"You okay?" his eyes were kind, and when I looked up at him, I couldn't help but sob. He pulled me close to his chest, and it felt nice. I'd never been held like this by a boy. Ever.
“It’s Sarah, my mom. She’s been introducing me as her niece all night.” I sniffed.
“That makes her a bit crazy, doesn’t it?”
I looked up at him and smiled weakly.
"I miss my Dad. If he were still here, none of this would be happening."
“Let’s sit out here for a while,” he offered, my hand still in his. We sat in silence with our feet hanging off the dock, just watching the moon's reflection on the water.
He turned to me and looked into my eyes. “If she’s telling people that, she’s a fool, Tara, and she doesn’t deserve to be your mother.”
He handed me a pebble. “Throw it out there.”
I did as he said and watched the ripples from across the surface of the water.
"That's you. A little pebble, and one day, you're going to make an impact like that."
We listened to the crickets and frogs until Devlin came to get us, then the three of us walked arm in arm back inside. We got cake and sneaked some dessert wine into Devlin's room. After one sip I laughed for the first time in six months. The boys laughed with me, and somehow I knew that I'd made friends in Devlin and Jude. Friends I wanted to hold on to forever.
Chapter 5
Jude
Present Day
Life was full of surprises, and one of them just walked through the doors of my treatment center. Tara Hale, or Craig, as she corrected. It had certainly been a while. She was nothing like the spirited girl or woman I’d known. But she was still just as beautiful. However, there was a coldness to her and a sadness that seemed to consume her. I could not help but wonder... What if?
In all the time she was receiving therapy, she didn't so much as offer a smile. Not once, not even when she realized who I was. I never expected to see her here, not in this lifetime. And, I did not expect her to be thrilled to see me, not after the way we'd left things all those years ago. But it was as if the life was draining from her.
I was her therapist, and I was going to do all I could to ensure she was mobile again. I knew that when the body broke, parts of the soul broke too. But the body could be healed and hers was already recovering from what I'd read. It was just a matter of showing her that and making her believe it.
I'd spoken to her previous therapist as was the procedure, and she advised me to be patient and understand that with Tara Craig, the less one said, the better.
Unfortunately, that was impossible for me. Part of the reason I was so successful at my job was that I took the time to build relationships with my patients. They had to see me as their ally in their journey to healing. It was easier to trust someone that way.
.
I enjoyed my work. I took it seriously. There was nothing more important than helping other people be the best versions of themselves and being the one that aided them through their recovery process after an injury.
This was my calling in life, and lately, it had been my saving grace. At work, I didn't have to think about the reason I left my thriving career and moved back to the United States. I'd been in line for appointment as Head of Physiotherapy in the facility I’d worked at in Leeds, north of London. I'd worked my ass off for years for just that, and when the position finally opened up, I was ready for it. Unfortunately, life happened while I was making other plans.
Still, I was fortunate to land this temporary job, with the prospect of a permanent position after my probation period. I reached for a cup of decaf coffee and stood at the window overlooking the lake. Lakeside Wellness Center was the best of the best, and I knew it.
I missed my family, but they understood that my life was mine to make. There were times when I looked back and thought that I might have been a coward. I was not the kind of man that ran away from his troubles, but it was so much more than that. I had to get away from Leeds, from all the reminders of the woman who broke my heart.
I was not ashamed to admit that she’d hurt me. Fucking ripped my heart to shreds. Some men are too proud to acknowledge the impact a woman can have on their lives, but I am not one of them. I changed who I was for her, and she threw that all in my face in the end. Four years ago, I dated casually, but it was nothing to talk about until her. When I met Aurelia, in the pub where she sang, it was as if my world had aligned, and she was the only thing I could see. I didn't want to be that person who had a reputation with the ladies anymore. I'd been there, done that. I wanted more, and she was more. I took the taunts about being pussy whipped from my friends. I'd even lost some of them along the way, all for her. Because she was worth it.
But now was not the time for regrets. It was time to move on.
I walkedinto the apartment I shared with my roommate, Kevin, and instantly regretted it because on our plaid leather couch, was Kevin with some random woman riding his dick.
"The fuck, Kev, you have a room," I shouted, but that didn't deter the mewling filling the air.
“Couldn’t get that far, mate,” he said, out of breath. “Would you mind, unless you’re keen to join in?” He waved his hand, motioning for me to fuck off and give them some privacy.
I walked to my room, slamming the door shut. I needed to make another arrangement. This was so messed up. The last thing anyone needed to come home to was that. I knew this was a temporary arrangement until I found something suitable, but I guess finding an apartment would be at the top of my list now.
