“Nah. Just here to pick up a friend.”
“Ahhh… I’m guessing it’s a beautiful bird by the way you’re seeming so anxious to get into that building.”
“You’d be correct. She’s the best girl around. Take care.” I knocked my knuckles against the roof of the car and closed the door.
I entered the old Victorian building and jogged up the three flights of stairs before banging on the door. Now that I was here, I couldn’t get to her fast enough.
This year apart from Reese had been difficult for me. More so than I ever could have imagined.
“Damn it, Miney. Open the door.”
“Chewy?”
“Of course. Does someone else call you Miney?”
The door flew open, and there she stood. Her eyes were puffy, and her skin was paler than usual, but her green eyes met mine, and all the tension left my shoulders.
I dropped my duffle right there in the doorway as she stepped into my arms. Her body quaked, and I just held her there. When the sob escaped her throat, I pulled back, using my thumbs to wipe away the falling tears.
“Hey. You’re okay.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
She stepped back, and I pulled my bag into her apartment and pushed the door closed before dropping my ass onto her bed as she sat beside me. She leaned her head against my chest.
Her small studio apartment had a kitchenette, a bathroom, and her bedroom, which was also her living room. But she lived in downtown London, and the location was everything she’d wanted.
“You just flew to London on a whim?” she whispered. She fell back onto the bed, so I lay beside her. My feet were still on the floor, but the rest of me was sprawled on the bed. I rolled to my side just as she did. It was something we’d always done since we were kids.
“You needed me,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “We made a deal years ago. I wasn’t about to break it now.”
She tipped her head back to look at me. “You call. I come. And vice versa.”
“Yep. Think of how many times you’ve rescued me.”
“That time Cammie Watkins tried to tie you to her bed, and you didn’t have a car. That goes down as my all-time favorite. I was the perfect getaway. You came running out in your tighty whiteys.” She chuckled as her eyes locked with mine. I saw the sadness there, but I knew getting her to laugh was the best thing for her right now.
“Good times. That girl was… a lot. She lured me to her house, saying she didn’t want anything but a one-and-done, and then she tried to tie me up while I was sleeping. I ran and took cover in the bathroom until you got there.” I shivered dramatically, which made her laugh harder.
“You sent me that 911 text, and I came running. I hadn’t even brushed my teeth.” She laughed a real, genuine laugh, which gave me hope that she was going to be okay. “I remember you charging down that driveway with her chasing after you.”
I stroked her hair. Damn, it was good to see her. Reese was my girl in every sense of the word—minus the sex.
She was the one I shared everything with and who I trusted with my deepest secrets.
My best friend and my favorite person.
“You sure did. So, I’m just returning the favor. I knew you were hurting, and I came to bring you home. We’re flying out in two days.” I glanced around to see most of the tiny place was already packed up.
“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.