Chapter 2

I can’t believe no one told me he was hurt. Kiera stared out the hospital windows high above the ground. And I can’t believe I’m his doctor.

She’d been wavering between the two thoughts as she’d waited for her best friend since childhood to come out of the shower and join her for their first physical therapy session together. She wasn’t even sure she could call him that anymore—they’d barely spoken in six years—but it was impossible for her to just move on from someone who’d been her closest confidant for fifteen years.

On the one hand, she was furious at her mother for not telling her Quinn had been so badly hurt in some incident that, judging by his mostly healed injuries, had clearly happened a while ago. She should have been there for him—she should have been by his side. She should have held his hand when he was hurting most…or was that ridiculous?

Because on the other hand, they’d closed the door on their friendship years ago, all because of a stupid decision on her part the night before she left for college. Kiera frowned as she thought of it, her arms crossing over her chest.

She’d gotten this stupid idea in her head that she couldn’t go to college a virgin, so she’d thrown herself at the safest option—Quinn. At the time, she’d just turned eighteen and he was twenty-one, and it seemed so right. He had always been there for her—he’d been her comfort zone. If she was going to lose her virginity, she wanted it to be with somebody she loved, even if only platonically…or so she’d thought. Damn those emotions for getting in the way.

She exhaled loudly at the thought. So dumb.

It had ended their friendship almost immediately. Sex with Quinn was…unbelievable. Not because he was some sex god or anything, because they’d both been bumbling and fairly uncertain of what they were doing. No, it had nothing to do with the act itself, but rather what he’d awoken in her. His length pressed inside her, their arms wrapped around each other…it was impossible to see Quinn as her best friend anymore.

She could suddenly picture the entire fairytale with him. Staying here in Woodlawn the rest of her life to be with him. Becoming part of his family and future. Falling in love with him. Marrying him, having children with him. She saw them as soulmates that night.

And it freaked her the fuck out.

Kiera had kicked herself for becoming an instant cliché—falling for the man who took her virginity. Doesn’t get more unoriginal than that. If there was one thing she had learned from her mother, it was that falling in love at eighteen would end her life before it even began.

Kiera’s parents had been high school sweethearts, and her mother had gotten pregnant with her almost right away, then spent the rest of their marriage helping Kiera’s father with one failed business venture after another. When he’d died in a car accident when Kiera was young, her mother had been left with no money, no job, and no idea what she wanted to do with her life.

Watching her mother struggle had been one of the greatest pains in Kiera’s life. She worked low-paying jobs, bouncing from one to the next for years. Her mother went on random dates here and there, sometimes had a boyfriend for a couple of weeks that they never saw again. Despite how she’d tried to hide it from her daughter, Kiera could see how miserable her mother was for all those years.

All Kiera had heard growing up was be independent, have a career, be successful. They were important lessons and Kiera never forgot—especially after seeing her mother living out the consequences. She wanted to make her mother proud, and she wanted to be successful. She wanted to be a doctor, and now she was.

So the moment that flutter of butterflies had touched her heart during their night together, Kiera shut it down. She was not giving up her future for the kid down the block. She was not going to be her mom.

College was a welcome distraction on the other side of the country, but the moment she’d arrived, she realized how much she’d come to depend on Quinn. Living in a brand-new town all by herself was scary—people to meet, experiences to have—she wasn’t Keeks, that Kavanagh boy’s little sidekick, anymore. She’d been forced to grow up and discover who she really was without him, without New York, without any of the things that had once defined her.

And now, working on her doctorate at twenty-four years old…she was pursuing her dreams, and she absolutely loved everything about being a physical therapist. It spoke to every part of her—nurturing, challenging, problem solving, and even a little messy at times. This was her dream, and she’d left home and everything she’d ever known to pursue it.

She wouldn’t have become the person she was now if she hadn’t been given the chance to find out for herself. She wasn’t even sure she’d have the same career, or be a physical therapist at all, if she’d stayed for a high-school romance that might never have been. Either way, it was a risk she hadn’t been willing to take at the time—and she didn’t regret it.

What she did regret was the loss of Quinn’s friendship. She’d called him dozens of times, only to be sent to voicemail. When she came home on breaks, he stayed away. When family functions forced them together, he acted repulsed by her and was always rude.

That’s when she’d realized she hadn’t needed to be worried about falling in love with Quinn—he was not interested in her at all. Her ego had been bruised for a while, but she’d quickly realized it was for the best…it was what she’d wanted anyway.

One reckless night and their friendship, plus potential romance, had gone up in flames.

If only it hadn’t been the best night of her life.

Kiera sighed at the memory. She’d been with only a few guys in the last six years, all fairly serious boyfriends at the time, but none of them had ever come close to what she’d felt that night with Quinn. Sure, their one night together had been a little awkward, being her first time, and there was a good thirty seconds where she was sure they were doing it wrong, but the way he’d looked at her? The way he’d kissed every inch of her and whispered comforting words of affection to her…her heart had shattered into a million pieces, and her body followed suit shortly after. It’d been the absolute perfect loss-of-virginity story, until her heart got in the way—so, so dumb.

