Page 57 of Golden Rule

“Of course. See you folks soon.”

Despite West being somewhat in his head now, the exchange brings a welcomed sense of lightheartedness to the room, but it’s short lived. I manage to hold my smile until he’s gone, but the moment it’s only me and West, it fades quickly. My thoughts are racing a mile a minute, thinking of the many different ways this can go. But whereas my only concern before coming here waswhat if the treatment fails again,I’m now worried we may not even get the chance to try. Not any time soon, anyway.

Dr. Tyler didn’t make a big deal of the note he found, but I’m guessing that was just to avoid having West and I feel disappointed so soon in the process.

I’m fighting tears when West pulls me into his chest, letting the familiar feel of my arms encircling his waist calm me.

“We’ve got this, Babe. You and me.”

At those words, my eyes fall closed, and I take a deep breath, staying silent.

“I’ve told you time and time again that you’re enough for me. Whatever happens, however this goes, it won’t change the most important thing.”

I pull my head away from his chest where I’d just been listening to the steady thrum of his heart.

“The most important thing?” I ask, meeting his gaze.

He smiles, then places a kiss in the center of my forehead before answering. “Us. It won’t change us.”

Chapter Seventeen

Blue

My stomach is in knots, just like it’s been all afternoon. Ever since meeting with Dr. Tyler, actually. I want so badly to see the appointment as a step in the right direction, but that’s been tough. Especially knowing the phone call he plans to make to my last specialist.

That one, tiny detail could unravel everything.

If I could turn back time, I’d force past-me out of bed. I’d force her to contact the therapist as suggested and to stick with it. But back then, I didn’t see the point. I told myself I wasdone with this. No more treatment, no more heartache, no more trying and failing. But then we moved home, and that seemingly minor adjustment changed our perspective.

A deep sigh puffs from my lips as my thoughts swirl, leaving me with zero mental bandwidth for anything else. I’m scheduled to meet with the new contractor now that I’ve finally closed on the building for the youth center, so I shoot him a quick email to confirm that I’ll see him at ten a.m. tomorrow, then I shut my laptop.

An urgent knock at the front door is the only thing that stops me from spiraling. I’m on my feet the next second, thinking the gate must’ve been left open, but then I look through the peephole. Immediately, I realize the visitor is one of a small few I actually texted the access code to after we moved into the new house. A squeal leaves my mouth, and I can hardly get the door open quickly enough.

“Oh, my God! Hunter!”

Those words have barely left my mouth when I throw my arms around his neck. He laughs and drops his bags to the porch.

“That’s gotta be the besthelloI’ve gotten all year.”

I step back to look at him, feeling relieved that he seems to be thriving. His dark-blond hair is freshly cut and even styled on top, which is new for him. I don’t remember him caring this much about his looks. His beard’s grown out a bit more than the last time I laid eyes on him, too, but it’s still neat. He’s looking more and more like Uncle Dusty these days, just a younger version. He seems…well…which allows me to breathe a sigh of relief. It means he’s likely not homeless. It’s just that he’s so elusive these days, secretive about how he’s doing, where and how he lives, where he works. As a result, I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time worrying about him, filling in theblanks of his life with my own assumptions. And, usually, those assumptions are of the darker variety.

But as I stare at him now, seeing him smiling as he stands before me in the flesh, I’m just happy to have him home.

He laughs when I grab him into another hug. “What the hell are you doing here?”

I don’t get an immediate response, so my first thought is that he’s in some kind of trouble.

“Your text,” he says. “Guess you could say I sensed that you needed me to drop in for a bit.”

He says that so casually. Like it’s nothing that he sensed my anxiety and dropped everything to be here. My eyes fall closed, thinking about the message he’s referring to. It was just a quick text that I copied and pasted to all our loved ones last night, asking them to send good vibes before this morning’s appointment with Dr. Tyler. It was enough to inspire Joss to suggest that we have a family dinner here tonight, so everyone can show their love and support. But apparently the messagealsoinspired my brother—the recluse—to come out of hiding.

“Thank you.” I squeeze harder, and he lets me.

“You and Scar had to face a lot on your own while I was away. No way in hell I was about to let that happen again.”

I didn’t need another reason to cry today, but here I am, tearing up.

I let him go and step back, finally letting him inside the house. “I can’t believe you hopped on a plane and came all this way just to check in.”

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