Free Tessa's Wishes (Whispered Wishes #3) by Karen Pokras

shame we left so soon,” Ava agreed. “The food at those things are always one of the highlights. I just figured you’d want to get out of there.”
     Tessa shrugged. “Maybe, although it’s probably best we left when we did. There was a chance Dr. Gigolo might have met Ms. Fist if we stayed any longer.” She turned abruptly to face her other sister. “You see, Holly? This is why I didn’t want to call him. ‘ Call him, Tessa. He’s just respecting your wishes to go slow. Face your fears. Don’t you want a father figure for Sophie?’” Licking the inside of her glass, she tried to get every last drop of ice cream out. “You know,” she continued, “I should have gone with my gut. I knew something was off with him. My gut never lies. My gut told me Sophie and I were just fine living comfortably on our own.”
    “You mean living locked up in the fortress you built around you that no one can penetrate,” Holly corrected, filling a bowl with pretzels.
    “At least one good thing came out of this night,” Tessa told her sisters. “The good ‘ole doc got to see me in this gorgeous dress after all. Isn’t that what you said before we left, Ava? Too bad you can’t wear that on your date with him tomorrow? Looks like your wish came true … sort of. It wasn’t a date, and it’s not tomorrow night, but he did get to see me looking mighty fine. ” She picked her now empty glass and began twirling it around to catch her reflection. Yup, Cinderella went to the ball all right, except before her coach could turn into a pumpkin, her prince turned into a rat.
    Ava pursed her lips together and took the cup away from her before it broke. “It’s not entirely what I intended, but … well …” A tiny laugh escaped her lips. “You did walk away looking damn good that’s for sure. I still can’t believe he’s married. I don’t think any of us saw that coming. How could we?”
     “Seriously,” Holly said, sitting back down as she placed the snacks on the table. “I admit it, I was way off base with this guy. I mean … shit, married ? Major asshole.”
    “Serious major asshole,” Ben interjected, walking in the room. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I know it’s your sacred girl time and all. I just couldn’t help but overhear some of that. You ladies are being kind of loud. No offense.” Putting an arm around Tessa’s shoulders, he leaned in close. “Don’t forget what I told you the other day. You deserve the best, and this guy is far from it. He’s the sludge they scrape off of the machine parts down at the plant at the end of the day. You want me to send some of my guys over to the hospital parking lot after his shift ends to mess with him?”
    “Are you a thug leader now?” Holly asked, smirking.
    He stood back up and swiped a handful of pretzels out of the bowl before hopping up on the counter. “No, I just don’t like seeing Tessa get screwed over. She’s like my little sister.”
    “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass,” Tessa noted. “Besides, he’s just going to keep doing this whether you mess up his pretty face or not. He’ll wait for the next single, unsuspecting girl to walk through his exam room, act like he gives a damn about her kid, and make his move. You think he cares about me, or the next girl, or the one after that? He’s only interested in one thing.”
    “What a scumbag,” Ava said, shaking her head.
    “That’s Dr. Scumbag,” Holly added, snickering.
    “Anyway,” her oldest sister continued, “you handled yourself amazingly; with dignity and class … and daggers.” She looked up at Ben. “You should have seen the look she gave him. It was priceless. Right in front of his wife, too. Very subtle, but strong. I would have been a blubbering mess if it were me.” She reached across the table for Tessa’s hands and gave them a squeeze.
    “Guys like that aren’t worth crying over,” Tessa stated, smiling at her sister. “In fact, the older I get, the