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I spent the next day meeting everyone. The wives of the team were incredibly nice and much like Savi in the warmth of their welcome. The only one I didn’t get to meet was Lexi, who apparently was away visiting someone. I caught a few looks between the girls whenever her name came up, and it wasn’t hard to figure there was more to her absence than they let on. Lexi was Keith’s wife. I met him and found him to be kind, but it didn’t take a professional to see he was in pain. He was quiet and withdrawn even as he introduced me to his two children. His adorable boy, Brandon, who they sometimes called B, was the spitting image of his father. His full-of-life daughter, Reagan, had a good part of her father in her, but you could see what I assumed was her mother as she looked up at me. That their family hurting was clearly written on their faces no matter how much Reagan tried to smile through it. I wondered what the story was but knew it would come in time.
Mia, Frank’s daughter, was married to Mark Lopez, the cute Latino who had picked us up from the airport. They had a little girl named Tabby and twin boys, Liam and Ethan. All three kids were just like their dad, comedy all the way. Mia quietly whispered in my ear, “It’s nice to see you again, Ivy.”
“You too.” I loved that she was like her father, private with personal information.
Sloane, a stunning Hungarian and Latino woman, was John’s wife. I really liked John. He had a calming nature and was obviously very much in love with Sloane. They did not have any kids, but they did seem to love sneaking the kids candy while the others weren’t watching.
I loved that the kids could be wild and free here. It seemed like the type of place where people could just be themselves, especially the children. Their shrieks of laughter and constant activity made me laugh out loud.
Catalina, who was married to Mike, had an interesting large angel tattoo on her back. I could see parts of it, and Savi confided that it covered the entire length of her back. They were most definitely an interesting pair. Mike, a huge man, was a walking piece of artwork himself. He was covered from head to toe in tattoos. I couldn’t wait to get to know them better. Their daughter Gabriella was a real sweetheart.
Savi’s husband, Cole, was the leader of Team Blackstone. He seemed a little intense but warmed up as the day went on. Savi explained he had a lot going on and asked me to give him time and I’d see him relax. Their daughter, Olivia, was the spitting image of Savi. Savi assured me she had the mind of her father, though. Apparently, very little ever got by that little girl. Their son, Easton, was hands down a clone of Cole. All I could do was chuckle at what would come later in life for them.
I wanted to get my office set up, but also enjoyed the chance to meet everyone and establish myself. I decided to stay outside with the kids, so I gave myself permission to just enjoy it and played with them.
By the time the evening came and dinner was cleaned up, I headed outside to the patio with a glass of wine in my hand. I sat and listened to the crickets, who were in full swing.
I thought of everyone I’d met, and I put my own little spin on each one in my head from what I remembered. It was fun to think of each couple in terms of their children. After I had spent a little time that afternoon playing with them, you could really tell whose child each one was. I made a game out of it. It helped a lot to concentrate on that and not allow my head to slip back to my own problems.
“There you are.” Reid slid the door closed and sat next to me. “Well, you seemed to make an impression on everyone.”
“Happy to hear it.”
“The new guy should be arriving any time. He’s got an impressive resume. Frank sure knows how to pick ’em.”
“So does Cole.” I smiled when I looked through the glass doors and saw John laughing with Mike. “I can see why you’ve stayed here for so long.”
“Nowhere else has ever called to me like Shadows has.” He tucked his hands in his pockets as he looked out at the lake. “How are—”
“I’m okay.” I cut him off, hating that he worried about me so much. “You know who I’m worried about?”
“Mm?”
“Keith and his kids.”
“Yeah,” he dropped his head, “me too.”
I didn’t need him to tell me the story, and I let him know that. I’d hear it from the source at some point. The way Keith drifted off during dinner several times made me wonder where his mind went. The past? The future? I hoped I could help in some way.
“Keith has always been a big brother to Savi ever since she arrived here. Maybe check in with her from time to time too. They’re very close, and she might need someone to talk to about it.”
“I can do that.” I made a mental note for later.
“Someone else you might want to talk to is John’s wife, Sloane.”
“Yeah? Is she close to Keith’s wife?”
“No,” he shook his head and kept his eyes on the lake, “she might be able to help you, though.” I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. There was enough going on in this house, and I didn’t want the attention to be on me right now. I was a fixer and enjoyed that role. It did not sit well with me when it went the other way around.
“Reid, I’m not sure how to tell you this any other way, but I’m holding it together. I know it’s ingrained in us to get our patients to speak up and voice their internal struggles, but there’s nothing to voice. What happened, happened. I can’t rewrite it. What I can do is just get through the storm and come out the other end with a better mindset and a new sense of awareness.”
“Mm,” he grunted, not liking my answer. “You know the problem with being a psychologist, Ivy?”
“What?” I felt tired.
“We always know what to say to make us sound fine when we’re nowhere near it.”
“That’s a subject up for debate,” I countered but looked away because he was right. I could talk myself out of many situations, and this wasn’t one of them.
