Page 77 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

And if he were?

She tilted her head back as he kissed his way down her neck.

If the day came when he was ready for love, then she might just be right there with him.

Chapter Seventeen

When they entered the bakery on Friday afternoon, Trip reached for Shelley’s hand.

“What do you think, do you want to wait here for Harper and Jim?”

“No, I think they’ll be fine.Jim knows we’ll be sitting in the back with the others, and even if she were by herself, Harper would find us—and she wouldn’t thank us for waiting.”

Trip grinned as he made his way through the crowded space toward the counter.Spider greeted him with a smile when he reached it.

“Hey, Trip, it’s good to see you.”He nodded at Shelley.“You too.What can I get you?All the usual suspects are up at the regular booth in the back.”

Trip craned his neck and wasn’t surprised when Travis spotted him and waved him over.

“What do you want, honey?”

He pressed his lips together when he noticed the way Spider smiled.He and Shelley had come down here together on a Friday afternoon like this before, but they’d come as coworkers—as friends.

Shelley didn’t seem put out that with just one small word, he’d given away that things had changed between them.

“I’ll have a honey chai latte, thanks.”

“And I’ll take an Americano,” Trip added.

“Do you guys want to go take a seat and I’ll send Rocket over with them?It’s kind of crowded this afternoon, and Rocket’s pretty good at forging a path.And besides, Janey finished work early—she’s sitting with the others.”

“Then yeah, send him over with them,” Trip said with a smile.He had all the time in the world for Janey MacFarland, and if he could give her giant of a husband, Rocket, the excuse to get a minute with her, then he was happy to help.

He put his hand on the small of Shelley’s back as he guided her through the crowd to the booths in the back.

She looked up at him over her shoulder.“Are you okay with this?Do any of them know about us?”

He moved closer and curled his arm around her waist.“I assume that they all know by now.”

Her eyes widened.“You think Emmett would have told them?”

He laughed.“No, Emmett wouldn’t say a word.But that guy right there?”He jerked his chin to where Travis was now on his feet and hurrying to meet them with a big smile on his face.“He knows.He’d take a secret to the grave for me if I asked him to, but I told him that I don’t care who knows that we’re together—that I’m happy and have nothing to hide.”

Her eyes shone as she smiled up at him, but he didn’t get the chance to say anything else before Travis reached them.

His hand came down on Trip’s shoulder and gave it a shake.“I was hoping you guys might make it this afternoon.”He leaned down to kiss Shelley’s cheek.“I’m glad to see you, darlin’, and even happier to see you here with him.”

“I’m happy to be here—and especially to be here with Trip.”

Travis wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders and steered them over to the booth where Deacon and Candy were sitting with Ace and Ari and Travis’s lady, Retta.Janey was there, too, with Tanner’s wife, Everly.

“Look who I found!”

Retta made a face at him.“Why don’t you sit back down with me, Trav?”

He laughed.“It’s okay, Retta darlin’, I’m not going to embarrass them; I’m making life easier for them.If I get it out in the open right up front, they don’t have to worry about making some announcement or wondering if everyone’s figured it out yet.Right?”

“Right,” Trip agreed.He’d been kind of looking forward to making an announcement, but since he hadn’t checked how Shelley felt about it first, it was probably best that Trav had beat him to it.