Jace stood in the tastefully appointed employee lounge, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. He could have asked Carol to bring him some, but she’d taken to regarding him with such naked sympathy that he was currently avoiding her.
“You look like refried hell.” Reed made this observation from the doorway.
Jace flipped his brother the bird without looking up.
“Fair enough,” Reed said. “But you’re starting to bring down office morale. What do you think about taking a few days off?”
That suggestion caused a hot stab of panic. Work at least gave Jace something to distract him from the fact that Mia hadn’t called and wouldn’t answer his calls. Without his job... “No.”
“Okay, but it’s been two weeks. If this keeps up, the family will have to hold an intervention, and you know how Heath feels about ‘people’ and ‘feelings.’”
Maybe Heath was onto something. At the moment, Jace wished he had considerably fewer feelings. Being numb would hurt a hell of a lot less.
“You can remind Heath that I’ll be in the field next week, anyway, so no one here will have to deal with my feelings.”
Reed sighed. “Maybe the change of scenery will help.”
No, what would help would be Mia changing her mind. He knew she loved him, and he didn’t think one fight should keep them apart. Couples compromised and found ways to move forward, didn’t they? He glanced at his brother, thinking about Reed’s acrimonious divorce. Maybe not.
“There’s actually one other order of business, but I don’t think you’re going to like it. Someone’s here to see you,” Reed said cautiously.
“Who?” It couldn’t be Mia because his brother would have told him that immediately. Yet, even knowing that, part of him still hoped Reed would say it was her.
“Shari Freeman.”
“Mia’s best friend.”
Reed nodded, having heard about her from both Mia and Jace.
Once before, Jace had enlisted Shari’s help at winning Mia’s forgiveness. Was there any chance of doing so again? He rejected the idea almost instantly. Mia had said she wanted a partnership. Well, so did he. But that came from two people meeting in the middle, not one person constantly begging the pardon of the other.
“I had Carol show her to the Opal Room.”
“Thanks.” Jace walked there with the halting resignation of a condemned man. Shari coming all this way was not a good sign.
She was seated at the small conference table, her expression unreadable.
Instead of a polite greeting, he blurted, “How is she?”
“Better than you look. Marginally.” Shari slid a small blue jewelry box across the surface of the table. “I told you not to hurt her.”
“That wasn’t my intention. I love her.” He sank into the chair opposite her. “You know that.”
Sympathy shone in her brown eyes. “Yeah, I do.”
“Just between you and me, do you really think what I did was so wrong?”
Her eyes narrowed, the sympathy gone. “Ah, but it’s not between you and me. It’s her feelings you have to take into consideration, and you didn’t. You treated her feelings like they were unimportant.”
Not unimportant. But not more important than keeping her healthy and safe, keeping her clinic secure and her pregnancy stable.
“Anyway. The ring was too valuable to send in the mail, and she wanted to make sure you received it in person.”
But didn’t want to bring it herself. He swallowed. “She and I were supposed to attend childbirth classes together.”
“That’s still the plan, as far as I know. You’re still the baby’s father, and Mia still wants you in your child’s life. Just not in hers, not like that.”
His throat tightened, and he couldn’t find his voice.
Shari rolled her chair back and stood. “See you around,” she said gently.
She’d reached the doorway when he asked, “Do you think there’s any chance she’ll change her mind?”
Regarding him over her shoulder, she sighed. “Do you think you’ll change yours?”
Shari picked up the remote control and paused the movie they were watching—well, the movie she was watching. Mia hadn’t heard any of the dialogue in the past ten minutes. “I’ve been patient,” Shari said, “but now I’m starting to worry that your head will explode. Just ask about it already.”
Mia considered feigning confusion, but that would be an insult to Shari’s intelligence. “I don’t want to.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I don’t want to want to,” she amended in a small voice. She wished she could curl up in a protective ball, but that wasn’t feasible since her stomach currently was a protective ball.
“Oh, honey. I know.” Shari rubbed Mia’s shoulder. “If it helps, he looked rough.”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, as rough as a really hot rich guy can.”
“Hey!” Mia managed a bark of outraged laughter. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”
“Yours, obviously. Which I made clear to him. But being on your side means wanting to see you happy. He made you very happy.”
