Page 34 of Dr. Attending

Parker rubs the back of his neck, his gaze dropping to the weathered planks beneath his feet. “I didn’t realize you felt like that. I thought . . . I thought maybe he was flirting with you, orsomething. You know he’s not serious about anything he says or does.”

I let out a long exhale. “I honestly have no idea what I believe anymore.”

Weston and I might have made some progress yesterday—maybe even more than I expected—but that doesn’t undo the pain he caused over the years. And being here, surrounded by those memories, seems to stir everything up like the sediment at the bottom of this murky lake.

“P,” I say, finding my voice again as I redirect the conversation. “This isn’t about Wes. It’s aboutyou. And howyoulied to me. Howyoudid something without talking to me becauseyouthought you knew better.”

Parker’s lips twitch as he looks up at me, like he can’t resist himself despite the guilt clouding his expression. “Well, that’s because I usually do.”

I narrow my eyes at him, unimpressed by his joke.

“Okay, okay,” he says quickly like he’s finally realizing that I’m not in the mood, and he’s skating on thin ice.

“Listen, I really am sorry, Carol—Caroline,” he corrects himself with a sheepish smile. “I mean it. I screwed up, and it won’t happen again.”

I don’t fight him as he steps forward to pull me into a hug.

“It better not,” I warn as I lean into his embrace. Because despite everything, despite all of his flaws and infuriating tendencies, he’s still my big brother.

“For what it’s worth,” he says, his voice muffled against my hair, “I’m proud that you didn’t kill each other.”

I pull back just enough to glare at him, though the corner of my mouth betrays me with the hint of a smile. “You should be proud I didn’t killyou.”

Chapter 13

Caroline

Rainy wedding days

Itype the words into the notes app on my phone, thinking back on the absolutely perfect afternoon that we just had.

Before Mom died, she asked for our input on the allocation of assets so that there would be a predetermined plan for everything once she was gone. I’m not sure what my siblings said, but I told her that I didn’t care about anything other than the lake house. I wanted to keep it between the three of us because my favorite childhood memories were made here, with them. And today, we got to make another—watching my brother re-marry the love of his life.

Once Parker and I wrapped up our conversation, we barely made it halfway up the slick limestone steps before the storm hit. Sheets of rain started pouring down as we sprinted the rest of theway to the house, soaking us to the bone by the time we reached the door. The ceremony was supposed to take place under the old oak tree on the lawn, but with the weather rolling in much quicker than anticipated, there was no way that would happen.

I suggested that we move the wedding back by a day since it’s not like we have plans tomorrow. But Cassidy waved me off—she was ready to (re)marry my brother, rain or shine. So we set up on the covered back deck, which, despite the weather, turned out beautifully.

My sister, Morgan, and I wore matching sage green dresses that somehow looked good on all of us. The guys—Wes included—looked handsome with their tuxedos and freshly shaven faces. And even baby Carter got in on the action. He wore an adorable tiny tuxedo and made it a few assisted steps down the aisle before nearly face-planting and needing to be carried the rest of the way.

I know we all joked that black tie was overkill for a simple ceremony at our house, but as soon as Cassidy came out, it all made sense. She looked absolutely perfect in the wedding dress that she bought with my mom, and I swear there wasn’t a dry eye in sight, my stoic brother included. I think we could all feel Mom with us here today, and I know without a doubt that she would be proud of how close we’ve become—even if sometimes we want to rip each other’s hair out.

I press the lock button on my phone and place it on the marble countertop, reaching for the bottle of Merlot because it’s time to relax. Everyone dispersed after dinner, so I’ve got a date with the hot tub and a very generous glass of wine.

Claire sighs as she emerges from the guest bathroom in her swimsuit.“I’m exhausted.”

I wag my brows at her playfully. “Maybe you should head to bed instead of taking a boat ride at nine in the evening.”

She adjusts the wild curls piled on top of her head and rolls her eyes. “Maybe you should mind your business. Parker’s room is right next to ours, and I’m not getting freaky with him in earshot, you psycho. Gross.”

“So you’re going to do it on the boat?” I laugh, surprised that she’s telling me this.

Claire was never open about her love life, or her sex life for that matter, until recently. But now that she’s with Beau, she’s much more confident in herself and what she likes.

“Duh,” she replies as she pulls a Diet Coke from the fridge. “I told Beau that we had to get creative becausesomeonetook the basement guest rooms, which happen to be the only place in the house where you can get a little privacy.”

She gives me a suspicious look, like I have something to do with the fact that Weston and Carter are staying down there while the rest of us are upstairs. I don’t want to sound like I’m defending him because she’s already been making weird comments all day, but I can’t help myself from pointing out that she’s wrong.

“You guys came up a day early. Why didn’t you just put your stuff in one of those rooms then?”

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