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Not a word is spoken the entire car ride. When I pull up to her apartment, she hops out and slams the door shut, not even looking back. I watch her walk in and then look the other direction. Stone is sitting in his car across from me with a smirk. I roll my window down.
“Don’t ever fall in love,” I warn him, shaking my head. He laughs out loud.
“You’ve been back one day and you already fucked it up?”
“So it seems,” I say blandly. “Let me know if something comes up.” He salutes me before I peel off. It’s almost five but since I don’t have anything else to do, I head to the office.
Walking into the office, Cheryl greets me with a smile. “Good afternoon, Aiden.” Her cheerfulness is like fingernails on a chalkboard right now.
“Absolutely nothing good about it,” I mumble, walking past her, making a beeline for my office.
“Is there a reason you’re being an ass?” Damon asks, standing in my doorway with his arms crossed.
I plop down in my chair, leaning back into it, staring at the ceiling. I sigh. “Have we got any leads?”
“Where’s Addison?”
“At her fucking apartment,” I seethe. I close my eyes and exhale quickly. I fist my hands as my anger brews. I glare back at Damon and say, “Are we going to chit chat all goddamn day or are you going to give me an update on the case?”
A tiny body takes a spot next to Damon in the doorway, holding a file, flashing a concerned look.
Fuck! I drop my head, knowing what’s coming next.
“Aiden,” she calmly says.
“Dr. Price,” I respond, looking up to her.
Damon looks at the doctor and then to me. “Great timing, doc. Maybe you can get the stick out of my friend’s ass.” He turns around and leaves. I’m on a roll today.
“Do you have a minute?” she asks, walking into my office and shutting the door. Seems I don’t have a choice in this matter, so I shrug. She takes a seat across from my desk, trying to read me. I’m usually really good at hiding my emotions; shit, I’m trained in that area. So why can’t I hide my feelings when it comes to Addison?
“I’d ask you how you are doing, but I think that goes without saying.” I just nod again. “So why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
I run my hand through my hair, groaning in frustration. I don’t even know where to start.
“Isn’t this a conflict of interest, you being both our doctors?” I ask. I’ve had a weekly Skype session with Dr. Price for the last four months. Come to find out, she’s been Addison’s doctor, too, for the last month.
“I’m assuming you mean you and Addison. I’m very capable of separating the two.”
“She is the most stubborn woman.” I think my mouth decides to vomit words because once I start, I can’t stop. I push off my chair, almost knocking it over, and walk around my desk. “She’s being ridiculous. She thinks we shouldn’t be together because I’m too emotionally attached to her safety. But how the hell should I feel when she keeps putting herself in dangerous situations? And she tells me I should be a little more understanding? Doesn’t she know she wasn’t the only one who was hurt four months ago? I was shot, almost died, and my heart was torn to pieces!” I bark loudly, slamming my hands down on my desk.
Dr. Price doesn’t even flinch. She’s sitting back in her chair with her legs crossed, silently letting me have my outburst. I drop back down in my chair, trying to calm the fury.
“Have you both had a chance to talk?”
“No,” I mutter.
“You definitely need to talk to each other, but I understand why that hasn’t happened yet.” Her voice is a constant state of calm, but her eyes reflect compassion. “I do think she might be right.”
My eyebrows pop up. “What?”
“There needs to be understanding from both sides. Addison needs to feel in control for her to be able to move on. You suppress that control by constantly trying to keep her safe, which in turn will take her back to the times she didn’t have it.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” I sigh and drop my elbows onto the desk and rub my eyelids. “I just don’t know how to stop these feelings of helplessness. I love that woman more than anything. I just can’t stop worrying about her.”
“Give it some time, Aiden. I think when you both have a chance to sit down and talk, it will help you both understand each other. To make this work, you’ll need to set expectations on both ends. But you need to be patient with Addison. I know that you went through a lot, and I’m not discrediting that, but what Addison went through was life altering.” She stands up and flashes me a soft smile. “I think it’d be a good idea if both of you came to a session, together.” Of course you do, I chuckle to myself and nod.
I pick up my phone and call Addison. I need to apologize and see if we can talk. Her voicemail answers, so I hang up. I sigh. She’s probably ignoring me.