Yes, he did. When he wasn’t making major life decisions for her and ignoring her wishes “If Adwin decided to surprise you with, say, a new parking lot without talking to you or renovated your kitchen, what would you do?”
Shari’s mouth thinned into a hard line.
“So you understand where I’m coming from,” Mia said.
“Of course I do. But in the bozo’s defense, you were lying in a hospital bed. I’m sure he felt powerless. He wasn’t in his right mind, and he doesn’t have a medical degree, so he latched on to something he actually could do.”
“And now that I’m not in a hospital bed and he’s had time to come around?” Mia prodded. “When you talked to him, did he say he was sorry? Did he seem like he regretted it?”
Shari opened her mouth, closed it, then punched the play button on the remote control.
Yeah. That’s what I was afraid of. The movie resumed, and Mia did her best to watch it through watery eyes, her friend’s silence confirming her fears. Nothing had changed.
Including how much she loved him. And how hard it was to fall asleep at night without telling him about her day. And how much she wanted to tell him about the tiny, bubbly sensation in her abdomen that might be indigestion but might also be their baby moving around, beginning to make his or her presence known.
This constant ache sucked.
The only thing worse than not being with him was the fear that if she forgave him, she’d be condoning this pattern of behavior for their future.
She could never be happy with a man who made her feel like a bystander in her own life—not even one who was charming, rich and unbelievably sexy.
“Oh my God, you’re pregnant.” Somehow, despite everything that had happened, Dylan sounded genuinely surprised.
Scowling, Mia pushed past her brother. “You knew that, dummy.”
“I know. But this is the first time I’ve seen you that you’re actually starting to look it.” His tone turned awestruck. “I’m going to be an uncle again. I miss when Kimber was little and thought I was cool.”
“You mean before she grew up enough to realize the truth?”
“Exactly.” Dylan was slow to close the front door, peering outside as if hoping to see someone else.
Mia sighed in exasperation. “I told Dad it was just going to be me.”
“Yeah, I know. But things could have changed.”
“Nope. As I told our father and Leigh and now you, Jace and I aren’t seeing each other anymore. Not romantically, anyway.”
“That’s a real shame, sis.” Dylan looked genuinely saddened. “Ian and I like him.”
“You mean you liked his net worth,” she grumbled.
“Hey. We really bonded when we talked to him in his office. He’s a decent guy.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” Leigh marched into the foyer, wagging her finger at her brother-in-law. “What was our one rule for tonight? No discussing the J word. She’s barely in the house, and you’ve already screwed up. Ian! Can you come have a word with your lunkhead brother?”
Ian poked his head around the corner. “What did you do, lunkhead? Hey, Mia. Wow, look at you. My kid sister’s gonna be a mom,” he said affectionately.
In a stage whisper, Leigh told her husband, “Dylan’s already brought up the J word.”
Ian stepped forward to smack his brother on the back of the head. “Dude. We had one rule.”
Mia laughed in spite of herself. She loved her family, even if her brothers were a couple of lunkheads. They were overprotective and often misguided, but bighearted and fiercely loyal. Is Jace really so different? She could imagine either of her brothers doing what he’d done, if they’d had access to the same kind of funds.
Her brothers had overstepped many times in her life, yet she’d always forgiven them. Was she being too hard on Jace? The thought unsettled her.
“Are you going to hurl?” Dylan asked, taking a step back. “That’s a thing with pregnant women, right? You look queasy.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not queasy. Just second-guessing whether I should have stayed home tonight.”
“And miss quality time with your favorite brother?” Dylan dropped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t be silly.”
Allowing her brother to draw her into the kitchen, she pushed thoughts of Jace aside. Or at least, as far to the sides of her consciousness as she could manage, which was about two degrees left of dead center. It was sweet of Leigh to coach everyone not to bring up Jace, but it was ultimately pointless. He was with Mia either way.
“All done with the dinner crowd.” Jace held out the checklist Fiona had given him. Most of the dogs at the shelter had the same food regimen, to make mealtimes easier, but some had special dietary or medical needs, so volunteers had to carefully read over instructions.
Fiona had been brushing a large rust-colored dog who would be very regal-looking once he was less tangled. She rose and took the clipboard from Jace. “Thanks. I’ll put this in the office. You heading out?”
