My feet slap the pavement, and my strides lengthen as I head off Main Street down a side road leading me to Tilly’s Place. It’s been one hell of a week, and I’m glad I’ve finally taken my brother’s advice to get out of Austin.
I’ve spent the better part of two years completing my final residency. As the tension drains from my body, I regrettably admit—Derek is right. I need to get away and relax for a night or two. Before I know it, I’ll be packing up to return to Washington, and I’ll have never seen anything about Austin but the walls of the hospital.
I wouldn’t say Deacon, Texas, is a destination I ever imagined for myself. But it’s close enough I can enjoy a weekend away, while still covering for my mentor if his wife goes into labor early this week. When one of the nurses told me about this place, I had no idea I’d be stepping into a freaking Hallmark movie. I swear everyone knows everyone in this town, and they are dying to know what a young fella like myself is doing here on a vacation from the big city. Or at least that’s what the two ladies older than my grandma asked before I left the local café just now.
If my sister, Dani, saw this place, she would probably make me stop to record everything, just so she could use this little town for a setting in one of her books. She’s a best-selling romance author and if I had a dollar for each time she got lost in her head with some plot or another, I’d be able to retire and live a life of luxury. But I digress. This little town is not my typical destination location, but it has gotten me out of Austin—and that’s the point. I need this break.
I’ve finally hit my stride when my music unexpectedly cuts off, and my phone rings. Seeing my brother Derek’s name flash across my screen, I take the call and continue my run. He knows time is limited, and he’ll just have to work out with me if he wants to talk.
“What’s up, D?” I ask between pants.
“Please tell me you’re running and not in bed with someone right now.” He may sound like he’s trying to protest, but I can tell from the tone of his voice, he’s grinning from ear to ear with that smart-ass remark—I mean, what are older brothers for?
Shaking my head, I chuckle into the phone. “Dude… I’d never pick up if that were the case. I may like to multi-task, but even I have limits. How’s that beautiful wife of yours? She ready to drop you like a hot potato and admit I’m the better catch?” He knows I’m full of shit, but it’s something I stupidly said when I first met Tessa, and now it’s kinda expected. Don’t get me wrong, his wife is perfect—for him. I’d never see her any other way—than as my sister.
From his huff through the phone, I can just picture him rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Before he can come up with an unneeded response, I quickly add, “Don’t worry, D, I’m not sure I could keep up with her midnight cravings. How are you holding out?”
“Oh, I’d say those cravings won’t be more than a distant memory as she went into labor early this morning.”
This stops me dead in my tracks. “Come again?”
She isn’t due for another three weeks. Bracing my hands on my knees, I take in air. If something’s wrong, I need to give him my full attention.
“Well, it seems your niece, Melody, is a lot like her momma and is ready to take the world by the horns. We weren’t even at the hospital two hours, and she arrived.”
Three weeks early is considered full term, but I still have to ask—my years of training clicking in. Though if something were wrong—I’m sure he would’ve led with that. “How are she and Tessa doing?”
“Both are doing well now that Tessa’s figured out her back pain was actually contractions. We would’ve probably delivered at home if I hadn’t insisted on her being seen by her doctor. Thank God we arrived early enough for her to get an epidural, or I may never be able to draw again in my life.”
During my rotation through the ER, I saw firsthand the strength of a woman in labor, and I cringe at the memory. I’ve always known women have amazing strength, but that rotation put my theory to the test. As a graphic designer, Derek needs his hands, so I tease, “Please tell me you at least gave her your non-dominant hand?”
Seeing as everything is all right, I walk back to the bed and breakfast I’m staying at for the next few days. No sense in standing here on the street like a crazed person on the phone. It’s a small town; it’s only a matter of time before someone stops to check on me.
He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Davy… had to switch them out, or I’d never get the feeling back. I’ve never been more thankful for her saying yes to drugs in my life, than when she agreed to that epidural. She was like a changed woman—in a matter of minutes. I’m tellin’ ya, brother—I’ve never felt so friggin’ helpless in my life. Watching her experience pain and not be able to do anything for her was the worst feeling in the world.”
“I get it, man. When I was on my ER rotation, I helped deliver a baby in the freaking waiting room, and I swear, that woman could bend steel with her grip when her contractions hit. I’m just glad Tess is okay. Have you told the rents yet?”
