Jacob POV“Dr Brook, please have a seat,” I say as I shake his sweaty hand. “I believe you were the attending physician for Liam Adams.”Dr Brook looks nervously around him. “Yes, that is correct. Sad that he didn’t survive after all he’s been through,” he says.“And why do you think that is?” I ask pointedly.“Mr Collin, what are you insinuating? I don’t like the direction this conversation is going,” he says, looking more and more uncomfortable.I take Liam's folder and throw it in front of him.“I am not insinuating anything, Doctor. I just want to know the facts.”He squirms like someone in the hot seat, but states in an authoritative voice, “The fact is, we couldn’t offer medical intervention because his guardian, meaning his sister, couldn’t afford the treatment.”“Why did this not come to my attention? I’m struggling to understand why you didn’t present this boy’s case before the board of directors,” I say.He shrugs his shoulders in response. “I didn’t think it warranted going
Jacob POV“Look, Dad, I caught one!’ says a beaming Liam. A little fish wriggles on the line, gasping for air.“What shall we call him?” I ask.“Who says it’s a he?” he smiles back.“Okay, what shall we call her?”Curiously looking at the fish, his eyes light up and he responds, “Nemo.”“Nemo? Out of all the names you could choose from, you chose that?” I ask.He starts laughing as I tickle his belly. “You ready to go back now, buddy?” I enquire as I reel back my line.We’re on a small paddle boat in the middle of Lake Tahoe. The waters are a deep green, reflecting the last of the afternoon light. All around us there is silence, broken by the occasional sound of a bird squawking. Instead of going all out for Liam’s third birthday, I wanted us to spend some time alone.He’s never been to the lake and responded with a dizzy excitement when I suggested it to him.Charlotte was mortified when I told her, saying something about a boy deserving a big ’ol bash for his third birthday. She had
Jacob POV“I absolutely love it here. Don’t you just love it here?” Nancy ask no one in particular.Conversations with her are awkward and one-sided. Not like she notices—most of the time she’s talking about herself or her friends, neither of which I have any interest in.And yet, here we are.She’s been flaunting me around town like some kind of rag toy as soon as news spread that we’re engaged. Yes, I have a fiancé now. Am I happy? No, but that’s the price you pay for being a Collin.“Jacob, you haven’t touched your food, sweetie,” she harps.I look over at her plate, and she’s hardly eaten a thing. It’s just a bunch of leaves and salad dressing.“So, I’ve been thinking about where we should have the wedding. Your grandmother suggested we do it at the estate in the Hamptons. What do you think?” she asks again, not really asking at all.“Sure, whatever you want, Nancy,” I say, trying to feign interest.“You’re not listening to a thing I’m saying. This is your wedding, too. Also, we h
Emily POV“So, what are your plans for the night?” asks Olivia as she takes another swig of wine. She doesn’t normally drink on the job, but it’s been a slow shift.“Oh, I don’t know. Figured I’d stay here and keep you company,” I say while going through Instagram on my phone.Grabbing my phone out of my hand, she hollers at me.“Boring! You’re a single 27-year-old in one of the best cities in the world. Go out and snare a man in your trap. The night is but a fetus, the world is your oyster, que sera, and whatever else,” she says and points towards the exit.Olivia has a point. Ever since Liam’s death, I haven’t allowed myself to have much fun, except for that one time when we went on a girls’ weekend to Vegas—her idea, by the way.As an attempt to get my mind off things, she sprung the surprise weekend on me. I felt bad because she had already maxed out her credit card to pay for the plane tickets, so I agreed to go.From the moment we landed, it was one disaster after another. First
Jacob POVHonestly, I didn’t think she’d show up. And here she is, a vision in her tight jeans and strappy heels.“I didn’t think you’d come,” I say.Smiling, she confesses, “Neither did I.”I ask if she wants a drink.“I think I’ve had just about enough,” she says, and she lets out a little hiccup.We both start laughing. She moves to the sofa and slips off her heels. I spy a tattoo of a seashell on her left ankle. She sees me looking at it and blushes before crossing her legs and covering it up with her hand.“So this is the penthouse suite. I’m afraid to ask what it is you do,” she teases.“If I tell you, will it scare you away?” I flirt back with her.“It depends. If you’re in the business of selling body parts, then I’ll have to draw the line,” she says.“It’s worse than that,” I say.“How much worse?” she asks.I wave my hands around me and say, “The reason I can afford all of this is because people pay to see my feet on OnlyFans.”She gawks in response. “Really? Show me?” she a
Emily POVWhat happens after a one-night-stand with someone you don’t know? It’s the second time I’ve found myself in this situation, and now I have to deal with the awkwardness of making small talk the morning after. Maybe if I get up very slowly, he won’t notice. Oops, too late, he’s already up. Now I’ll have to do the walk of shame.In the daylight, he looks completely different—almost like someone I know. Like a star colliding into the sun and exploding into tiny pieces, it hits me.The naked man standing before me is Jacob Collin.His blue eyes search mine for confirmation, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction that this will be non-confrontational chat.I feel nauseous, with last night’s hamburger and fries threatening to make an appearance. The room starts to spin. This is not how I imagined our next meeting would go. I hear his voice from far away.“Emily, please.”I can’t be in this room with him. I can’t even look at him. The realization of last night dawns on me. I let
Jacob POV“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”It’s a quote from Lao Tzu that’s been going through my head ever since Emily shut that door with me standing behind it.I wouldn’t call myself a romantic. Once upon a time, I didn’t even believe in love, but this woman has stirred my loins back to life. She’s like a fire burning bright, setting the darkness alight. The very thought of her makes me dizzy with desire, but I fear this morning may have been the last time I’ve ever seen her.The furious look on her face was something I’ve never experienced before. To think I am responsible for her pain is something that I can never forgive myself for.My cousin Mason walks in, distracting me from my thoughts.“Don’t worry, bro, the cavalry has arrived,” he says, holding two tumblers and a bottle of whisky.I called him immediately after leaving the hotel. He’s my closest ally and best friend. I needed someone to confide in and not j
Jacob POV “Buddy, are you excited for your party?” I ask as Liam comes bouncing down the stairs. “Yes, I am. Can we go now?” He eyes me impatiently. It’s his fifth birthday, and I’ve planned the ultimate bash at Adventureland in Long Island. Leaving nothing to chance, I had the amusement park closed to outsiders for the day so we could have the lay of the land. Also, I had ulterior motives—I figured Liam would score brownie points with his school friends after another bullying incident. Last week, he returned home, sobbing, saying the other kids were making fun of him once again because he doesn’t have a mom. My little guy, the sensitive soul that he is, didn’t take it too well and ended up spending the rest of the day holed up in his room. Through his closed door, I could hear the occasional sob. When he didn’t come down for dinner, I went up, begging him to eat something. “Buddy, you’re not going to eat? It’s your favourite—mac and cheese,” I said behind the door. “I’m not hun