Grumpy Doctor’s Holiday Twins (Forbidden Doctors #17)

24. Ethan

24

ETHAN

T he expression on John's face when Melody and I walked out of that storage closet was nothing short of livid. Even as Melody walked past him and toward the door, his eyes remained fixed on me in a death stare, the way I'd seen him look about guys who dated Melody when we were much younger. He had always been the protective older brother, but this was something different, something savage.

The crevice between his eyebrows was deep as the Grand Canyon, and his hands were curled into fists even as he tugged his coat on. But there was something there in that expression I had never seen when he stared down the men who hurt his sister in previous circumstances. It was pity. John wasn't just angry. He felt sorry for me, or perhaps himself. But the look was unmistakable.

I wanted to walk toward him, reach out, have the conversation I knew was inevitable, but he turned and walked away, following Melody into the cold night air, and for a second I stood there watching. I knew how closely I'd parked to his car and I wanted to give them space. If there was going to be a showdown between me and my best friend over his sister, I wanted it to be private. She didn't need to see the hostility he would display, and I didn't want her to see what I had to do to defend us.

In my heart, it was settled. I had demons to fight, darkness to uncover and heal, and emotional damage that needed attention, but Melody was the one for me. I wasn't going to leave anymore. I wanted to stay here in Mistletoe Springs with her. If there was a position available here at the hospital, I would accept it, even at a pay cut, but if that was going to happen, there were a lot of hurdles to jump and discussions with John were the bulk of them.

After watching John's SUV pull out of the parking lot, I headed to my car. Even though I knew there was still conflict ahead and I felt sorry for Melody being trapped in that vehicle with her angry brother, I felt a lot lighter. The world around me seemed lighter too, like knowing Melody was mine and that we were going to fight for a relationship had suddenly lifted a weight I’d been carrying. I'd always known it was there. I just never knew how to lift it.

I climbed into my car and started it. The engine was cold, and it took a few minutes to get heat pumping, but I took off toward the shops. Christmas meant hope and joy, but it also meant tradition, and one of those traditions was gift giving. I hadn’t planned to be in town for the holidays, but with my focus shifting on finding a different job here and settling in for the winter, it meant a change in my plans too. I had to get a few gifts, and I wanted to get started on it.

The jewelry store was the only place in mind, not for anything too dramatic—Mel and I weren't ready for any huge steps, and I didn’t want to scare her off. Though decidedly, in my mind, it was settled. She was my ride or die and that was that. I wanted to pick something beautiful she could wear as often as she wanted to remind herself that hope always springs to life after a tragedy, and that was what this was—hope rising.

I parked out in front and went in, noticing the sign on the door that said there were only fifteen minutes of shopping left. I gravitated toward necklaces first and saw one that was really beautiful, a diamond pendant surrounded by other stones of various colors. It was a birthstone necklace, but not quite fitting, especially since I didn't know when her twins were born. So I passed by it and found a few beautiful barrettes that would look good in her auburn hair.

"Ethan Sinclair, my God. That's a face I thought I'd never see again."

I raised my gaze from the glass display cases and saw a familiar face. Ruby Thorne stood with her perfectly manicured hands rested on the display case only a few feet away. She'd graduated the same year as me and went on to get married to a successful jeweler. I smiled politely and nodded.

"Hello." The problem with being the golden boy of Mistletoe Springs was that everyone knew me and my family and everything about us, while I knew very little other than my life on the road.

"I thought you were overseas with some charity." She moved closer, and I noticed the huge diamond on her finger, then the stunning barrette beneath her hands in the case.

"I am… I was… I'm here for a Christmas gift," I told her, changing the subject. When I looked up at her expecting some modicum of professionality, she surprised me with more personal talk.

"I heard your mom was sick…" Her eyes weren't showing concern, so this was clearly gossip, but it pricked something in my chest and I paused for a second. Mom wasn’t sick. I'd seen her only days ago and she was just fine.

"I'm not sure where you heard that."

"Oh, my book club… You know us ladies like to talk a bit." Ruby chewed on her gum and leaned on the counter, drumming it with her nails. "We're all just worried about her, you know? After she lost her mom so young and the poor woman had no grandchildren. It's a shame your mom could die young too. She's what, sixty?"

My chest constricted and I splayed my hand on the cool glass. I wanted to change the subject and ignore her fishing for information, but this was news to me. If Mom was sick and she hadn't told me, it was for a reason. She had been pushing me to settle down, though, and it worried me that something in this woman's words could even remotely be true.

"I think you've probably gotten some bad information." My eyes dropped to the barrette again, and I pointed at it. Gossiping about my aging parents wasn’t something I wanted to do. The town had enough rumors to keep them satisfied. I didn't need to add credit to them or get them aimed at me. Mom and Dad were basically local celebrities, and I had the decency to respect their privacy. "I want that barrette, please."

"Oh, is it for your mom?" she asked as she reached into her pocket and took out a key. She unlocked the glass case and opened the door and picked up the white box with the barrette in it.

"No, for someone else…" My mind whirred. Melody had lost her mom so young and it was so hard on her. My mom wasn't a spring chicken, but I thought she had so many years left in her. She was still feisty and even a bit controlling.

"Ah, you're dating?" Ruby was relentless, fishing for something juicy to tell her little book club, and I wasn't caving in tonight.

I was lost in my mind thinking of how my broken heart made me angry. It made me lash out and react harshly. I thought of Mom's reactions to things and how angry she got at times and saw myself in her. She'd lived through a trauma of her own and was dealing with that. Maybe that was why she was so moody. Losing her mother was what almost broke her.

"I think I want to get something for my mother too," I said, ignoring her prying questions. I walked back to the necklaces with birthstones around the center diamond and knew it was perfect. I could get her one and put my birthstone with those of my brothers, and she would love it. "This," I told Ruby, tapping the glass. “And can you have them ready in a few days? I'd like to give them as gifts on Christmas."

Ruby nodded and backed away, understanding that I wasn't going to feed the rumor mill at all. "I just need the stones that you want in them. And would you like them wrapped together or separate?" She locked one case then opened the other and pulled out the necklace box. Both boxes sat before me on the case, and I smiled with satisfaction.

"Separate, thank you," I told her as I pulled out my wallet. Both Mom and Melody would be happy with the gifts, though now I knew there were even more hard discussions to be had. If I was staying, it meant facing Mom’s frustration with me and telling my parents I was dating Melody even if they didn't like it.

They’d get over it eventually, but now I understood a bit more about Mom. Whether she was sick or not, I had to find out. I wasn't extremely worried. I knew how word got around this town and how people talked, but I did care. And stopping to think for a moment about her own emotional health and how she could possibly be hurting after something in her past gave me more sympathy for her and respect for her heart.

"Alright, I’ll get you rung up." Ruby walked away, and I leaned on the counter staring down at the barrette and necklace. These were just tokens of my affection and appreciation. The real work would be in managing my emotions and learning to love again after everything I'd been through. But it started now.

Melody and I were on the right path, and I was willing to fight to stay on it.