Page 106 of Dr. Intern

I pull her into my arms, my hand stroking her back. “I know. I completely get it.”

“But Parker,” she chokes, burying her face into the crook of my neck. “He—”

“Cass, it’s okay,” I reassure her. “Trust me, Parker will understand.”

We stand there for a moment as silence settles between us. This is probably the worst place to be discussing this, but I’m glad we were both able to get things off our chests. I already feel a million times lighter, and I’m sure she does too.

Eventually, Cassidy steps back, her face flushed with the rawness of her emotions. “Sorry.”

I brush away her apology with a light-hearted wave. “Hey, that’s what maid of honors are for,” I say, trying to inject a bit of cheer into the somber moment. “Well, that, and holding your wedding dress up when you have to pee.”

Her chin wobbles as she stares at the floor.

Desperate to add some levity to the conversation, I add, “How about we team up and spill our secrets to Parker together? Hit him with a double whammy.”

Cass lets out a forced laugh, her fingers dabbing beneath her long lashes to keep the tears at bay.

“No, no, you go ahead,” she insists, reaching for her glass to finish the rest of the champagne. “I’ve got plenty of time to talk to Parker. And it sounds like you guys aren’t as secretive as you thought, so it’s probably best that you break the news before he finds out through the grapevine.”

I playfully swat at her arm. “We’re the most secretive.”

“Uh-huh. Where were you earlier?”

My cheeks heat. “Don’t worry about it.”

She gives me a knowing glance and teases, “Oh yes, so secretive.”

Cassidy straightens her posture and takes a deep breath. “How do I look? Ready to brave the crowd again?”

“You’re perfect,” I assure her, my words carrying more meaning than she knows. “Let’s get drunk.”

Cassidy is everything I could have ever asked for in a sister-in-law. Not only is she an amazing friend and confidant, but she loves my brother fiercely. She’s changed him for the better over the past year and a half, and I know he realizes it too, which is how I know everything will be fine between them.

Cassidy reaches out, her fingers gently squeezing mine. “If it matters, I’m genuinely happy for you. But, I’m still pissed that Morg knew before me.”

I can’t help but grin as we return to the party a few minutes before midnight. She’ll forgive me—after all, I am her favorite sister.

Chapter 42

Beau

Once I rejoined the party, Parker pulled Walker and me aside to ask about the incident in the operating room. Walker remained stoically silent, leaving the decision to divulge the details up to me. Considering Parker isn’t just a colleague, but one of my best friends, I saw no harm in giving him a rundown of the event. I even told him about my diabetes, and how I taught his sister to inject me with insulin, hoping it might win me some favor when the time comes to tell him about our relationship.

As I expected, Parker’s response was nothing but supportive. He even shared a story about a similar experience one of his residents had to make me feel better. The great thing about our career path is that we all understand the expectations and struggles of surgery. It may be a ruthless journey, but there’s comfort in knowing we’re all on the same team, fighting the same enemy.

By the time our conversation ended, we realized we were far too sober compared to the rest of the guests. Walker insisted we each down a shot of whisky for each year we’ve been practicing surgery. With only one year under my belt, the alcohol barely fazed me, thanks to my size and naturally high tolerance. Parker, however, was sloshed after his six shots, and Walker wasn’t too far behind him.

Drunk Parker is genuinely one of my favorite things in the world. His personality does a complete transformation, evolving into a man overflowing with compliments and affirmations for everyone around him. I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched him approach a physician hates and begin showering them with praise. It’s like stepping into a bizarre, alternate universe, but I’m not complaining one bit, because it’s entertaining as hell.

At the moment, Parker and Walker are locked in an enthusiastic argument about the worst insurance company for prior approvals. I’m only half-listening as I nurse my beer. Truthfully, I don’t really give a shit. They all suck.

“Buffington,” Parker drawls with a heavy slur, looping his arm around my shoulder. “Back me up, bro.”

“You’re both right,” I respond. Choosing between two of the most stubborn people I know isn’t going to win me any favors.

Walker animatedly throws his hands in the air. “Fucking cop-out. You suck, Buff.”

He’s never shortened my last name like that, nor has he shown this much emotion in conversation, which is how I know that my chief resident is also very, very drunk.

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