Lockwood Creek Book Three - Can be read as stand-alone.
Dr Chris Chambers had no intention of settling down, he loved the chase too damn much. Or so he told himself. And love 'em and leave 'em were words he swore by. And so what if names like play...
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~ ~ Beth ~ ~
I sniffed back the rising tears as Chris's words repeated in my head, making a meal of my guts, hollowing me out piece by piece. Not to mention my heart was still going haywire ten minutes after he had left the kitchen.
I'd sat there and listened to him, trying to convince me and himself that this thing between us couldn't ever happen.
People wouldn't accept us, he said.
But did it matter what other people thought?
Was he right?
Would Cal and April make me choose? Would they hate him? Hate me?
I didn't have an answer to those questions and if I was honest, I'd never given myself time to think about them.
But surely they'd want me to be happy, right?
And I was sure I could make Chris happy. If he would just give me a chance. Give us a chance.
Yeah, we would need to come up with a plan on how to handle our family, but April had said many times that she wished Chris could find the same kind of happiness that she and Cal had. And my desperate heart wanted to believe once they could see how happy we were, they'd accept us.
But all that was irrelevant if Chris wasn't willing to even try.
Looking down at pretty brown eyes. "What do you think, huh?" I asked Nix. "What can I do?"
Sighing out. For now, it looked like I was stuck with my restless, lonely heart.
~ ~ Two weeks later ~~
"Welcome to Marley's Diner." A smiley woman with spiky salt and pepper-coloured hair and a pink cafe apron approached me. "Would you like a table, hun?"
"Hi, yes." I glanced around searching for a familiar face. "I'm meeting a friend."
"You're new around here?"
I nodded. "That obvious, huh?"
"No. Not at all. And welcome to Lockwood. I'm Gina. Who's your friend?"
"Riley Jo—" I didn't get out her surname before Gina cut in.
"I know Riley Jo. Know the whole family. Nana Em is a national treasure 'round here." Gina flicked her head. "C'mon, let's get you seated."
She sat me in a corner booth and handed me a menu. "All the specials are on the board, but if you're looking for something sweet, then try our blueberry pie. It's my husband's speciality. And you won't find anything else like it around these parts."
"Thank you, Gina. Could I get a coffee whilst I'm deciding?"
"Sure hun."
Whilst waiting, I watched outside, thankful for the air conditioning being on full blast in here. My phone pinged. It was a message from Chris's mom, adding something else to my grocery list. I replied with a thumbs up.
