Moments (Breath of Life Book 3) by Sara Marion Read Free Book Online Page B

same exact questions? It just irritated him.
     
    His door opened and Duke whipped his head up to see who it was. The pain following caused him to wince.
     
    "Hey there, how you feeling?" Jack asked as he took his seat.
     
    "I've been better, how'd you know I was here?"
     
    "I got a call from Susie. When I brought Paxton in this morning, I thought I would check on you. So we found out what room you were in. I figured you needed a ride, so here I am."
     
    "I see."
     
    "I wasn't sure if you would be up and ready to go or what. I've just been hanging out, watching some TV." Jack nodded towards the TV. Duke didn't even realize it was on, probably because it was muted.
     
    "The doctor should be coming in shortly. The nurse just came in to check on me. It might be a couple more hours," Duke informed him.
     
    "Not too bad then," Jack turned his attention back to television that.
     
    "If you want you can turn it up. I can't get back to sleep anyways."
     
    "You look tired. I guess they kept you up most of the night?"
     
    "You could say that," Duke stared at the TV. He remembered seeing Paxton's ring on her finger. "Why are you here?"
     
    "I told you, Susie called me."
     
    "I know that Jack, but why are you here helping me? Why are you and Paxton trying so hard to help me out? Is she the one that told you to sit here with me? Does she want you to figure out where I stand with her?"
     
    Jack flipped off the TV. Duke knew it wasn't the time to address the issues between them but he just needed to know. Hopefully he would still have a ride home at the end of it. He watched Jack take a moment to form his answer. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands together. He looked Duke in the eye. "What's going on between you and Paxton, that's your business to handle. You two have unresolved issues. I'm sure some, if not all are because of my actions. I regret walking out on Paxton and I'm ever so thankful for you. You took care of her when I didn't. When she got out of the institution, you were still there while I was in New York, running away from her. I ran and it took my father dying for me to realize that grief," he paused staring blanking at the wall. "It takes it toll on a person, it changes them and that's what you're still dealing with. Because you took care of Paxton, you put your own grief on hold. She tore you apart when she told you about the baby. I don't condone you yelling at Paxton and tearing her down like you did the other night, but I understand that you are grieving and I'm going to chalk it up to that. I won't fix what's going on between you two, I have no intention to. I can't force it or I'll lose one of you in the end and I don't want that to happen. So I'm here to be your friend, because you need me. I'm not running or turning my back on you, Duke. You're my best friend."
     
    Duke stared at Jack. He didn't know how to reply to that. He heard the sincerity in Jack's voice. It brought Duke back to the place he was at the bar and grill when he knew he needed to work things out between them. "Congrats, by the way," Duke finally said.
     
    "For what?"
     
    "Your engagement. It hurts man, I'm not going to lie. I fell in love with Paxton. I was falling hard and then you came back. I crashed and burned and everything hurt. She threw me aside for you. After everything I did, she forgot about it, including my love. That's what hurts the most."
     
    Jack didn't say anything but he nodded. "I'm sorry."
     
    "Looks like we are at a crossroads. We stepped over the lines of friendship into dangerous territories. Let's take a few steps back and try to remember why I became friends with you," Duke joked. He had a feeling this was a place they were going to start over at.
     
    "It's going to take some time, especially with you and Paxton at ends but I think it's worth the try. Just don't expect miracles overnight. Paxton is very upset with you and I'm walking a fine line here," Jack looked