But something else too.
Disappointment?
Sadness?
Jamie runs a hand through his hair.
“I know. It was… complicated.”
“Complicated?”
“I’ll explain. I promise. But right now…”
He stops only a few feet away from me.
I hold my breath.
“I missed you. A lot.”
The silence after those words crashes through my skull.
I can’t see Mary’s face.
And I don’t want to know what she says back.
I walk away quietly like a coward, Ragnar following close behind me.
I wander aimlessly through the crowd while my brain replays his words over and over.
I missed you.
What the hell does that mean?
And more importantly?—
What did Mary answer?
Did she miss him too?
I have no right to be jealous.
Our relationship is fake. Just an arrangement. A lie to satisfy Maggie and help me integrate into village life.
Nothing more.
So why do I suddenly want to march back there and?—
No.
I clench my fists and inhale deeply.
I’m a doctor.
I know how to stay rational and professional.
I do not fight over women like some pathetic romance novel hero.
Even if this woman makes my heart race faster than it should.