Page 43 of Hogging the Hunk

“What about Greg?”

“Things are still complicated between us.”

For the first time, I witnessed any real frustration in Milo. Turning his face away from me, I could see the muscles of his jaw tick as he clamped his teeth together. “Why are you hanging onto that guy?”

A flash of irritation made me kick off my blankets. “That guy and I have a long, happy history. We’ve been through a lot together, and just because we’re taking a breather, figuring things out, doesn’t mean he’s disposable.”

“He told you he wanted to take a break, right? That’s as good as calling it quits.”

“It’s a momentary regroup.”

“Beckett, where is the man?”

I detached my eyes from his steady gaze, keeping my chin up, but lowering my lashes. He knew perfectly well Greg was far away—I’d told him so. Chewing my lip, I considered Milo’s point. However, my pride wouldn’t allow me to give in so easily. “I know he’s gone. It’s not like he’s gallivanting around the world, sowing his wild oats. He’s helping people. Children.”

“Which is a noble thing to do. Not everyone who does noble things is noble, though.”

I wanted to throw a pillow at Milo’s head. That would have been childish of me. Instead, I clutched it to my face and screamed. So much more grown up. “What do you have against him?”

“I have my reasons.”

Springing to the edge of the couch, I sat ramrod straight. “So name them. Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Milo had painted himself into a corner, and he knew it. I had to give him points for not backing down when I challenged him. “I realize I don’t know him as well as you do, but I have a gut feeling about him.”

“A gut feeling?”

“He doesn’t sit well with me. More specifically, the way he treats you.”

My temper flared, and I was off the couch, rocketed to my feet by the frustration of listening to him dissect Greg. Yes, I had fed Milo information when I blathered on about Greg the day I was upset. I’d painted Greg negatively, and that was my doing. What rankled me is that Milo’s displeasure felt as much aimed at me and my life decisions as it was Greg. I was the one who wasn’t brave enough to let go and start all over.

“What’s so wrong with how he’s treated me? Is it his sacrificing time to study with me through school? Finding time to drop off a sandwich while we were both working impossibly long shifts in our residencies? Maybe, you don’t like how he bought me pajamas that implied he knew how sexy I was as I rolled out of bed.”

“And maybe you can’t see how he twists those things to his benefit.”

I threw my hands in the air. “How would you know anything about his motives? Yes, he does dumb stuff sometimes, like getting his face put on a billboard to watch over me, as if that’s as good as him being here with me. That doesn’t make him a jerk.”

Realizing too late how hypocritical my conclusion was, I stubbornly stuck with my position. I was nearly toe to toe with Milo. I wanted him to see the anger in my eyes. How it hurt to have him imply I was too blinded about Greg to know what was and wasn’t good for me.

Milo’s voice was soft when I finished ranting. The sort of soothing tones used at work to calm worried owners and scared animals. Despite my resistance, it worked so well on me I simmered down enough to fold my arms defensively, huff, and listen to what he had to say.

“My suspicions about Greg stem from personal experience.”

“Why? Was Ellie’s mother like him?”

“No.” Milo swallowed, and before me stood a wounded man, willingly exposing the flaws of his past, something I realized I knew very little about. “I was.”

Chapter Thirteen

Beckett

Physically a strong man, Milo was as meek as a child. Empathy broke my heart, and I regretted the harsh words I had said. “You couldn’t have been that bad.”

“I was. The kind of guy a girl wouldn’t—and shouldn’t—have taken home to her parents. Lexi never did. At least, not until I’d already started to turn my life around.”

The niggle of curiosity was no longer so persistent, knowing it brought Milo pain to dredge up memories of who he used to be. “I have a hard time imagining you as anything other than the saintly veterinarian that’s been serving the community since day one in Button Blossom. You’re out there rescuing satanic barn cats and adopting piglet runts. Not every person will go that above and beyond.”

“I’ve done my best to make amends for all the ways I made the world a worse place by the life I’m trying to live now. When Lexi and I were together, we were both probably at our lowest points. Drinking, partying, wasting away our lives because we couldn’t see the point in doing anything differently. We broke up and not long after, she came back. I was the same lowlife, but there was something different about her.”