Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
But right now, he had only his work to keep his mind busy. Work stopped him from worrying about Ehren with every beat of his fractured heart.
The last patient of the week had been seen, and his front desk staff had already finished closing down. He was the one person in the building. He was updating a patient file with some notes and then he had nothing more to do than to drive home. Dinner was likely to be PB&J and beer. Maybe stream something and try not to think or feel for a few hours.
As he saved the file, his cell phone started vibrating with a call. He sighed, mentally cringing. If it was a friend, he needed to think of yet another excuse to explain why he wasn’t up for beers somewhere. He hadn’t tried to explain to anyone how the perfect guy had come in and out of his life in the blink of an eye.
There was no point in letting it go to voice mail. If it was Chris, he would keep calling. The bastard knew exactly when he finished work on Fridays, and he hated voice mail.
Grabbing the phone, Stephen flipped it over to look at the screen and his heart stopped for a second before racing off to the stars. Ehren’s name had popped up.
Holy shit! Ehren was calling.
He nearly fumbled the phone in his haste to answer the call. “H-hello,” he stammered, trying to get his voice even and calm again.
“Hey,” Ehren said in a low voice, and then nothing for too long.
“Ehren, are you okay? Has there been another break-in? Are you still being followed?” he spit out in a panic.
There was a huff, maybe a breathless laugh. “I’m fine, Stephen. I’m fine.” His voice sounded a tiny bit warmer than that initial “hey,” but it might have also been Stephen’s wishful thinking.
“Sorry. I’ve been worried,” Stephen replied softly, slumping in his seat. He scrubbed a hand across his face, rubbing at tired, burning eyes. “Look, Ehren, I’m so fucking sorry. You were right about everything. I’m an arrogant, controlling bastard, and I should have talked to you first about contacting some friends. I had no right to invade your privacy, no matter what my intentions were. I was wrong.”
“Thank you. Your apology means a lot to me. But I wasn’t right about everything. I overreacted, and I said some really horrible things.”
“You didn’t overreact. You are justified in your emotions.”
“Stephen,” Ehren stated in a bland, even voice. “Are you in your office?”
“Yes.”
“Are you in doctor mode again?”
Stephen sighed. “Maybe. I don’t want you belittling your emotions or your right to feeling what you feel.”
“Does Stephen the human being feel like I overreacted?”
Stephen bit his bottom lip for a second, then answered honestly. “Yes, some. But my own emotions were overriding my common sense. I was upset that I’d hurt you. Upset that I’d made poor choices and made excuses for those choices.”
“Stephen, I’m sorry. I overreacted. You shouldn’t have invaded my privacy without asking me first, but I appreciate that you cared enough to try to keep me safe.”
A new sprig of hope started to grow in his chest. Ehren wasn’t just talking to him, he’d accepted his apology. He’d apologized for what he said.
“Thank you,” Stephen whispered roughly.
“I was wondering if you had plans for dinner tonight.”
Stephen sat up so fast, he banged his knee on his desk. He winced, but still managed to get out, “Really?”
“Yeah. Do you want to meet at Tuscano?”
“Where we first met,” he murmured, his heart doing a happy somersault.
“Yeah, I thought we’d have a do-over.”
“I’d like that. When do you want to meet?”
“Whenever.”
“I can be there in twenty minutes.”
Ehren laughed, and Stephen grinned like a freaking idiot. He’d missed that sound so much. “See you in twenty.”
Stephen got there in fifteen minutes. He was not going to screw this up. He wanted to make sure Ehren didn’t have one second to wonder whether Stephen was going to show up. Inside the restaurant, he did a quick check to make sure that Ehren hadn’t arrived yet and then left his name with the hostess.
He stepped outside, wanting to see Ehren when he walked over from his place. He needed Ehren to know he was there for him.
Right on time, Ehren appeared around the corner, walking toward the restaurant. He looked a bit rumpled in spirit. His cheeks were paler than normal, and the circles under his eyes were more pronounced as if he hadn’t been sleeping. His steps slowed when his eyes fell on Stephen as if he were unsure at seeing him outside the building.
“Debating whether to go in?” Ehren inquired as he drew close.
“No, I already gave my name to the hostess. A table should be open in a few minutes. I wanted to wait out here so I could see you approach. So I could apologize again for being such an ass. I promise, if you give me a second chance, I will discuss things with you first.”