He was so damned sweet and loving. I leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips.
“I’ll drive you both home and come back for the groceries. In the meantime, why don’t you start me a list?”
I felt the door open next to us and saw Wade’s head pop out. “You say someone needs a ride? I’m off the rest of the day now because of this stupid cut. I can take them up the mountain for you.”
I opened my mouth to respond that we were okay when Oz reached out and clutched Wade’s arm. “Oh my god, would you? That would be amazing! It’s my friend Zoey, and she needs to go back to my place and rest.”
Wade nodded. “Sure, no problem. I’m all fixed up here, thanks to Jake, so I’ll just wait for you out in the lobby. Looks good out there, by the way. Becky said you’re the one who did it, Oz. That right?”
Oz’s face pinked up a little. “Kind of. I just tweaked what they’d already planned.”
“Not true,” I said. “He redesigned the whole thing and came up with the concept for the mural. He incorporated those god-awful red chairs into the design and somehow made them not look as bad as we’d feared.”
“Naw, man. It looks really nice. Calm, you know? Becky said she and Nancy feel like they work in a fancy hotel now.”
“Thanks. I have to admit, I really enjoyed doing it. I didn’t realize how much fun it would be doing interior design. Usually I just stick to clothing.”
“He’s extremely talented at both,” I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “You should see what he’s done to Xander’s old cabin just in the last couple of weeks. It’s like a designer chalet inside.”
I felt Oz lean into me despite scoffing at my compliments.
Wade kept Oz talking for a few more minutes, and it became clear to me that he’d overheard more of Oz’s and my conversation than I’d originally thought and was trying to keep Oz distracted. The exam room walls and doors were notoriously thin, so I wasn’t surprised. I caught his eyes flicking several times over Oz’s shoulder to Zoey’s exam room until Doc Sharma came out.
“Well, like I said,” Wade finished. “See you out in the lobby. Take your time.”
He shot me a wink before making his way out to the reception area.
Oz turned to the doc. “Did you find anything else?”
Doc Sharma’s face softened. “No, Oz. All you can do for her right now is help look after her and keep her relaxed as much as possible. She has a list of instructions, as well as prenatal vitamins and a nutrition booklet, and you can make an appointment for her to come back in next week to follow up. Since it’s the holidays, be sure to check with Nancy to see when we’re here next week.”
I remembered we were scheduled to go to Bennett and Xander’s wedding on Christmas Eve two days from now. I needed to figure out a nice way to box up the homemade brew I’d made them as a wedding gift. I’d come up with a recipe that Bennett would like as much as Xander and wanted to present it in something nicer than just a cardboard box with a sticky bow on it.
When Zoey emerged from her exam room, the three of us headed out front to make her next appointment and introduce her to Wade. Before Zoey even looked his way, Wade’s jaw had dropped and his back had straightened.
Well, well. What do we have here?
“Wade, come meet Oz’s good friend, Zoey, from New York,” I said with a knowing grin.
Wade swallowed and stood up, approaching slowly like he was afraid of being rebuffed. I looked back at Zoey and tried to see her from Wade’s point of view. She was a stunningly beautiful woman. Her skin was a creamy bronze and her green eyes shone with excitement as she stared at the ultrasound pictures Becky had brought out for her. One hand rubbed her belly absently through the oversized white cable-knit sweater she’d borrowed from Oz’s closet while the other reached out to share the pictures with Oz.
When Zoey finally looked up at Wade, she almost dropped the photos.
“Oh. Hi. Ah… hi,” she stammered.
Wade’s tall, muscular frame made her look tiny by comparison. He reached out a hand to shake.
“I’m Wade McCreary,” he said. “I heard you might need a ride up to Oz’s place.”
Her inky eyelashes fluttered for a half second, and Oz looked over at me with wide eyes.
Are you seeing this?
I winked at him.
Sure am.
“Oh, ah… yes. If… I mean, if that would be okay. I don’t want to put you out or anyth—”
“No, no,” Wade cut in. “It would be my pleasure. As long as your husband wouldn’t mind a strange man driving you…”