“Who is Sheridan?”
“My…girlfriend.” I swallowed hard after saying it, because I’d never called a woman my girlfriend before.
“And how long have the two of you been together?
“Not long. A month or so.”
“And when was your last relationship prior to Sheridan?”
I pointed at a framed photo on the shelf. David and another man were standing in a place so beautiful that it hardly looked real. There were mountains covered in lush, green foliage and brilliant blue water in the background.
“This looks like Sweden,” I said.
“Is that where you’re from?”
“Yes.”
“That was taken very close to Sweden, in Norway. My brother and I took a two-week trip to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark a couple years ago.”
I cocked a brow and gave him a smile. “There. You told me something about you and now I will tell you something about me. I have never had a relationship before Sheridan.”
“Why is that?”
Shrugging, I walked back over to my chair and sat down. “I never wanted one.”
“And why do you want one now?”
“Because Sheridan is…special. And I have seen my friend Wes with his wife and wished I could have someone like her.”
“Do you think Sheridan is like her?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what she’s like.”
I wrapped my hand around the back of my neck and exhaled hard, trying to find the words to describe Sheridan.
“She is…different from me.” I waited, briefly hoping that would be enough of an answer for David, but he simply looked at me with a frustratingly patient expression, like he had all the time in the world to listen. “Beautiful. She is very beautiful, but also she does not find the things hard that are hard for me. Everyone likes her. She makes people feel…comfortable. And me—she makes me feel comfortable. And happy. She does not say she thinks I should change.”
“Have other women made you feel like they wanted you to change?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Women have tried to get me to be in relationships. They have told me I would be happy if we were…what is the word for just the two of us?”
“Exclusive?”
“Yes, exclusive. That I needed a wife to have my children and make a nice home for me.”
“You didn’t agree with them,” David said.
I shook my head, adamant. “I have Rosalina, my housekeeper. And I do not want children yet. It seemed like…” I paused, frowning. “Those women did not want to know me. They wanted to be married to a professional athlete with lots of money, and it did not matter which one.”
“Sheridan is different, though?”
“Much different. We watch movies in sweatpants, and she cleans off her makeup before we start the movie if it is nighttime. She…likes who she is. She does not try to impress me, even though she could try because she is much richer than I am.”
“Really?” For the first time since our session began, David sounded genuinely surprised.
“Yes. She is a supermodel.”
“Oh, wow. Right here in St. Louis?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. Can I make an observation, Lars?”
I waved my hand, prompting him to continue as I stated the obvious. “We are in your office. You do not need to ask me.”
He smiled. “That’s a fair point. I just wanted to point out that you’ve talked far more about Sheridan than anything else. It seems like when you are interested in something, and you want to talk about it, you’re insightful and engaged. So even though you told me you’re not good at talking, I don’t think that’s true across the board.”
“So I don’t have autism?”
After a single note of laughter, David said, “I don’t know yet. But we’ll begin with one session a week and schedule you for testing. I’ll need some time before I can give you an accurate diagnosis. Does that sound okay?”
“Yes. But I travel much for hockey, so it can be hard to schedule appointments.”
“We’ll figure it out. You took the first step by coming today.”
I sighed heavily. “Patience is hard for me.”
“Give me about a month, okay? I don’t want to rush things. And if you need to talk to me in between our weekly sessions, just call my office.”
“For extra talking?” I shook my head, not liking that idea at all. “That will not happen.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sheridan
* * *
I’d just finished a session with my physical therapist when my phone rang and I saw Hadley’s name on the screen. I wrapped a towel around my neck and answered as I headed to the locker room to change and get my things.
“Hey, Hadley!” I hadn’t talked to her in a week or so.
“Hi. How are you?”
“I’m good. What are you up to?”
“I’m about to go read to Annalise’s preschool class, but I was wondering if you were free this afternoon to do something with me.”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“There’s a new guy that just got traded to the team…Sawyer Cain.”
“I read about that. Lars hasn’t said much about him, though.”