Page 25 of The Secrets We Built Together

As if sensing my decision, Amelia stirred slightly in her sleep, her tiny hand curling around my finger as if to hold on and I made a silent promise.

I would fight for her.

I wouldalwaysfight for her.

Chapter 9

Xander

"This is stupid behavior, Xander," I muttered to myself. "You know you shouldn't be doing this."

It had been a couple of days since I’d checked over Amelia and I hadn’t heard anything since. As much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself, it was driving me crazy. I’d tried to occupy my time getting the first of the staff set up for the clinic at the ranch. That had been a bust as well. Even with the overly enthusiastic administration assistant feeling the need to keep me in the loop oneverything, I couldn’t get Blake and Amelia out of my mind. The website for the rehab centre had been live for a month, and Reece had been getting traction on social media, we’d been inundated with enquiries.

None of us had expected the rush of interest and it was pushing the plans for the opening and the next stage of expansion into overdrive already.

I had so much on my plate right now, and the list of things that I was supposed to be doing today was longer than I could possibly complete.

And yet still I climbed into the truck, putting my medical bag on the seat next to me.

I'd just turned over the engine and was about to throw it into reverse when my phone rang. The clinic's number flashed on the screen. I sighed already knowing who it was going to be, and as much as I didn’t want to I answered anyway.

"Dr. Farrington."

"Xander, it's Marianne." The clinic administrator's voice was bright with excitement. "I wanted to update you on the registration numbers. We're officially fully booked for the first year."

My heart skipped a beat. "Already? We're still months from opening."

"Word is spreading fast. The waitlist is growing too." She hesitated. "People are asking if we can accept more patients or open earlier."

I ran a hand through my hair. "We need to stick to the timeline, Marianne. Quality of care comes first."

"I know, but maybe we could look at accelerating some of the plans? The demand is clearly there."

The pressure settled on my shoulders like a physical weight. "It’s not just my decision to make. I’ll speak with Trace and Booker today, see what they want to do. Honestly, I don’t see how it’s possible. We'd need to hire staff sooner, finish construction faster… It’s not as simple as just opening sooner. For now, let them know that we’re assessing the project timeline to see what we can do and we’ll put an update on the website in the next few days." That to-do list just grew exponentially, another complication I didn't need right now.

"It's a good problem to have," Marianne said cheerfully.

"Right. I'll call you back later." I hung up and dropped my phone on the seat.

The clinic was supposed to be my sole focus—my recovery, my future. Instead, here I was, about to drive to Trace's to check on Blake and the baby. Again.

I was jolted from my thoughts by a knock on the window. Turning to see my brother's scowling face on the other side of the glass was the last thing I needed.

"What's happened?" Booker rushed out as the window slid down.

I frowned in confusion and he nodded toward the medical bag on my seat.

Shit. I could see what this must look like.

"Nothing, I'm just heading over to Trace's to check on Blake."

Booker's scowling face broke into a grin and I wasn't sure which was worse.

"Well I'll be damned. Reece is right." He leaned his arms on the bottom of the window and grinned at me. "Tell me," he added.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yeah, you do."

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