Derek lets out a loud chuckle. “It was Mom who helped me convince Tess to see the doctor in the first place. I swear… Dad must’ve driven like a bat out of hell with the pedal to the metal the entire way. They were in the waiting room by the time I texted them to say Melody had been born.”
Chuckling into the phone, “You know nothing will come between Mom and her grandchildren.” I can only imagine what that car ride was like.
“You’d think we were having her first by the way she’s been fawning all over Melody—not that I’m complaining. But Dame’s twins are almost four, and Jules is ten—not to mention, Dani’s been a mom for more than five years—it’s not like she’s a first-time grandma.”
“But Melody is your first, D. Let Mom have her moment. I’m sure Dad is riding that high right along with her. I swear both of them have gone backward in age since Jules came into their lives.”
Derek practically snorts his response, “No kidding. Look, man… Just think—by the time you get around to giving them grandkids, maybe they’ll be in their twenties again.”
“Hey now,” I protest out of duty. But let’s face it—my life for the past eight years has been nothing but work, school, clinicals, residencies, and very little sleep. Rinse and repeat.
Before I can say anything further, Derek cuts me off. “Look, man, don’t take it personally. I love you—but we all know you’ve had your priorities in the right place. I was just saying Mom and Dad get more energy with each new grandkid. By the time you have some—they’ll act younger than you are now.” We both laugh at that theory. God knows what my parents will do if I ever settle down. Thank God my sister and two brothers have been the buffers for me in that department—providing all the grandkids to keep them out of my personal life. I’d never hear the end of it if I were an only child. I swear, my parents were born to be grandparents.
“Look, Davy, I gotta call Damien.”
This stops me in my tracks again. “I… got the call before Dame?” I exaggerate with a huge smile, then proclaim, “Wow… that must mean I’m her favorite uncle.”
“You’re gonna have to fight Dame and Luke over that title, Davy. I just wanted to prepare you for the cuteness when I spam you with pics. I know you won’t be able to see her until you return to Seattle next month but know we’re thinking of you.”
“I miss you, D. Give Tess a hug for me and that baby a kiss. Tell the rents I said hello.”
“Dani and Luke just arrived, so when you get home, you’re gonna have to up your game if you want that role of favorite uncle,” he teases. “Enjoy your getaway, and we’ll video chat once we’re home from the hospital.”
“Will do, D. Love you.”
“Love you more, Davy,” he says just as the line goes dead.
Damn. I’m an uncle—again. Seeing my brothers and sister become parents has been a welcomed change to our family dynamics. Sometimes I wonder what it’d be like to find a partner in life like they have, to settle down and have a family. But then again—I do enjoy being single—with my long hours at the hospital, that’s what fits my lifestyle the best.
To finish my run, I pick up my pace and continue up the road. After a few minutes at my full speed, I notice a woman running about two hundred yards ahead of me. As I close the gap behind her, I see her dart down my next turn to the right. Not wanting her to think I’m a creeper, I slow my pace and wait to see where her next turn is.
We keep pace for quite a while, and I’m surprised to see it’s not far off from my regular stride. Damn, even from here, I can tell she’s much shorter than I am, but she’s got some legs on her. Not only are they fast but sexy as hell, poking out of her running shorts. They’re long and tone from years of running. When she makes the final turn down the driveway to Tilly’s Place—the bed and breakfast that’s also my destination, I can’t help but chuckle.
Maybe I am a creeper. The way I’ve been admiring her backside for the last three quarters of a mile has me dying to know if the rest of her looks just as good as my view from the back. Eventually, she slows her pace to a walk, and I do the same. No sense in making this any more awkward.
I watch her raise her hands to rest on her head as she regulates her breathing, just as I hit the gravel behind her. Instantly, she turns with a startled expression, and I feel like a total jackass for not announcing my presence earlier. “I… Uh… didn’t mean to startle you,” I quickly explain. “I guess we’re both staying here.”
Shaking her head, she grins. “That’s what I get for getting in the zone. I’m used to paying attention in the city, but I let my guard slip.”
Fuck. Now I really feel like an asshat. “I tried to stay far enough back, so you wouldn’t feel creeped out—but what were the odds of us both ending up at Tilly’s?”
“It’s fine,” she quickly reassures me. Then she gasps, pointing to my shirt. “Wait… you’re a Rainier Renegades fan?”
From the shocked expression on her face, I hesitate for how to proceed and for the first time in forever, I swear my heart stalls. “Uh… yeah.”