Was it pathetic that he stalled at the shelter most evenings because it kept him from getting home too soon? The hours after work and before bedtime were lonely and left way too much time to wonder what Mia was doing and whether he should call her. And then there was bedtime, which was excruciating. The nights Brooke was too fussy to sleep were turning out to be the easiest since he welcomed the distraction of either staying up with her or keeping Reed company.
“I don’t have to go yet, if there’s anything else you need,” he offered. In addition to keeping him busy, volunteering made him feel somehow more connected to Mia, even though she had no idea he was here. He stayed away from the weekend adoption fairs, though, imagining her reaction if she felt cornered.
“If you want to finish brushing out Bear, I need to go through Chewy’s training exercises.” Her face twisted. “Such a sweet baby, but he’s been returned to the shelter by two different families.”
“That’s awful.” Jace knew how excited everyone was when a pet was adopted, hopeful they’d found their “fur-ever” home. The thought of one being rejected afterward was crushing. “Does that happen a lot?”
“More than we’d like. Chewy gets excited and jumps on people, not realizing his own size. He knocked the owner’s kid down twice. He means well, but he wasn’t trained as a puppy, and he has no impulse control. He acts on what he wants and leaves wreckage in his wake, most recently including a broken chair, an entire roast and a scraped-up six-year-old.”
“So what happens now?” Jace was almost afraid to ask.
“We’re working with him in the hopes that the third time will be the charm. It’s harder to train dogs once they’re adults, but not impossible. He’s smart and loyal and affectionate. If I can just teach him to listen, he’ll make the perfect family pet.”
She handed Jace the dog brush and disappeared back to the kennels. A few minutes later, she emerged with a shaggy leashed dog, who was trying to bound into the courtyard. Fiona wouldn’t let him drag her along, but it was obviously a struggle, given Chewy’s size. Jace watched as she walked the dog around in a slow, deliberate circle, stopping whenever he tried to exuberantly pull ahead. Then she practiced setting a treat in front of him and making him wait before he gobbled it down.
It would never have occurred to Jace to compare himself to an untrained mutt, but was this how Mia saw him? Someone with no impulse control who didn’t know how to listen? It was not a flattering view of himself. You’re projecting. Not everything was about his relationship with Mia. Or lack thereof.
“Mr. Malone, is that you?” A young blonde woman had entered the restricted section of the shelter, her face nearly obstructed by a box of blankets and toys.
“Amanda?”
The vet tech peeked around the edge of the box. “Yep, it’s me. Just making a delivery. Sometimes when one of our patients crosses the rainbow bridge, the families give us the like-new items that still have a lot of use in them. So...”
“Here.” He took the box from her. “I’ll let Fiona know.”
“Thanks! It’s funny running into you because I had this whole plan worked out where I was going to stop by Shari’s restaurant and sneakily get your number from her.”
“Uh, my number?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “The clinic staff is throwing a surprise baby shower for Dr. Z. We wanted to invite you.”
He froze, not sure how to respond. His first instinct was to say he would absolutely be there, followed a millisecond later by an equally strong instinct to say he would absolutely not be there because he didn’t want to upset Mia. Ideally, he would ask her whether it was okay with her, but that would spoil the surprise. He really wished he could discuss it with her.
It was a barbed realization—that he would readily seek her opinion over something as simple as a party invite but that he’d conveniently disregarded it when meddling with her livelihood. He could have asked, could have pleaded his case without catching her off guard. He could have offered her a no-interest loan with a formal contract that respected her boundaries. He could have suggested some kind of silent partnership, even though he was quite sure that after what happened with Drew, she would have said no.
However, if she’d demurred, he could have used his tact and negotiating experience to persuade her that the financial assist was just him doing his part for the pregnancy. Honestly, she was doing all the hard stuff. He still believed that paying off her loan and giving her less to worry about for the remainder of the pregnancy had been the right thing to do, but she was a reasonable woman. So he probably could have convinced her of that, given enough time and compromise.
I handled this badly.
“Mr. Malone?”
“I’ll definitely be there,” he told Amanda. “Just give me the day and time.”
“I know it looks bad because of the swelling,” Mia consoled the tearful woman, “but the fact that he was bitten on the face is actually a good thing.”
The panicked dog owner had come in with a husky mix who’d been bitten on the nose by a poisonous snake. Luckily, the fangs had hit bone. If the bite had been elsewhere, or it had been a smaller dog...
