Page 34 of Far from Destined
“I wasn’t planning to keep it a secret, especially since the interrogation wouldn’t be worth it.” Her eyes widened, and she shook her head before I could speak. “Not that you’re not worth it. I don’t know. I need coffee. And I can’t think. You should go so I can think.”
“I can do that. But we’re going to talk.”
“Okay. I guess so. I’m so confused.”
“Go get ready. Myra will help out for the day. And I’m always here if you need me.”
“I know you are, Macon. And I think that might be the problem.”
And on that note, I walked away, knowing if I stayed, we’d say something we’d likely regret because we weren’t ready. I knew she needed some space. And hell, so did I.
Being with Dakota would be like setting up for a ready-made family. I didn’t know if I was prepared for that. I liked Dakota, had been falling for her for a while. If I took the next step, it wouldn’t just be her and me in the relationship. Joshua would be part of it, but also our friends and family. It wasn’t as easy as a single date or our need and desire.
It was so much more.
And that was why we needed a minute.
And yet, all I could think about was how good she felt in my arms. She tasted like sweet sin, and I wanted more.
It probably wasn’t smart for me to dwell on that.
But I didn’t care.
I madeit home and showered quickly and was only ten minutes late for work. My admin gave me a look but didn’t say anything. I was never late, was usuallyearly, so I was grateful that they didn’t hound me because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say.
“Oh, you’re here,” Jeremy said when I got back to our office area.
“I am. Sorry. Long night.”
He studied my face for a moment before looking down at my hands. “You didn’t fight last night?” he said.
“No, I was out with Dakota.”
“Finally.” Jeremy grinned. “I won’t ask for details because we have to work, but…finally.”
“It’s not like that,” I began, but then knew that might be a lie. It might bepreciselythat. “We’re just...I don’t know, figuring things out. Though it’s not exactly what you think.”
“Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. “We have a few changes to the schedule this morning, but we should be able to handle it.”
I frowned as I looked down at everything. “What changes?”
“A couple of cancellations and then a few semi-emergencies.”
“What emergencies?” I asked, going through the tablet and our schedule.
“It’s insect season, and it looks like one of the new puppies is having a poor reaction to some ants. The parents were apologetic and nearly crying over the phone because of a rash, so I know it’s not neglectful parenting, it’s just the way things are.”
I nodded, going through my notes for the day. “Okay, I can handle that. You have a procedure soon, right? The Clemson neuter?”
“That’s pretty much my entire day. You get to handle the office visits. I’ll handle the part where I feel bad for those dogs.”
“You just have a sympathetic reaction,” I said, snorting. “But as Bob Barker always said, it controls a population when you take care of this.”
Jeremy winced. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I still feel bad about it.”
“You just feel weird because your wife threatens you with being neutered every time you guys have a little fight.”
“Well, if you’re going to get personal about it,” Jeremy said with a laugh, shaking his head. “By the way, I hope it works out between you and Dakota. I liked her from the moment I saw her, albeit at a distance.”