Page 39

T en minutes later, we were at Willow Creek Emergency Animal Clinic.

With my heart in my throat and Rufus’s limp form cradled in my arms, we marched through the front doors.

The clinic had always been a place of routine. Vaccines. Checkups. Preventative care. But now it felt sterile and surreal, as if the walls were holding their breath with me.

Sloane, calm but firm, said, “Kids, go to the playroom down that hallway. You’ll find a room full of consoles and games, okay?”

Violet headed off, but Liam lingered. My son's brow furrowed as he glanced at me, then at Rufus.

“Go ahead, bud,” I said gently, keeping my voice steady. “We’ll be right out here.”

He gave a small nod, cool and composed, every bit the teenager trying to be brave. But I saw his hand subtly brush Violet’s back as she turned a corner, guiding her protectively like he always did when he thought no one was watching .

Sloane's gaze shifted between Rufus and me. “We’ll get him examined. Hold on, Levi.”

I nodded, but my throat was tight. The weight of Rufus in my arms felt heavier by the second, as if my guilt had seeped into his fur. I pressed my cheek briefly to the top of his head, murmuring a soft, broken, “Hang in there, boy.”

The scent of antiseptic, the soft hum of fluorescent lights, and the clack of distant keyboard taps filled the air as we continued to the front desk.

“Sloane? Oh no, tell me what’s going on.”

The voice came from the old receptionist who’d worked here as long as I could remember, seated behind the desk.

She stepped out, her reading glasses still perched on her head, silver curls slightly frizzed like she’d been caught in the rain earlier.

Her face softened the moment she saw Rufus cradled in my arms.

Without asking, she leaned in to peek at him, her hands practiced as she reached to gently lift one of his paws, careful not to jostle him.

Sloane’s voice cracked, the events of the day bleeding into her words. “We have a bit of an emergency, Sarah. I’m so sorry to barge in like this, but could you please let Dr. Monroe know we need him?”

“Absolutely,” Sarah said, her tone shifting from concern to calm authority. “Let’s get this boy checked in.” She gave a reassuring nod and disappeared down a different hallway, her footsteps brisk.

A vet tech appeared just moments later, clipboard in hand as she took information down. Sloane stayed close to Rufus to whisper soothing words as the tech took his temperature. I sat nearby, elbows on knees, heart drumming.

And then he walked in .

He wore navy scrubs and a quiet authority that compelled the other staff to nod as he passed. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Confident.

I knew this man from my previous life. Blonde, early 40s, eyes a calm steel-blue that flicked across the room until they landed on Sloane. My stomach churned and my world spun.

Charlie.

The man that Sloane had remarried after our divorce.

Why the fuck is he here? Now?

I racked my brain and scoured my memories from my previous life. Had Sloane and Charlie already met by the time the Old Me left? I remembered that they both worked here at the clinic, but I never knew when precisely they'd met; I'd always assumed it was after our divorce.

Based on the brief exchanges I had with him in my previous life, I knew Charlie was a kind, dependable, faithful, secure rock for Sloane after everything I put her through. I hated him for it… and respected him, too. Because I hadn’t been those things for her. Not for a long time.

“Sloane,” he said warmly. “You are in awfully early. We were not expecting you for hours, yet. Is everything okay?”

Fuck me. There's no way she doesn't already have feelings for this guy.

What woman wouldn't? He looked like a Greek god.

I saw the blush rise on her cheeks as she said, "Char- I mean Dr. Monroe. Our dog, Rufus, has been through a traumatic event. Blunt force trauma with a metal pipe. Is it too busy to rush him in for an emergency exam?"

Charlie glanced down at the dog, his expression shifting from concern to quiet resolve. He crouched beside Rufus, gently offering the back of his hand. “Hey, big guy,” he murmured, then looked up at Sloane. “Of course. We will get him registered under the nonprofit. ”

Sloane started to say, "Oh, you don't have to do-"

"It is done," Charlie said with firm finality.

"Thank you, doctor." I saw tension melt from her shoulders as relief touched her face. I hated that I was not the one to make her feel that way.

He stood and his tone softened. “Well, he is part of the family, right? That makes him our priority, okay?”

Sloane nodded, her lips pressed together. I could tell she was trying her best not to cry again.

Then Charlie, always one for lightening the mood from what I remembered of him, said with a half-smile, “But to be clear, Rufus is not allowed to unionize with the other animals. We are already dangerously close to a goat rebellion in the barn.”

A small laugh broke from Sloane as she looked down at Rufus. “You hear that, buddy? No starting revolutions.”

Rufus gave a single, low tail thump, which Charlie pointed at dramatically. “That will be one warning.”

The technician took Rufus and began heading towards the back.

Charlie's gaze shifted over to me as I stood and forced myself to appear as calm and affable as possible under the circumstances.

Time to play nice.

I offered my hand and said, "Levi. I'm Sloane’s-”

“This is Levi," she interrupted me. "The kids’ dad.”

Right. Not her husband. Not her partner. Just the kids’ dad.

It hurt. It hurt far more than it should have, but I managed a tight smile anyway.

Charlie’s face didn’t change. He just offered a single, polite nod, his body language calm and unreadable. “Dr. Charles Monroe." He looked away, already dismissing me, "Sloane, let us go take a look at Rufus, okay?”

He turned without waiting, and she followed. I watched as he adjusted his pace to match hers; subtle but unmistakable.

