From Ollie’s sister, Sydney, going missing when she was sixteen, never to be found, to Rex’s first wife leaving him to raise his little girl, Frankie Leigh, on his own, to my devastating failure.
But somehow, it’d only made us stronger. We gave each other nonstop shit, but our bond was unshakeable. Did my best to always look to the bright side for them, be the strong one they could count on even though sometimes that felt like deceit.
Truthfully, it wasn’t so hard to put a smile on my face.
I enjoyed my life.
I was . . . content.
Really, damned content.
I had everyone who surrounded me tonight.
A career that I gave everything to, where my heart wholly belonged, and I did my best to make that change.
All except for the piece of my heart that belonged to Frankie Leigh and Ryland—Rex and Rynna’s kids. My godbabies.
Frankie Leigh had me wrapped around all her wily little fingers, and when Ryland was born just six weeks ago, it was instant. The way I loved that kid.
“Are you about ready to get out of here?” Rex asked Rynna.
Lillith and Nikki both booed. “No, it’s early!” Nikki whined.
The guys and I had all gone to school with Lillith and Nikki. We’d known them forever, hung out now and again, but they hadn’t been a part of our tight-knit group until they’d become good friends with Rynna, which of course meant Broderick Wolfe was part of the mix as well since he was married to Lillith.
“Says the girl who doesn’t have to get up at five in the morning to nurse,” Rynna deadpanned.
“If you stay a little longer, I promise I’ll be there at five to take on the morning shift so you guys can sleep in and do whatever else it is you want to do.” She waggled her brows. Pure suggestion. “And I volunteer Lillith to join.”
She nudged Lillith with her elbow. “You’ll come, won’t you?”
“Um . . . for some Frankie and Ryland time? Absolutely.”
Rex glanced at Rynna. “I do believe these two have just been promoted to my new best friends.”
“Nice, write me off so easily. And on my big day,” I said with a quirk of my brow, lifting my tumbler of whiskey to my mouth.
Rex cracked a smile. “Hey, man, there are few things more important in life than sleep and sex. Nikki here is allowing me both. Boom. Best friends.”
An incredulous huff shot from my mouth. “Um, hello. This I know firsthand. I was an emergency room physician for the last three years, remember?”
Sleep had become my unicorn.
And sex had become my prize.
I allowed myself that pleasure. Getting lost in a willing body to forget about all the stress and trauma and horrible shit I saw every fucking day.
For a few hours, I’d let myself get lost.
Unbound and unchained.
No promises or commitments or loyalties that I couldn’t make.
Just . . . freedom.
Then I’d pass the hell out for hours.
It was enough to recharge and reboot. The push of knowing I could actually make some kind of difference in the middle of a fucked-up world. A world that continually marched forward in time, meting out tragedy after tragedy.
Truth was, I’d come to realize there were just as many miracles buried beneath the rubble as there were the disasters that had caused them in the first place.
For every heart broken, one was mended.
For every life lost, there was one to be saved.
So, my life was dedicated to saving.
Ollie shook his index finger at me, tatted knuckles flashing under the light.
Funny, how we all looked so different sitting around this table. Brody and I in suits. Clean-cut and shaven. Rex and Ollie a little rough. Clearly, not ones to be fucked with.
“Told you, you were gonna be a doctor when I broke my ankle out by the lake when we were twelve and you set it with a damned stick and your shirt. Think you actually owe me all the thanks since I was the one with the foresight to send you that direction.”
Amusement rippled across my lips. “Dude, you wish.”
“No wishing about it. I expect royalties.”
My brow lifted. “What, you think I’m some kind of celebrity?”
Laughter moved across his face. “Nah, man. Not even close. But they sure as hell seem to think so.”
My gaze moved over my shoulder in the direction he’d gestured to. A rowdy group of women took up the entire opposite end of the bar. Five or six high-top tables had been pushed together to accommodate them, cheers and toasts going up, their laughter and voices ringing through the atmosphere.
Winding with the band that played behind them.
Celebrating and free.
With a grin, I started to turn back to Ollie, to tell him I was refraining tonight, when my attention snagged, tripping up and tangling on a girl in their party.