Page 31 of Dr. Attending

Her acceptance settles deep in my chest, releasing some of the guilt I’ve carried for too long. And for the second time today, I find myself saying two words in the English language that sound incredibly trivial but mean so much.

“Thank you.”

Her thumb strokes my shoulder affectionately, and it feels like another shift is happening between us—one I can’t quite place.

“You don’t have to thank me, Wes.”

Silence settles in the dark room for a while before Caroline breaks it again. “Parker told me about what happened. Is that why you named your son Carter?”

A bittersweet smile tugs at my lips, grateful that I don’t have to explain the saga again. Grateful that she reminded me of the light that came from all of the darkness.

“Yeah,” I answer, picturing my friend’s face so vividly in my mind after all this time. “I wanted to be reminded that I don’t come first anymore. Plus, he was always a good-looking bastard, and I figured I’d try to manifest that for my son.”

Caroline snorts, but instead of teasing me, she squeezes my shoulder again. “Thank you for putting us both first tonight.”

Chapter 12

Caroline

The creaky front door to the lake house feels heavier than I remember as I swing it open. Either I’m getting weak because all I do is sit behind a desk and study, or I’m in such a daze from the past twelve hours that my body is no longer functioning properly.

I drop my Weekender bag on the entryway floor, leaving the door open for Weston as I scan the too-quiet space. I offered to help unload the car, but he told me to go ahead while he tried to settle Carter down.

It’s almost ten in the morning, so I figured everyone would be up by now. Theyshouldbe up by now, considering the caterers are supposed to be here by noon, according to Cassidy’s meticulously detailed schedule.

Right as I’m about to yell for someone to come help with the bags, my sister comes barreling down the stairs in a pink satin pajama set.

Claire stops herself right before she runs into me, juggling a pack of IV tubing in one hand and a massive bag of saline in the other.

“Oh, hey,” she chirps, her lips curling into a smirk that promises trouble. “Nice of you to finally join us.”

I shouldn’t be surprised that she decided to choose violence rather than offering me a simple greeting. It’s par for the course with an older sister who loves to stir the pot.

“What happened in here?”

Solo cups litter the hardwood floors, half-empty suitcases line the knotty pine walls, and streams of toilet paper hang like festive garlands from the antler chandelier. Clearly they didn’t waste any time yesterday before they got the party started.

Claire ignores my question, her face twisting as she looks me over. “What happened toyou? You look terrible.”

A crying baby who couldn’t be soothed for the last leg of our drive this morning—that’s what happened.

I have no idea how people with kids do it. I wasn’t even in the back seat managing Carter’s inconsolable wails, but I was more stressed than I’ve been in my life. It was like my body was in a constant state of tension, and I couldn’t do anything to relieve it. And as fucked up as it sounds, all I could think about for two hours was the fact that I was grateful that this wasn’t my life. That there was an end in sight. Because as cute as Carter is, I’m just not cut out for motherhood.

At least not yet.

I glance over my sister’s shoulder at the mirror above the entryway table.

She’s right—I do look terrible. The only thing that makes me appear remotely presentable is the oversized blue button-down that I tucked into a pair of pleated white shorts. Otherwise, I’ve definitely seen better days because my hair is so frizzy that it could have gotten me cell service last night, and the bags undermy eyes are so dark that I could realistically be mistaken for a raccoon.

“Thanks, C. Really feeling the love,” I reply, letting out an exhausted sigh. “Where is everyone?”

“Big boy is still asleep,” she says, glancing up the stairs toward her bedroom. “He needs to get his beauty rest before his big debut as a wedding officiant today.”

“I was thinking more like the bride and groom.”

I’m sure my tone sounds snippy, but I don’t mean it to be. I just feel guilty that I’m here later than I intended, and I want to make sure Cassidy and Parker have what they need to have the best day possible . . . well, I want to make sure Cassidy has the best day possible. My brother is still on the top of my shit list.

“Ohhhh. Why didn’t you just say so?” My sister’s mouth tilts into a teasing grin. “They’re on the screened-in porch with Morg and Walker.”

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