“He’s already showing a little improvement with the antihistamines, and we’ve given him antibiotics.” Mia petted the dog between the ears. “You need to keep him under close observation, but it’s probable the meds we’re giving him now will be all he needs. The only additional course of treatment I could suggest is antivenom, but truthfully, it’s very expensive. I hesitate to recommend it in a case like this, where we got lucky with the bite location.”
The woman took a steadying breath. “Ranger is family. If his chances of recovery are better with the antivenom, it’s worth the cost.”
“I know what you mean,” Mia said. “In your place, I would make the same decision.” She recalled telling Jace that throwing money at problems didn’t solve them. That was true. But being able to afford solutions was nothing to take for granted.
Jace had been in a unique position to help the woman he loved. Maybe part of her anger had stemmed from knowing she couldn’t have done the same for him. She simply didn’t have the resources, but the clinic took in donations all the time for local shelters and pet foster homes. It wasn’t a failing to need help.
“Thanks again for staying open to see us.” Ranger’s owner sniffled, but she’d stopped crying. “It was so late in the day, and the nearest animal hospital would have taken me another twenty minutes. I was really scared.”
Mia gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure. Ranger’s lucky to be so loved.”
“Maybe.” She hugged the dog. “But I’m just as lucky to have him.”
Mia surreptitiously wiped at her own eyes. Crying on the job would be highly unprofessional.
Once she was finished with Ranger, it was time to lock up the clinic. She went into the lobby, where Amanda was doing some filing behind the counter.
“You didn’t have to stay late,” Mia told the tech. She hoped Amanda wasn’t still feeling unnecessarily guilty about that day at the festival.
“It was no problem. Just finishing up a few tasks.” Amanda stood. “But before I leave, there is one thing I wanted to get your opinion on.”
“Sure.” The way the woman had phrased it, Mia wasn’t sure if this was animal-related or a personal issue.
She still wasn’t sure a moment later, when Amanda walked away, toward one of the extra exam rooms that would be seeing a lot more use once Mia hired another vet. Dr. Kline had recommended a friend who’d recently moved from Nevada, and Mia had an interview set with the man next week.
“Amanda? Is something wrong with the equipment?” At least equipment could be replaced. If it was something structural, like a leak in the roof or—
“No, no. Nothing’s wrong,” Amanda was quick to assure her. “Just kind of odd. So I thought you should probably see it.” She swung the door open.
“Surprise!” People spilled out of the room like it was a clown car, and Mia blinked, startled to see not only the staff members she’d thought had left for the day but also Shari and Leigh and Fiona from the local shelter. Some people were holding balloons; others had gift bags and wrapped boxes in their hands.
“What is going on?” Mia asked.
“Happy baby shower!” Amanda said, looking pleased with herself.
“You guys...” Mia was speechless. Her eyes welled up again. At least this time, there were no clients to witness it.
As Leigh hugged her, she whispered, “I’ll still be throwing you a shower at a later date, but when Amanda called me, I thought you could use a cheery event. And extra diapers. You can never, never have too many diapers.”
Mia laughed. “Noted.”
Shari was next to hug her. “I wasn’t sure Amanda would be able to keep the secret, but I guess she did, because you should see your face. I brought snacks, by the way.”
“Of course you did,” Mia said affectionately.
Everyone made their way to the lobby, where there was more room, and her staff began producing cups and plates and party favors from various hiding spots that amused and impressed her. A centerpiece that looked like a two-tiered cake, but was actually made of folded diapers, appeared from somewhere. Leigh caught Mia’s eye and gave her a thumbs-up sign.
There was a knock on the locked glass door at the end of the lobby, and Mia tried to remember if she’d turned the sign to “Closed.” As long as it wasn’t another emergency on par with the snakebite, one of her staff could turn whoever it was away. Amanda opened the door, and Mia expected to hear the woman say they weren’t seeing any more patients today. Instead, the tech ushered in Jace Malone.
“Our other guest has arrived,” Amanda said happily. “Better late than never.”
Leigh and Shari exchanged glances, both of them stepping forward to flank Mia.
“J-Jace.” God, he looked good. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, and the faint beard covering his jaw was ruggedly sexy. Now that it was autumn, he was paler than when they’d met, making his blue eyes appear brighter than ever.
