Enemies to Lovers: Her City Doctor: A Sweet Medical Romance Novel by Lucy McConnell & Hannah Peterson PA-C

Author:Lucy McConnell & Hannah Peterson PA-C [McConnell, Lucy & Peterson PA-C, Hannah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orchard View Publishing LLC
Published: 2022-01-14T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Emma

After I left the clinic, I drove around the city for a few minutes, looking for Alex’s car, but it was pointless to try to find him among the 2.7 million people living in Chicago.

Instead, I headed home, where I could pace off my nervous energy. I wanted to call Alex to see if he was okay, but also to reassure him that Dr. Rasmussen’s view of him wasn’t my view of him. On the contrary, I saw a man who cared about the people he treated. He might have walls up, but they were protective walls. At some point, he’d been hurt and hurt bad.

The reason I knew all this was because I had those same walls. And it was those barriers that kept me from dialing him right away. I hadn’t opened myself up to anyone since my divorce, and some part of my brain sent out warning signals that doing so would be dangerous. I’d been the type to fall hard and fast and give love my all. I hated that Eric took that away from me, that he made it difficult for me to trust someone with my heart.

But I also couldn’t deny what I felt for Alex. It wasn’t a fleeting crush or a fast-lane romance. We had something together that was deeper, honest. And he wasn’t Eric. That was crystal clear in so many ways. Alex brightened when I walked into a room. It was the most wonderful thing to watch him, before he knew I was there, and see the moment he noticed me. He’d turn my direction and his eyes would warm to this swirling wonderful blue-and-gray storm of attraction and interest.

I couldn’t remember if Eric ever did that. Nor could I understand why I’d settled for a man who put me on the same level as a television show he could play at his leisure.

I took a deep breath and pressed the keys to make the call, my hands shaking. It was highly possible that Alex blamed me for what had happened today. If I hadn’t pushed him to volunteer and get outside of his comfort zone, he wouldn’t have been exposed to Dr. Rasmussen’s ten-year-old behavior. The whole experience was surreal. The man was a doctor, for heaven’s sake—he should know better. But like Eric, he must not have grown up.

The phone rang twice before Alex picked up, each ring reverberating through me and causing me to shake. I was so scared he’d lash out at me, blame me. He’d be right too: this was my fault. I should have kept my mouth shut or offered another trip to the museum for just the two of us. Why had I thought the clinic was a good idea?

“Hello?” There was a frog in his voice. The way it caught told me he’d been crying. He was trying to hide it and be a tough guy, but I didn’t mind the emotion. In fact, I preferred it. If he’d closed off, then I would have felt lonely and isolated from him.

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