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 ~ ~
Fixing my hair into a ponytail I walked into the kitchen. Nix was in his play-pen sucking on a ball and Chris was emptying the dishwasher.
"Hey, How do I look?"
Chris's attention shifted to me, and his eyes took a quick stroll as I spun around. "You look pretty," he said with appreciation in his tone.
"Thank ya kindly." I had sifted through every dress in my closet, not once but twice, and landed on this one—a cute pale blue summer dress and paired it with some crisp white pumps. Glancing down, I still couldn't shake the feeling that maybe I should hightail it back upstairs for another quick wardrobe rethink.
Was this too much?
Shoot, I had no idea what kinda of getup you were supposed to wear for an occasion like this.
And what's the occasion, you might wonder? Well, today's the day they were gonna pull the plug on Nix's mom's life support.
Chris turned back to what he was doing and I nibbled on my lower lip. "Do you think I should change? Maybe something a little more..."
He stopped what he was doing, turning his head toward me, but his eyes seemed vacant as he looked past me. "I don't think it matters what we wear, it won't change the outcome."
I nodded, but his gaze remained distant. Wanting to be closer to him, to let him know I was here for him, I slipped behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against his back sensing the tension in his muscles. "You okay?" I asked, fully aware of the apparent foolishness of my question.
He stood still for a moment, then gently unclasped my hands and stepped away from me to busy himself again.
It wasn't the first time he had done that.
And the unsettling silence between us was just the tip of the iceberg in my growing list of concerns because ever since our first night together, an invisible barrier seemed to have erected itself between us.
He was keeping his distance.
Not when it came to sex of course. We were having sex—a lot.
But emotional distance had crept in like an unwelcome guest overstaying its welcome. And each attempt to bridge the gap only resulted in him pulling away, leaving me grappling with a sense of rejection that stung.
And my mind, the occasional troublemaker it was, came up with all kinds of crazy explanations, like was this relationship a sex-only deal? A convenient arrangement, where my role seemed confined to that of a live-in nanny for his son, and a little fun on the side?
"I'm okay, Beth," he finally answered, "I just want today to be over with."
That made sense.
I started to help put things away. "Well, it's my birthday on Friday, you fancy doin' something. Maybe go out? I could ask Riley Jo or Maddy if they could sit for Nix again."