What a considerate, perfect-ass bastard.

My jaw tightened as they walked down the hall together. I couldn’t look away, watching her move beside the man I knew she had come to trust and love in my previous life.

Feeling light-headed, I sank back down into the chair in the waiting room and stared at the floor as if it might anchor me. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

How could I have either forgotten or not known Charlie was already part of her life? How had I not even considered the possibility that she'd already met him?

Because you're a fucking idiot.

While I didn't disagree with my self-deprecation, I knew it had to be more than just that. When it came to most things, I was about as sharp as a bowling ball. But this had to go beyond mere stupidity.

I was so hyper focused on winning Sloane back, preparing for this pandemic, dealing with Angie's crazy ass, keeping tabs on Violet's online activity, being a better father and more present partner that… yes, I had forgotten all about Charlie.

Because you're a busy idiot.

I told myself that Charlie being in the picture didn't change anything. I was still here. My priorities hadn't changed. But in that moment, I was acutely aware that if I fucked up the second chance I'd been given and shattered my marriage again? Charlie would be there to pick up the pieces .

Fifteen agonizing minutes later, Sloane returned alone. She looked exhausted, her arms folded tight across her chest.

“Rufus has two fractured ribs,” she said as she sat next to me. “Nothing punctured, thank God. They’re giving him pain meds, monitoring his breathing. He’ll stay overnight.”

I nodded, swallowing the knot in my throat.

I tried and failed to keep my tone light and teasing as I said, "You never told me you worked alongside one of your book boyfriends. Does Dr. Monroe also do Pilates?"

Sloane didn't laugh, her face grim. "Levi, you've never wanted to talk about my work at the clinic. You said it was too depressing, hearing about all the animals we have to put to sleep."

Fuck, the Old Me was such an asshole. Come on, big guy… dig yourself out of this one.

"I did say that… didn't I?"

Sloane just scoffed.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "That was unkind of me. I see that now. I am sure this place, the clinic, the stress of it? I know it weighs on you. I should have been there for you to talk to about it."

"Yeah," she said with a voice of stone, "you should have."

We sat together in silence for a moment. I tried to keep my tone neutral and steady, hoping not to betray the worry that raged within me. "I'm glad I finally got to meet him."

Sloane glanced over. “Dr. Monroe?”

I took a chance with what I said next. “You mentioned him once before. You said you admired him.”

Her tone shifted, softened. “Yeah. He’s one of the good ones.”

I nodded. "Yeah… I know. "

"I'm amazed you even remembered." She looked at me, as if she were analyzing an abstract painting.

"I know, right? Your idiot husband actually remembered something," I said as I stood and brushed off my jeans. “We should check on the kids. Since when has the clinic had a game room?”

Sloane led the way down the hall. “Since Charlie's nonprofit paid for it. I thought it was really considerate of him. Some families can’t leave their kids behind, have to bring them up here, and so they have different consoles to choose from. With the parents’ consent, of course.”

“Yeah,” I said, as an uneasy edge crept into my voice. “He really thought of everything, didn’t he?”

She made a noncommittal sound.

As we walked down the hall, I tried to shift the conversation before I lost my nerve, before the sight of our kids distracted me. I kept my voice low and delicate, as if speaking those next words too loudly would shatter what we'd been rebuilding together.

“Sloan, I want to work on our marriage. I want you back.”

She stopped. Her hand stilled on the doorknob, eyes lifting to meet mine, wide and stunned. “Levi…” she breathed, her voice somewhere between a warning and a wound.

I didn’t look away. I couldn’t. I held her gaze as I said, “I know I’m the last person you should believe right now. But I mean it. I’ve meant it every day since I realized what I stood to lose.”

Sloane swallowed hard, blinking fast. “You can’t just say things like that out of nowhere. You said we could take small steps. And I haven't forgiven you.” I heard how torn she was, trying to stay quiet and firm.

Trust, yes… but not forgive. She's still hurting.

“It isn't out of nowhere,” I said as I brushed my fingers against her cheek. “It’s been building for weeks. We've been trusting each other more and more... and I miss you. I miss us. The real us. Even the messy parts.”

She looked away then, back down the hallway like she was searching for an escape.

God, I wanted to grip her waist, pull her close, kiss her hard enough to erase everything but that one moment. A bruising kiss, one that said don’t go looking for someone else when I’m right here, Sloane. Still yours. Always yours.

The game room buzzed faintly beyond the door, our kids laughing inside. The normalcy of it made everything else feel all the more fragile and alien.

“I know we said we would do what we'd been doing. The sex-" I paused, realized I was stumbling. "Sorry… I’m trying, Sloane. And I’m here for this new chapter of our life. I want to be with you. I want to be with the kids. I want to earn my place back.”

Sloane looked away, blinking hard. “Levi. This is neither the time nor the place for this. Let’s… please, let's take care of Rufus first. Then we can take 'us' one day at a time.”

I nodded, swallowing the disappointment even though I knew she was right. "Of course. Right now, Rufus comes first."

It was the right answer. The only answer. Focus on what mattered now which was her healing, our children, and the dog. Those things had become the glue holding this fractured version of us together.

But Charlie... he lingered like a ghost in the corner. A shadow I couldn’t shake. A reminder of all the things I had never been for my wife before.

Sloane is mine. I will not lose her again.