Unbreak My Heart (Strawberry Inn Book #4)

Chapter 5

“You’ve done enough, Blair,” I smile at my friend. “I’ll go grab my jacket and we can walk down there.”

“Yay!” Katie jumped up and down and Esme started bucking herself in Blair’s arms as well. 

“Looks like you made the baby excited too, Katie,” I tickled the bottom of Esme’s foot and winked at Blair. “She’s a happy little thing, huh?”

Blair barked out a laugh, “Usually, but she’s still having bad gas pains after eating. I know you recommended the gas drops, but now she’s eating real food and it almost seems like it is even worse.”

I limp towards the coat closet and grab my coat while still chatting with Blair, “Have you asked her pediatrician? Maybe she has food allergies or sensitivities.”

“You’re a genius, Dalton. I’m going to make an appointment as soon as I can.”

“Not a genius,” I reminded her, “just a dad who did a lot of reading when he had a baby.”

That was probably an understatement. I was so lost after Brandi passed away that I lost myself in reading about raising babies. Brandi was the prepper in our relationship. We tried so long for a baby that she was fully prepared. We must have owned every book on the planet about baby care. I didn’t realize how important those books were going to be until I was on my own. I just wish I spent more time reading when she was pregnant. Not that anybody could have ever prepared me for what Katie and I went through. “You ready, Katie?”

“Born ready, Daddy!”

Blair and Esme walked with us as we headed to the apartment playground and they headed back to their car. Katie was running quite a bit ahead of me since I was still slow on my crutches, but as long as I could see her, we were okay. This apartment complex has been my home for close to a decade now. The plan was the rent here until we could save up enough money to buy a house. Unfortunately, that money ended up being used on other things. The positive of living here so long was that I knew the area was safe. There were very few apartments in which I didn’t know who lived there. It was also in a quieter part of town, just off Main Street. 

Once we hit the corner of the building, Katie took off in the direction of the playground, yelling her friend's name. She quickly climbed up the play structure and I got a bit of a lump in my throat. She didn’t have a lot of friends in kindergarten because she was really shy. Things have been better this year which is why I’m excited to learn that one of her classmates lives in the apartment complex. My eyes search for this parent Blair mentioned and I stop dead in my tracks when the woman turns around. It is none other than Elizabeth Norton, my physical therapist.

Every other time I’ve seen her she’s been wearing scrubs, but today she was in jeans that showed off every curve of her body, and boy did she have the perfect amount. I’d seen her plenty over the last two weeks as her patient, but this was the first time I really took in how attractive she was. I knew it was inappropriate, but my poor, neglected cock did not get the memo. 

Elizabeth was smiling, watching her daughter play, and then she glanced over in the direction Katie came from and her eyes landed on mine. She smiled and waved and I waved back in such a dumb way. I hated that I couldn’t just walk over to her, but if I did something wrong, she’d probably yell at me. She watched me as I limped over, it felt like a police officer following me through town and I was forced to follow every single traffic law.

“Doc,” I said when I finally made it to the bench she was settled on.

She laughed, but was quick to return my snark, “Mr. McCoy, fancy seeing you here.”

“This is a pleasant surprise,” I glance over my shoulder at the girls playing, “I take it that is your daughter?”

“Nah, I just found her on my drive home and thought she looked cute enough to keep.” She was going to kill me with these one-liners. She always managed to keep me on my toes during our PT sessions and it seemed that it was no different out of the office. Elizabeth patted down the spot next to her on the bench and I took a seat. I tried my best not to groan when I sat down but damn it, everything hurt. “Sore?”

“Yeah, I have this physical therapist who has been making my life a living hell.”

“Hmm, sounds like she’s good at her job,” wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I shrugged my shoulders, “She’s alright.”

Elizabeth laughed again and nudged my side a bit, “Seriously though, Dalton, how is it going?”

“I’m sore as hell, but I know it has to get worse before it gets better, right?”

“Unfortunately that is usually how things go.” Elizabeth looked at the girls again when they both squealed. They were playing some made-up game where they pretended something was spooking them. It felt so good to see Katie open up to a new friend. “I should thank you, Dalton, your daughter has been so welcoming to Eva.”

“Funny you bring that up, I was just thinking that it is so nice to see Katie coming out of her shell a bit. Kindergarten was tough for her and first grade has been better, but her teacher still says she’s shy and doesn’t play with a lot of other kids.”

“What?” Elizabeth sounds surprised, “I don’t believe it for a second. Eva has been calling Katie her best friend since she transferred in a few weeks ago. I was so worried about her making friends but by the end of the day she had a best friend.”

“Maybe they’re just made for each other.”

The two of us chat casually while the girls play. I wish they could be here all night, but the sun is already starting to set earlier these days and we still need to make dinner. Both girls frown to show their disappointment at the end of the play date.

“Sorry, Bug,” Elizabeth says to her daughter, “Now that we know they live in the same complex, you two can play more often, okay?”

“Tomorrow?” Eva excitedly asks. Elizabeth looks up at me for confirmation.

“Sure. I have a friend picking Katie up from school since I can’t drive, but we can meet up once she gets home.” I look at Katie and she’s nodding her head in excitement, already anticipating the fun tomorrow after school.

“I think it sounds like a plan.” Elizabeth pulls out her phone and hands it to me, “Do you want to give me your number and I can let you know when we’re home? I could get it from your chart, but that feels like a bit of a violation.”

I laugh and start typing my number into her phone, “I’m sure they’d frown upon that, but now you’ve got it. Shoot me a text later so I have your number too.”

“Sounds good, Dalton. Time to head home, Bug.”

The girls hug one more time before we go our separate ways. Elizabeth and her daughter live on the west side of the complex, whereas Katie and I are on the east side. She’s on a high for the rest of the night about her best friend living so close by and I’m just as excited at the possibility of seeing Elizabeth out of the office once again. One of those excitements is probably more appropriate than the other though.