“Hi, everyone.” He smiled, but his tone was wary. He held a large gift bag in front of him. “Is there a place I can put this?”
Amanda gestured to a folding table where Fletcher was arranging gifts and what looked like mildly embarrassing party games.
“I had no idea she invited him,” Shari whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Mia took a deep breath. “We’re starting birthing class soon, anyway. It’s not like I can avoid him forever.”
“Very mature of you,” Leigh said approvingly. “But if you don’t want to talk to him, we’ll run interference.”
Mia turned her head from side to side, grateful for the moral support. “I love you both.” And she loved Jace, despite her best efforts not to. She swallowed back a lump of emotion, trying her best to look composed as she walked toward him.
His gaze on her was so hungry that she shivered. He didn’t have to tell her he’d missed her. She could feel it, a powerful, palpable draw that sent liquid heat through her veins. She half suspected that if she turned around, Shari and Leigh would be fanning themselves.
“Mia.” He drank in the sight of her, as if cataloging every minute change since he’d seen her last, and it made her feel simultaneously self-conscious and powerful. “Can I talk to you alone for a moment?”
Gulp. If he got her alone, would they be able to stick to just talking? “Okay.” She glanced over her shoulder, considering the very private exam rooms. “Um. How about we step outside? I could use some air.”
Following him out onto the sidewalk, she shoved her hands in her pockets—not because she was cold, but because that made it easier for her to keep her hands to herself.
“First of all,” he began, “I wasn’t sure if you would want me here. Say the word, and I’ll go. I’ve already put in an appearance and left a gift, so if you want to make my excuses to Amanda, tell her I had a work emergency or—”
“No, I’m glad you’re here. I really am,” she said slowly, feeling the truth of the words. She was nervous but not angry. If he’d walked into her clinic a couple of weeks ago, she might have resented it. It was different now. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”
“About me being a high-handed jackass?”
“Yes. At first. But recently, it’s just been about how much I miss you.”
He took a step closer. “I’ve missed you. We got our certification.”
“Jace, that’s fantastic! You must be so excited.”
“You would think. But while we were popping champagne at the office, I kept staring at my phone, wanting to call you, wanting to share the victory with the person who knows how much it means to me. Just like I should have understood exactly what your clinic means to you.” His tone was regretful.
Her heart leaped with hope. “Does that mean that if you had it to do over again...?”
“I’d wait until I had your permission.”
“And if I didn’t give it?”
He took another step closer, his voice low. “I’d convince you.”
Her knees went weak. Hell, yes, he would.
“I’ve made myself a better person than I used to be,” he told her, “but I’ll never be perfect. I’m still going to act on instinct and do impulsive things without always remembering to check with others.”
She recalled going to bed with a cowboy she’d just met. “Spontaneity isn’t all bad.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that, because I recently adopted a large, badly behaved dog.”
“Jace!”
“Don’t worry. I know it’s a lifetime commitment, and I’m ready for it. You’re going to love him,” he said fondly. “In addition to having Fiona out to the Triple Pine to work with him, I’ve enrolled Chewy and me in formal training classes. I believe in him, and by the time the baby is born, Chewy is going to be a model family pet. But even if he’s not, I will love him anyway. Just like I hope you’ll love me anyway. Despite my screwups.”
Her heart melted. “I think I can do that,” she murmured, “if you can love me despite my being stubborn and fiercely independent and occasionally irritable.”
“You?” He looked skyward. “I hadn’t noticed.”
She laughingly jabbed him in the side, and the second they came into contact, her world shifted. Like those half-cast days when she didn’t even realize it was cloudy until the sun suddenly broke through, nearly blinding in its brightness. She stared up at him, wondering if he’d felt it, too.
His eyes were ablaze with the same love and lust and light rushing through her. “You gotta quit looking at me like that, Doc. Or we’re not going to make it back inside.”
She closed the distance between them. “My car’s parked in the back.” Out of view from the street or the lobby.
When they rejoined the party ten minutes later, Shari did a double take at Mia’s flushed cheeks and rumpled hair.
“And where have you been?” Shari asked.
“Just following your advice.”
Shari raised an eyebrow.
Mia grinned. “Having fun.”
Keep reading for an excerpt from Breaking the Bad Boy’s Rules by Reese Ryan.