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“Thanks for coming, Chewy.” She blinked a few times, and I saw tears welling in her pretty sage-green eyes again. “I can’t stand the thought of seeing them together.”
“Stop worrying about them. It’s your home. This isn’t you, Miney. You don’t curl into a ball on your bed and throw in the towel. You’re the strongest person I know.”
The shit she’d overcome was more than most could ever wrap their head around. I’d watched her fight cancer. I’d watched her beat cancer. Ever since then, Reese had always known what she wanted for her life. Family. Kids. That whole fairy tale. And she fought hard for it. Almost gave up a part of herself to claim it.
“Don’t go flattering me. I don’t hold a candle to Brinkley,” she said, and the corners of her lips turned up.
Now it was my turn to laugh. My sister was tough as nails, but she wasn’t dealt the shitty hand Reese was. “Brinks is a tough one. But so are you.”
“I don’t feel so tough at the moment.”
“How about we start with food? I’m starving, and the way those jammies are hanging on you tells me you haven’t been eating. Let’s go get some burgers at that place up the street that we ate at the last time I was here.” Reese had always been thin, and not eating for a few days had her looking slightly gaunt. Anytime she lost any weight or looked pale, I couldn’t help but let that fear seep in. I’d never admit it to her, but Reese’s battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma had changed me in many ways. I’d been with her every step of the way, from her first treatment, until we’d been told that she was in remission. It was the first time in my life that I’d been overcome with the fear of losing someone that I loved fiercely. So, yeah, I worried about her. All the fucking time.
“I could eat. I haven’t had anything outside of dry Cheerios in the last three days.”
“Up,” I said, pushing to my feet and tugging her to stand. I reached into my duffle bag and unzipped it. “I brought you a surprise.”
The corners of her lips turned up when I pulled out her favorite white cowboy boots. She hadn’t thought she’d need them when she’d left for London, but Reese was a country girl at heart. She loved her boots almost as much as she loved her horse.
“Ahhhh… Do you remember the day my parents gave me these?” She held them against her chest. They were slightly dinged up, but they were her favorite.
“Yep. You wore them every day for a month, even down to the cove in your bathing suit.”
“Hey, good boots are like a good man. They’re even better when you break them in.” She chuckled, but I still saw the pain in her eyes.
“I’m here. The boots are here. Let’s eat.”
“Fine. Give me five minutes to change and brush my hair.”
“All right,” I said as I scrolled through my phone and answered a few emails.
Five minutes later, Reese came strolling out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of jeans, a navy hoodie, and her white cowboy boots. Her golden-brown hair was pulled back into a braid that hung over her shoulder. Her face was clean of makeup, and she was fucking gorgeous.
She’d never had to try. She’d always been the prettiest girl I’d ever known, and I’d told her as much more times than I could count.
“Better?” she asked.
“Well, you don’t smell like despair anymore,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and breathing her in. She smelled like violet and amber.
It had always been my favorite scent.
Reese Murphy had always smelled like home.
She laughed and took a step back, reaching for her phone and purse as we made our way out into the crisp fall air.
Once we were settled at our table, we both sipped our iced tea and waited for our burgers.
My phone vibrated multiple times, and I glanced down to see several messages from my agent.
Angelique
You’re in fucking London? I talked to you a few days ago, and you were chilling at home. I’m guessing you went to get Reese?
Angelique
When I said to find a girlfriend, I didn’t mean for you to leave the country to make it happen. But I am so here for this.
There were several texts from my siblings in the group chat, with screenshots of the selfie I’d taken with the driver who’d given me a ride from the airport.