It’d been so long since she had let these thoughts and memories resurface. The way he’d looked at her moments ago—pain and desire mixed together in an intoxicating elixir…it had unnerved her.

Things had definitely changed from the last time she saw him undressed six years ago. Heat flamed in her core as images of his naked body moments ago flooded her mind—tight abs, thick biceps, and a chest that looked hard and soft at the same time. The tattoos were new—at least since she’d last seen him naked—and she had to admit, despite her good-girl persona, she most definitely approved.

She wasn’t going to think about what else she’d seen while he was naked.

Except she didn’t remember that part of his body being so big before.

Or so hard.

Or…Stop thinking about this, Kiera! She inhaled deeply, trying to calm the fluttering in her belly. This wasn’t what she wanted. She was a therapist. His therapist.

Instead, she focused on what else she’d seen on his naked body—scars. Her lungs had emptied at the sight of such a strong pillar of a man marred by the scars across his legs, back, shoulders…everywhere.

The medical professional part of her kicked into gear, and she grabbed his chart out of the file cabinet, walking back over to the exam area. Flipping through it, she tried to push away her thoughts and do her job. She needed to know his history and focus on what they were going to do to help him get stronger again.

But as she read, every sentence in his chart made her heart ache more and more.

Kiera paused midstep as she read the exact description of Quinn’s injuries, and the motorcycle accident that had caused them. Her heart clenched, and she wanted to run back in there and throw her arms around his neck and apologize for not being there.

The next page was an insurance report, and with it, grisly pictures.

His bike. Destroyed.

Him in the emergency room. Battered and bloody.

Surgery. Pins in his leg. Grafts on his back. Broken bones. She’d been in the physical therapy program for two years so she’d seen graphic injuries before, but this wasn’t just graphic, it was personal.

This was her Quinn.

This was his blood, his pain. Her pain.

“Ready, Keeks?”

Her head snapped up as she realized that Quinn was standing in front of her, leaning heavily against a cane, and now fully dressed. “Oh, yeah, I was just going over your chart.”

“Is it that bad?” he asked, one brow lifted higher than the other. “You look like you’re going to puke.”

She shook her head quickly. “No, it’s not. Well, I mean…it is. It’s really bad, Quinn. It was really bad.” She closed the chart and held it against her chest, turning to him as she frowned. “I’m really sorry this happened to you, Q. I’m also really sorry you went through all of this, and that I wasn’t there to help.”

He shifted uncomfortably, his gaze dropping to the floor as he moved over to a chair and sat down. “It’s all right, Kiera. I wouldn’t have expected you to be there.”

Ouch, she thought, even though she couldn’t blame him one bit for thinking that.

“Well, either way,” she said, dropping the chart down on the counter with a soft plop. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.” He nodded toward the exam table. “So, what’s the deal for today? Need me up on that?”

“Nope, you’re fine where you are,” she said, clearing her throat and pushing her shoulders back. Therapist mode didn’t involve butterflies in her stomach or sadness in her heart. She was here to do a job, and she was going to girl-boss it like a pro. “I’m going to ask you to stand back up and lead you through a short series of stretches and exercises so we can get a baseline for where you’re at, and where we need to get you.”

He nodded, dark piercing eyes, almost black, staring back at her. “I’m all yours, Doc.”

Girl boss, girl boss, girl boss, Kiera reminded herself as she tried to ignore the way he was looking at her when he’d said that.

Over the next few minutes, she helped him maneuver this way and that, testing his limits and pushing his boundaries ever so slightly. He wasn’t in as bad a shape as she’d initially feared, probably because of how fit he’d been before the accident. Months of very little movement had certainly atrophied some of his muscles, but it wouldn’t take too long for him to get back to a normal level of movement, even if that was still less than what he’d been used to.

“You really think so?” he asked after she relayed that information to him. “That’s what I’ve been hoping for.”

“I do. I think the cane will still be a necessity for a while, several months at minimum, but I think you’ll be walking normally not long after that. Running or any sort of extreme fitness—fighting—that’s going to be a while longer.”

He shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ve never spent much time in the cage. That’s really more my older brothers’ thing.”

“Right, but you used to work out a lot.”

“A bit, but nothing like extreme training,” he admitted with a shrug.

She glanced up and down his body again, because if his abs looked like that without extreme training, she hated him. “Well, let’s just take it slow. Okay?”

“You got it, Doc.” He gave her a wicked grin, winking at her as she cleared her throat and stepped over to the counter to write out some notes from their session. “We all done here?”

“Yep, do you have a ride home?”

He let out a low groan. “Yeah, I do, but that reminds me—when can I drive again?”

“Probably within a month or two,” she said, wondering who his ride was that would make him so annoyed. “Your driving leg isn’t the one with the most issues, so it shouldn’t take long unless you drive a stick. Oh, and definitely no motorcycles.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he said, a hesitant quality in his voice. Was it fear? She’d never heard that from him before. “I doubt I’ll ever get on one of those things again.”

Kiera finished the last of her notes then turned to him, leaning back against the counter. “You love motorcycles. You’ve been riding since before you legally could.”

