Page 5 of Addicted to You
Her family was a whole different kind of whirlwind. Her mom and dad were classic Bostonians: warm, loud, and hardcore Red Sox and Patriot fans. I hadn’t met her brother Silas yet, but I’d heard plenty. Britt shared he was the drummer for a famous rock band, Surrender, living a chaotic lifestyle that didn’t exactly align with her structured, no-nonsense approach.
I couldn’t wait to see them all. When the Hales had visited over the summer, Kevin and Melissa had made me feel as though I was already a part of their family. It was nice, given both of my parents were dead.
I’d had a rough childhood. I had lived in Dusty Creek, just outside of Houston, with my parents until I was sixteen. My mom was always there, but she wasn’t reallythere. She was usually high on something, and my dad’s temper made any space feel smallerwhen he wasn’t lost in his own world. I spent most of my time in my room to avoid them both.
It wasn’t just the yelling or the way his words cut like a knife—it was the way he could fill a room with tension without saying a damn thing. I could feel his anger before he even looked my way. Even when he wasn’t losing it, I could still sense it, simmering just under the surface, ready to blow. It was as though he carried a storm with him, and no matter where you were, there was no outrunning it.
One day, I came home from school to a nightmare. My father had shot and killed my mother, then doped himself up with heroin, the overdose taking his life too. I didn’t need to ask why. I’d grown up in the wreckage of their choices. A rageful father. A mother too high to save herself. I understood enough.
I was placed in foster care, bouncing from home to home until I ended up with my last foster family. John and Evelyn Rhodes were different. Both of them worked in addiction recovery, Evelyn as a therapist, and John by supporting people struggling with substance abuse. They helped me more than I thought anyone could. It was because of them that I pieced together who I was and how to survive. They were kind but firm, and even though I kept my distance emotionally, they showed me what real support looked like.
In the years since I turned eighteen and left their home, we have remained close. When I had a client, my job kept me busy, and I couldn’t see them as often as I’d liked. The nature of my work was all-consuming given that my life had to revolve around the client. But the Rhodeses have always been there when I’ve needed them. I considered them my family.
After going back to my apartment to take a quick shower and pack for Boston, I hurried over to Britt’s place. Once I was parked in the lot near her condo, I grabbed my luggage from the back of my truck and walked up to her door, giving it a light knock. She opened it almost immediately and her eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey.” I stepped inside, pulling her into a quick hug before kissingher softly. I could smell her perfume and the faint scent of freshly baked cookies.
“You’re just in time,” she stated. “I made your favorite fluffernutter cookies.”
“You’re spoiling me.”
“It’s the little things when I don’t get to see you every day.” She nudged me toward the couch.
I sat down and kicked my shoes off. She walked over with a plate of cookies and I took one. “Thanks. So, ready to see your family?”
Britt sat down beside me, her fingers curling around her own cookie. She took a bite, then paused. After a moment, she met my gaze. “I am, but there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Oh?” I swallowed the delicious peanut butter and marshmallow cookie.
“You know how I’ve been applying to different hospitals for a new job?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I got a call from one of them today.”
“That’s great!” I beamed and took a bite of another cookie. “Which one?”
She swallowed. “St. Thomas in Boston.”
I stopped chewing. “Boston?”
She nodded. “And I decided to take it.”
I balked, my mind taking a second to catch up with her words. “Wait, what? You’re moving to Boston? When?”
She gave a reluctant nod. “I didn’t think I’d get a job there, but it’s been the only facility to offer me an ER position and you know I don’t like the hospital I was placed at here. They want me to start at the end of January.”
My chest tightened, and my thoughts began racing as I processed the news. “That’s ... amazing,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “But Boston? That’s so far.”
I’d understood why she had applied to hospitals in Massachusetts, but I suppose I never actually thought she’d move back towhere she was from.
Her caramel eyes softened. “I know it’s a big change. But I want you to know I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I want to ask you something.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Would you … Would you consider coming with me?”
