see Ethan on my caseload. I sift through his records quickly to make sure he doesn’t have any preexisting conditions I should know about, then knock softly on the exam room door before letting myself in.
“Hey, there,” I say awkwardly when I find Tenley sitting in a chair with baby Jake in her arms while Ethan lies back on the exam table. He barely glances up from his phone to nod at me until Tenley reaches over and backhands his thigh. He groans and reluctantly sits up.
“Hi.” Tenley turns and shoots me an apologetic smile, and I wonder if they didn’t give me the wrong chart by mistake.
“What brings you guys in today?” I ask as I take a seat on a rolling stool. “Is something wrong with the little guy?”
“No, Jake’s fine. Well, he has been a little fussy since he spiked a random fever the other day, but I didn’t notice any other symptoms. We’re actually here because of Ethan’s ankle. It’s been giving him trouble for just over a year now.” The baby grunts and stirs in her arms, and she sighs when she adjusts him, sounding exhausted.
“And you want me to take a look,” I offer, still distracted by the baby’s increasingly loud protests.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbles, draping a blanket over her chest. “He’s so stinking greedy. Anyway, all we need is an orthopedic referral, if you don’t mind. Our health insurance requires it,” she continues as she works beneath the blanket. A second later, I can hear smacking and gulping.
I glance at Ethan, who seems bored and completely unbothered. “Uh, yeah, sure, I can do that. But I don’t think that’s necessary with the hospital’s insurance,” I tell them. I only know because I looked up the details of the policy for Daisy.
“Oh, he has the state employee health insurance,” she replies. I blink a few times, so she clarifies, “He’s on JD’s policy. We all are. He said it made more sense for his retirement.”
