Page 100 of Seduction

As we approach the point I can’t go beyond, I press my lips to the back of her hand. “You got this, babe.”

She nods, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. “I love you, Jon.”

I stop in my tracks, her hand slipping from mine as the gurney continues on its way. Our hands are still stretched toward each other, hers eventually disappearing behind a locked door.

Holy shit.

“You auditioning for the position of a mannequin?”

Gage’s voice pulls me back to the moment. I turn to him, shaking my head to lift the haze.

“Gotta do something now that I’m unemployed.”

“Yeah, but don’t you have to be good-looking to do that modeling shit?”

“Fuck you, asshole. Your sister thinks I’m hot.”

He chuckles, jerking his head toward the waiting area. There isn’t anything he can say because it’s not an insult. It’s the truth.

“She gone?” he asks as we move in that direction.

“Yeah. She’ll be out in a couple hours.”

We find two chairs away from everyone, dropping down in them just as Charger and the prospect return from a coffee run. I wait until he’s swallowed his first sip before I speak.

“Ellen told me she loves me.”

“Oh? And what did you say?” he mocks me.

How the tables have turned. I remember having the same conversation with him just a few months ago when Raven first said those three not-so-little words to him.

“I think we’re more alike than we know. I fucking froze, man. Not a word came out. I mean, it’s what I want, what I’ve been hoping for. I just didn’t think she was there yet. I don’t know. You think it’s because she was going into surgery? Emotions running high and all that?”

“Maybe, but knowing Ellen, that’s a huge step.”

“I asked her to move in with me… before she said it.”

“She said yes?”

“Yeah.”

“I hate to break it to you, bro, but I think she meant it.”

“Why?” I ask.

“I’ve watched the two of you together the last couple of days. I see the way she looks at you. It’s the way Raven looks at me.”

“What way is that?” I turn my head so I can see his expression. It’s wistful as he stares at his wife who’s sitting a few chairs away, her concentration centered on an e-reader.

“Like I’m the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost rolled into one.”

Ellen’s face materializes before me, gazing down at me that night in my bed. At the time, my only thoughts were of how beautiful she is, and how proud I am that she’s mine. Now… now I see it differently. “I think I know what you mean.”

“Do you love her?”

I slide down in my chair, taking a sip of my coffee. Do I? By all standards, I think I do. I just thought when it finally happened, I’d know it instantly, without a doubt. Why can’t I answer Gage’s question?

“I think so.”