Page 83 of Break Me, Daddy

“Do you think that might have something to do with why you struggled so hard in school?”

“Why would it? Even if I changed my mind about becoming a surgeon I’d still need to finish school. It’s been my dream forever.”

“The subconscious is a powerful thing, Frankie. If some part of you was resistant to the path you’d agreed to take just to make your parents happy, then the inability to focus, the lack of interest in your classes all could have been your brain secretly trying to nudge you back on the right track.”

“Well, then my brain is a fucking asshole.”

Grinning now, Dr. Krauss lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Most brains are, in my experience. But would you have listened if it hadn’t forced you to?”

“Maybe.” Probably not. She’d been so dead set on her path, even if it wasn’therpath, that she wouldn’t have stopped for anything less than a full screeching halt. Which was exactly what her subconscious had given her. “Okay, yeah, maybe not. So, what do I do now?”

“You can’t return to class until next semester, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Then for now, let’s focus on your recovery. Getting you back to a place where you feel safe and comfortable, and then we can talk about school. In the meantime, maybe take some time and think about whatyouwant out of school. Not what your parents want.”

“That’s easier said than done.”

“I know.” Dr. Krauss opened her mouth, then pressed her lips together in a thin line, clearly weighing her next words. “If I may speak freely?”

“Of course.”

“Love shouldn’t come with strings attached. You deserve more than sacrificing your own health to try and earn what they call love.”

Although they’d been talking about her parents, her mind immediately went to Holden. And even though his love came with rules and demands, they’d never felt like strings. With him, she knew she could fuck up, over and over, and he’d still be there. Even when she’d tried her damnedest to push him away, he’d stayed. Waiting for her. Steady as a rock, patient as ever. Never demanding more of her than she could give, never asking her to change herself to suit him.

And for the first time in her life, she found herself believing she might actually deserve that version of love.

Holden

The doorto the room Frankie had disappeared into nearly an hour ago opened and his babygirl stepped out, a soft smile on her lips. A smile that only widened when her eyes met his.

“Just a sec. I need to schedule my appointment for next week.”

Nodding, he closed his laptop, packing it away as she went to talk to the receptionist. And, to his immense relief, he overheard her setting up a weekly standing appointment for the same time every Friday.

He waited until they were back in his SUV to question her. “How did it go?”

“Good, actually. Better than I was expecting.”

“Am I allowed to ask about it, or is that against the rules?”

Her laugh, low and throaty and music to his goddamn ears after everything they’d been through, filled the car. “You can ask, but I reserve the right to keep some things to myself. At least for now.”

“Fair enough. So… what did you talk about?”

“My relapse, mostly. I told her what we’d been doing, keeping me on a strict meal schedule, reintroducing my forbidden foods, that kind of thing and she’s completely on board with it all. You did good, Dr. Prescott.”

“I am nothing if not thorough when it comes to research.”

“And it shows.” Silence fell, heavy with expectation, and he let it drag out, waited for her to say whatever else was on her mind. “We, ah, talked about school. And my parents.”

Her fucking parents. “How’d that go?”

“It was… enlightening.”

“How so?”

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