The silence stretched between the three of us like a wire about to snap.
Jay stood on the sidewalk, the dropped flowers scattered at his feet, his gaze moving between me and Xavier with the slow precision of someone piecing together a puzzle he hadn't known existed.
I watched the understanding settle into his expression—the intimate proximity, Xavier's hand that had just been on my face, the late hour and the parked car and everything it implied.
His expression was unreadable in the harsh orange light, but his eyes—those blue-green eyes that had haunted me since high school—were fixed on Xavier's hand still hovering near my face.
Xavier's jaw tightened as he registered who was standing outside the car. The hockey player from the game. The one who'd been watching Summer across the arena. The one who'd looked at her like she belonged to him.
The truth landed on both men at once, brutal and undeniable: I had been involved with both of them.
For one suspended moment, I thought the anger would come my way. Thought I'd have to defend myself against accusations of playing them, of stringing them along, of being the kind of woman who couldn't choose.
Instead, they turned on each other.
Two rivals recognizing a shared target, squaring off across the sidewalk like this was a competition they'd both decided to win.
I opened the car door first, stepping out to face Jay before this could escalate into something worse. The night air hit my skin, cold and sobering, and I positioned myself between them without quite meaning to.
"What are you doing here?" My voice came out steadier than I felt.
"Came to surprise you." Jay's tone was deceptively light, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth that didn't reach his eyes. He gestured vaguely at the scattered bouquet. "Clearly, I'm the one getting surprised. Though I have to say, the plot twist was unexpected."
Xavier exited the car behind me, closing the door with deliberate control. He positioned himself at my side with proximity that felt territorial—close enough to claim, far enough to appear casual.
"Is everything okay here?" His voice carried the measured authority of someone used to controlling rooms. "Summer, do you need me to…"
"Oh, everything's fine." Jay cut him off, stepping closer, his eyes never leaving Xavier's face. "Just a minor miscommunication. I thought I was the only one bringing flowers tonight, but apparently there's a waiting list I wasn't aware of."
"There's no waiting list." I started, but neither of them was listening to me anymore.
"I never doubted Summer's irresistibility," Jay continued, his smile sharpening into something dangerous. "She's extraordinary. Anyone with eyes can see that. I just have to admit…"
His gaze swept over Xavier with barely veiled contempt, cataloguing the expensive coat, the silver at his temples, the careful composure. "I didn't expect a pension fund to be my competition."
Xavier didn't flinch. "Interesting observation, coming from someone who treats relationships like hockey games. Win at all costs, move on to the next season. Tell me, how many women have you cycled through this year alone?"
"At least I don't need a job title and a corner office to make a woman notice me." Jay stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "At least I'm not lurking around hospital parking garages waiting to offer rides home like some kind of—"
"Like someone who cares about her safety?" Xavier's composure cracked, just slightly. "Unlike someone who shows up uninvited at her apartment in the middle of the night?"
"I came with flowers. You came with whatever this is." Jay gestured at the car, at the intimate scene he'd interrupted. "Tell me, is this how you usually close out your shifts? Drive the pretty interns home, see what happens?"
"You don't know anything about our relationship."
"I know enough." Jay's smile was sharp enough to cut. "I know you're too old for her. I know you've got that whole 'distinguished mentor' act down to a science. And I know that whatever you think is happening here, she deserves better than backseat conversations in parking lots."
"And she deserves better than a hockey player who probably can't remember her name by next season." Xavier's voice hardened. "How many women have gotten the flower treatment this month? Is there a rotation, or do you just work through them alphabetically?"
"At least I showed up. At least I'm trying. What's your excuse for skulking around in the dark?"
"My excuse is that I actually know her. I've been part of her life for months while you've been—what? Chasing her around the training facility like she's a puck you can't quite catch? Known her for a few weeks? I've watched her grow as a physician, supported her career, been there for her in ways you can't even comprehend."
The verbal sparring escalated, each man landing blows designed to diminish the other while staking his claim. Veiled insults wrapped in false politeness. Sarcasm dripping from every word. Two egos colliding while I stood between them, watching the absurdity unfold.
Neither of them was looking at me. Neither of them was asking what I wanted. They were too busy measuring themselves against each other, too busy proving who deserved me more—as if I were a trophy to be awarded rather than a person with my own choices to make.
Something inside me snapped.
"Stop."
My voice cut through their escalating argument, sharp enough to silence them both mid-sentence. They turned to me, finally, finally remembering that I was standing right there. That this entire ridiculous confrontation was supposedly about me.
"Both of you. Stop."
The silence that followed was deafening. I watched them register my expression—the fury that had replaced shock, the composure cracking into something fiercer and more dangerous than either of them had seen.
"You want to stand here comparing yourselves? Fine. Let me help."
I stepped forward, putting myself squarely between them.
"Xavier—you lied to me for six months. Hid a wife. Let me believe I was special when I was just convenient, just another secret you were keeping while you figured out your real life. You talk about commitment, but you couldn't even commit to telling me the truth."
His face went pale, but I wasn't finished.
"And Jay."
I turned to face him, watched him brace for impact.
"You didn't see me for four years. You're only here now because I finally look the way you think I should. Because I transformed myself into someone you could notice. Oh, and apparently, you have a fiancée too. A fact you conveniently forgot to mention until I found out from her."
Jay opened his mouth to respond, but I held up my hand.
"Neither of you gets to claim me." The words came out steady, absolute. "Neither of you has earned that right. Not through lies, not through belated attention, not through grand gestures or parked cars or flowers you drop on the sidewalk when things don't go your way."
I took a breath, steadying myself against the trembling that wanted to start in my hands.
"And if I choose anyone—if I choose anyone—it will be my decision. Not yours, not some competition you've decided to have on my sidewalk like I'm the prize at the end of a game."
The silence stretched between us, heavy with implications none of us knew how to address.
Xavier looked like I'd slapped him. Jay looked like he was seeing me clearly for the first time—not the beautiful woman he'd been pursuing, but the person underneath, with her own anger and her own agency.
"I want to be alone tonight." My voice was quieter now, but no less firm. "Both of you need to leave."
I didn't wait for their response. Didn't give them the chance to argue or apologize or make promises they couldn't keep. I turned, walked to my building's entrance, and pushed through the door without looking back.
Inside, I pressed my back against the cold metal, heart racing, mind spinning with the enormity of what I'd just done.
What had I gotten myself into? What would Nathan say when he found out about any of this? How had my life become this tangled mess of impossible choices and men who wanted to claim me without asking who I wanted to be?
Through the door, muffled but audible, I heard Jay's voice one more time:
"Nice car, by the way. Very sensible. Does it come with a senior discount?"
I closed my eyes and pressed my palms against the door.
Lord, give me strength.
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