The Doctor

My husband left me—for a man. After five years of marriage, he told me the truth—that he’s gay. I didn’t see it coming, never noticed the signs. I thought we would be together forever, grow old together. The truth hit me like a freight train—and destroyed my self-confidence. Colton may not be my husband anymore, but he’ll always be my best friend. After months of space and a finalized divorce, I move across the hall and we have a new relationship as friends. Just when my life starts to feel normal—Finn walks in the door. He’s Colton’s older brother, a trauma physician in the military that’s just left his service and relocated to Seattle to work as an ER doctor. He moves in with Colton for a couple of weeks until he gets his new place. His entire body is covered in tattoos, and I know this because he never wears a shirt around the apartment. The guy is ripped, starts every morning with a hundred push-ups right in the middle of the living room. Anytime we’re alone together…the tension is suffocating. He stares at me across the table, and even when I catch his stare he keeps looking. With every passing day, it’s harder to be around him, this unspoken heat burning between us. I finally crack under the pressure. “Do—do you feel this too?” He stares with those coffee-colored eyes, his confidence as strong as a steel bar. “Yes.” Finn is my ex brother-in-law, completely off-limits, but I’ve never wanted anyone more in my life.