Page 26
“Okay,” I say simply. “But I’m picking the place.”
My mom laughs, warm and bright in the evening air. “Of course you are, sweetheart.” She squeezes my arm again and turns back to my dad’s bike.
Matthew steps up and takes a long look at me, like when we were kids and he was trying to figure me out. “Proud of you, little sister,” he finally says, voice rough, pulling me into a quick hug before heading to his truck.
Morgan tugs my sleeve, phone in hand, already fighting a smile she can’t quite suppress. “Got something from Karen,” she whispers. “Security footage from the hallway outside Exam Room 3.”
I freeze, face burning. “What?”
“Relax, not the whole thing.” She swipes through screens. “Just the part where you—”
Before I can grab the phone, my mom wedges between us, peering over Morgan’s shoulder with that relentless curiosity she’s known for.
“Oh my God,” my mom breathes, eyes wide, a snort of laughter escaping. Soon she’s bent at the waist, laughter bubbling unchecked.
“What?” my dad calls from his bike, engine cut. “What’s so funny?”
My mom’s laughing so hard she can barely breathe, tears streaming down her face as she grips Morgan’s phone, replaying whatever’s on the screen. “Oh, sweetheart,” she gasps, trying to talk between fits of laughter. “You really… Oh God, I can’t…”
“Jean.” My dad’s voice gets that sharp edge he uses when he’s about to lose it. “What the hell is she watching?”
Mom pulls herself together just enough to show the phone to Dad. “Look! Our daughter… she’s beating the crap out of this guy and…” She loses it again, dissolving into giggles.
Dad leans in, squinting at the tiny screen from his spot on the bike. His face twists in confusion. “What on earth is she using to beat him up?”
My cheeks are burning so hot I can feel my ears throbbing, I’m sure my face is bright red as every eye in the parking lot lands on me.
Morgan’s doubled over with laughter against Matthew’s truck. “It’s a speculum,” she wheezes out.
The word hangs there for a beat before the parking lot erupts into laughter.
Mom crumples down to the concrete, shoulders shaking with laughter. Matthew’s mouth does something it clearly doesn’t have much practice doing. Even Trenton, who never shows more than mild curiosity, snorts into his hand.
But it’s Dad’s reaction that gets me. His face cycles through confusion, understanding, disbelief, then lands on something I’ve never seen. His chest shakes once, twice, and then it happens—a laugh rumbles out, deep and rare.
Dad’s laughing. The sound fills the parking lot, mixing with Mom’s joyous shrieks and Morgan’s breathless giggles.
“A goddamn speculum,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “My daughter beat a man twice her size with a goddamn speculum.”
“It was the closest thing I could grab,” I mutter, but no one hears me over the laughter.
Carter’s not laughing. He’s studying my face, every twitch and flicker. When our eyes lock, he dips his chin slightly, like he’s trying not to give himself away, and despite my embarrassment, something warm unfurls in my chest.
“Can I see?” he asks softly, stepping up beside me.
I hesitate, then nod. Morgan, still chuckling, hands him the phone. He watches with that intense focus he brings to everything, breaking it down like a fight tape.
When the video ends, that hint of a smile on his lips turns real. “That,” he says, handing the phone back, “was fucking beautiful.”
“Language,” Mom scolds from the ground, still wiping away tears of laughter.
Dad revs the engine again, cutting through the lingering amusement. “I want a copy of that video,” he declares. “Frame by frame.”
“Dad,” I groan, covering my face with my hands.
“What? I’m proud of you.” He says it simply, and my embarrassment fades. “You protected her. You protected yourself. That’s what we do. That’s who we are.”
His words hang in the air, adding depth to the laughter. Mom gets up, brushing off her leather pants, her fierce pride replacing her amusement.