“Look where that got me.” He gestured down to his leg.

She paused for a minute, letting silence envelop them as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and rolled it back out. “Q, should we talk about earlier? In the tank? Or if not with me, maybe a professional?”

“About what?” He looked genuinely confused, rather than guarded. “What about the tank?”

Stepping closer, she sat in the chair next to him—the molded-plastic kind most hospitals have that are uncomfortable for everyone. Turning her knees toward him, she met his gaze again. “I don’t know if it’s my place, but you just looked so sad when I came in to get you. You looked like you’d been cry—”

“Kiera, I’m fine,” he interrupted her. “And you’re right. It’s not your place.”

“Quinn,” she started.

“It hasn’t been your place for a long time, Kiera.” He pushed up with his cane until he was standing. “That was your choice, not mine.”

Her mouth parted slightly, confusion overtaking her as she tried to decipher his words. He didn’t sound angry…he sounded hurt, but she didn’t understand why.

“Hey, baby boy! You ready, Quinny?” Dee Kavanagh appeared in the doorway, waving wildly across the room at Quinn, her dark red hair bouncing with each move.

Quinn groaned and started walking toward her. “Yeah. Let’s go, Ma.”

“Oh, wait.” Dee changed her tune, looking past him. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, is that Kiera Finley? You’re a sight for sore eyes, sweet girl!”

“Hi, Mrs. Kavanagh,” Kiera said, forcing a smile onto her face as she stood and walked over to one of her mother’s oldest friends in the neighborhood. Dee had been like an aunt to her growing up, sometimes even a second mother, and she adored the older woman. “It’s so good to see you again! How are you doing?”

“Can’t complain—still have my Quinny with me, despite his continued attempts to frighten me into an early grave.” She waved a hand like it was nothing, her blue eyes sparkling as she wrapped her arms around Kiera in a giant hug.

This was the Dee Kavanagh Kiera knew and loved—tough, unbreakable, and completely confident everything was always going to work out for the best. The tiny woman went toe to toe with any of her five brawny sons without batting an eye. Dee’s fearlessness and confidence were two of the many reasons why Kiera revered her.

“Well, you’re looking amazing as ever,” Kiera added, because that was true, too.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You’re as gracious as ever, since I know I look like my mother now—the horror.” Dee laughed and shook her head. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, honey. At least three years—let me look at you.” She clapped a hand over her heart. “Stunning. Stunning, I swear. And is that a doctor’s coat?”

Quinn shifted his weight, repositioning himself as he stood against his cane.

Heat bloomed in her cheeks as she took a step back and adjusted her coat—proud of her accomplishments, but a little embarrassed to be fawned over in front of Quinn. She wasn’t sure why she cared what he thought anymore, but after what he’d just said to her, she was feeling unsettled and confused. “I started my residency here for my doctorate in physical therapy. Today, actually.”

“What?” Dee put a hand to her mouth. “Ooh, I could just kill your mother for not telling me!”

“It’s not her fault,” Kiera said with a laugh. “The program I really wanted in Seattle didn’t pan out, so I went with my second choice at kind of the last minute.”

“Well, for second choices, this is not half bad,” Dee assured her. “In fact, it’s phenomenal.”

“Ma, we should probably leave her alone to get back to her job, don’t you think?” Quinn nudged his mother gently, looking between her and the door.

Kiera frowned. “Uh, yeah, I guess my next patient will be here any minute.”

“Next patient?” Dee glanced between them, then tossed her head back with a deep belly laugh. “Oh, this is heaven! Kiera, sweetheart, are you Quinny’s doctor?”

“Ma!” Quinn said through gritted teeth. “Can we not with the ‘Quinny,’ please?”

She ignored him and kept staring at Kiera for confirmation.

Kiera nodded, tossing her hands up slightly with a small laugh. “Funny how things work out, isn’t it?”

“Funny, sure,” Dee said, her voice calmer, but a huge grin still plastered across her face. “And maybe some fate.”

“Ma, my leg is starting to hurt,” Quinn said.

Kiera knew he was lying just from the expression on his face. When they were kids, he’d always looked slightly up and to the right when he lied. She’d never told him she knew his tell, but he’d never used it with her before. Either he was really in a rush to get home or he wanted to get away from her that badly. Neither option left her feeling great.

“Oh, I’m sorry, baby boy. Let’s get you home,” Dee said, ushering him toward the door before calling back to Kiera over her shoulder. “It was good to see you, Kiera!”

“You, too,” she replied, waiting for the door to close behind them before she sat back down and tried to process everything that had just happened.

Her best friend of fifteen years, and yet they felt like strangers. They felt like doctor-patient. They didn’t feel like…them. She missed their friendship, who they used to be together; but for reasons she didn’t understand, he was keeping a wall between them. The few times they’d run into each other over the years at family events, she’d respected the boundary and moved on, not giving it—or him—another thought.

But now? He was injured, she was his doctor, and, well…she was giving him some thought. A lot of it, actually.

It’s not your place. That was your choice, not mine.

That’s not how she remembered it.