When her face morphs into a grin from ear to ear, I instantly release the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. “So am I. You’ve gotta be a die-hard fan—sporting those colors in Texas.”
“Trust me—I know.” I grin as she has no clue how deep my loyalties lie. “Our loyalty to the Renegades runs in the family,” I add flippantly because hell, my family had been a fan of the Renegades long before Dani even knew my brother-in-law, Luke, existed. But damn—I’ll never forget the day he walked into our house.
“I take it you’re from Washington?” she says in a distinctly non-Southern drawl.
“Yep—I grew up outside of Leavenworth. You?”
Reaching for her foot to stretch her quad, she shrugs. “I’m currently living in Seattle.”
Interesting. I’m half-tempted to say I will be, too—but that’d probably make me sound like a soon-to-be stalker—so I skip to a safe topic. “I’ve always liked visiting Seattle.”
As I start my post-run stretching, we both sit in casual silence. When she leans into a calf stretch further, I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit my eyes linger on her much longer than they should. Damn. I was right about her. She’s even more striking from the front. Her long, brown hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail. Wisps of hair have fallen out in the front to shape her beautiful face. Without a stitch of makeup—her light-blue eyes and long, dark lashes captivate me. They’re a stark contrast to her golden-brown skin, and I suddenly find myself wanting to get lost in them for days.
When she glances my way and catches me staring, I quickly blurt out, “Are you in town long?”
Taking in a deep breath, she switches legs. “I’m…” She pauses, then straightens her shoulders as she looks me in the eye once again. “I’m staying here for the rest of the week.”
Seeing as it’s only Tuesday, I grin. “Well, I’m here for the next few nights, too. Are you here with your family?” I dart my eyes to her ring finger, and my body loosens when I find it ringless.
“I… I’m here to see family of sorts—but to answer the question you actually asked…” She blows a bit of hair from her face, then turns a smile my way. “I’m taking a much needed me-cation.”
A light laugh escapes at her sudden relief. “Well, everyone needs to unwind a bit. I guess that’s why I’m here, too,” I admit, then realize I have to know her name. “I’m Davis, by the way.”
I swear, her cheeks darken as she glances quickly away, then returns those sky-blue eyes on me at full force. “I’m Teagan. It’s nice to meet you. Are you visiting family?”
“No—they’re back in Washington. I’m flying solo on this trip—a me-cation—as you called it.”
A flock of birds takes flight from the trees that line the back of the property, momentarily drawing Teagan’s attention. As soon as they’ve flown off, I swear I hear a rumble from Teagan’s stomach. She closes her eyes momentarily, then turns to me and straightens her spine, looking far more confident and gorgeous than before. “I’m starving and need some breakfast. Care to join me?”
I had a bagel at the coffee shop earlier, but if she’s asking me to spend more time with her, I’ll gladly eat again. “Sure.”
She sighs heavily, then hops up from the ground. “Okay. I need to grab a shower. Want to meet back in the lobby in thirty minutes or so?”
And just like that—I’m picturing her in the shower.
Fuck, man—get it together. You just met this woman.
But who am I to pass up an opportunity to spend more time with her? Besides, I’m here to unwind; if it involves her—I could eagerly get on board with that.
“Sounds good,” I say as I follow her into Tilly’s.
Once inside, she points down the hall toward my room. “I’m over here…”
Rolling my eyes, I grin as I shake my head at just what a bitch fate can be. “Apparently, I’m destined to look like a stalker with you—because so am I.” I point at my room just two doors down. Seriously, I have more game than this.
Teagan’s lips purse as she tries to hold back a grin as she walks down the hall. When she gets to her door, she says, “Well, stalker, if it gets to be too creepy, I’ll be sure to change rooms.”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” I assure her.
She looks me in the eye, which causes my heart to stall unexpectedly.
What the hell is that about?
Taking in a deep breath, she slowly exhales. “I guess I’ll be the judge of that, won’t I? But for now…” Her stoic expression turns playful as she pulls her lower lip into her teeth. “I think we’re safe in public places…”
When her stomach grumbles again, she laughs as she opens her door. “See you in thirty.” Then she winks saucily at me as she scoots into her room and shuts the door.
She fucking winked.
I’m not sure how long I stare at her door before a noise at the end of the hall has me picking my jaw off the floor and hightailing it to my room. I have no idea what will happen at breakfast, but I know one thing for certain—Teagan will certainly keep me on my toes.
This me-cation may turn out to be exactly what I need.
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