Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 114951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Nathan took care of me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had to take my car in for service or even pump my own gas. I never had to ask to buy a thing — the money was there, and he wanted me to spend it. You don’t have to worry about anything, sweetheart, he said to me often.
But I did worry.
Because I never knew which version of him would come home.
I was a kept woman, and I should have been thankful. This was what I’d wanted — security, dependability, love. And he did love me. He loved me so fiercely he sometimes acted like a monster, only to grimace at his own actions and drop to his knees, crawling to me and clinging to my legs to beg for forgiveness and understanding.
Most of the time, my life was picture perfect.
But it didn’t matter how rare the bad times were — they still screamed so loudly I couldn’t ignore them if I tried.
And it felt like a repeat of how I’d begged my mother to wake up and walk away, except this time, I was beating on my own ribcage instead of her door.
My phone buzzing on an unopened box snapped me from my thoughts, and the first genuine smile of the day found me when I saw my little brother’s face on the screen. It was a photo of us at his college graduation, him in his cap and gown, and me in a white dress Nathan had picked out for me. Georgie had me tucked under his arm with a proud grin, and I leaned into his side with a closed-lip smile.
“Why hello, Doctor Campbell.”
Georgie’s laugh made my heart squeeze. “Still have quite a few years before I earn that title. Haven’t even gotten into rotations yet.”
“Well, the title should be yours based off the amount of hours you put into studying alone.” I put the phone on speaker before opening the next box of books. “I’m surprised you even find time to call me.”
“You know I always have time for my big sis. How’s it going in Florida? Been to the beach yet?”
“Have you seen how pale I am? Not exactly my scene.”
“I think that’s the whole point of going — to get a tan.”
“I don’t tan,” I said with a laugh. “I was cursed with our mother’s skin.”
I regretted the words as soon as I said them, because of course that meant I was insinuating that Georgie’s skin tone, so effortlessly bronze even in the wintertime, came from his father.
And I knew he wished he had nothing to do with that man.
It was part of the reason he was George Campbell now, the same way I’d changed my name from Ridley to Campbell after the whole ordeal, too. Campbell was our mother’s maiden name, and we claimed it the way we wished we’d been able to claim her before it was too late.
“But, I will say, I’m excited to spend some time in our pool.”
“Fancy pants,” Georgie said with a whistle. “Got a pool in your backyard. Did you ever think you’d see the day?”
I chuffed a laugh. “Hardly. I still feel like I’m the same person I was when you and I were living off SpaghettiOs.”
“I still love those things,” Georgie said with a hum. “Don’t judge me, but I have a whole stash at my dorm. It’s the best late-night study snack.”
“Would you advise your patients to eat them?”
“Absolutely not,” he said. “But they don’t need to know my personal business.”
I chuckled. “I miss you.”
“Miss you, too. You still going to come visit for your birthday?”
My stomach soured then. “Nathan thinks we should have a big party here, since it’s the holiday and everything. Great way to get all the staff together before the playoff race really kicks in.”
There was a brief pause on the phone before Georgie cleared his throat. “Well, Nathan certainly knows what’s best for business.”
The phrasing struck me as odd, stiff in a way Georgie rarely was, but I let it go. “Would you want to come here? I know you have your own friends and life there, that school has you tied up… but we have a room here with your name on it.”
“Are you kidding, Ri? I wouldn’t miss it for anything. My big sister is turning forty. I gotta party with you before your back and knees give out.”
I balked, but was fighting off laughter of my own as my brother guffawed. “Oh, you think you’re so funny with the old jokes, huh? Hate to break it to you, kid, but this will be you one day, too.”
“Nah, I’m too beautiful to age.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” I said, still laughing.
“So… how was it seeing Shane again?”
That had my smile melting like snow under a blow dryer. I turned my focus back to unpacking. “What do you mean?”