Dr. Attending (Midtown Memorial #4)

36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Caroline

“ P izza!” my sister yells as she jumps down from the armrest and sprints across the room.

I crane my head to the living room entrance, making brief eye contact with my brother as Claire steals the stack of boxes from his hands.

Parker’s expression is completely unreadable—he could either be elated, pissed, or confused as he studies me and Weston sitting beside each other on the sectional.

“Me first,” Morgan calls as she swipes the top box from my sister.She takes the pizza and collapses to the floor in front of the TV, facing the rest of the group with a loud groan. “I’m so hungry I could throw up.”

I press my wine glass to stifle my laughter.

When we originally planned family dinners, they were supposed to include only me and my two siblings. But as our family grew to include Cassidy and Beau, the dinners grew as well. And then when we were at the lake, Morgan insisted that she and Walker get to join from now on since they were “ practically family. ” And while she’s not wrong, the two of them also provide a comedic buffer that we never knew we needed . . . especially tonight.

My sister sets the boxes down on the white-washed coffee table in front of us as Parker crosses the room to give his wife a kiss. He places his hands on her shoulders affectionately, but his gaze darts between me and Weston like he’s confused, even though I told him that he was coming tonight. But in classic Parker fashion, he never responded to my text, so who knows if he saw it.

To my surprise, his mouth curves into a satisfied smile. “I’m glad you guys finally kissed and made up . . . it only took you what? Five years?”

Morgan giggles mid-bite. “Oh, they’ve been doing a lot more than kissing. Trust me.”

Her emerald-green eyes widen as soon as the words slip out, and her hand flies up to cover her mouth like she might actually be able to stop the disaster she just unleashed.

I blink at her, hoping—praying—that nobody heard her muttered joke. But judging from the sudden silence in the room, they definitely did.

Was I going to tell my family about our relationship after dinner? Yeah—that was the plan. And that plan also included keeping any sexual references far, far away from the conversation. But apparently, plans change when you have a friend born without a filter.

“Ummmm—” Morgan’s mouth opens and closes several times, like she’s trying to think of a distraction.

“Surprise!” she blurts out, dropping her half-eaten pizza slice into her lap as she throws her hands into the air. “I’m pregnant!”

Jesus Christ.

I drop my head into my palms because this has comedy written all over it, only she’s not the buffer—she’s the instigator.

When I finally look up, Cassidy has tears streaming down her face as she hugs Morgan. Walker is glaring at his wife like she’s in serious trouble as Carter squirms in his arms. And Beau and Claire are chatting excitedly about how they can’t wait to be godparents.

The whole room is caught up in the tornado of chaos.

The whole room, except for my brother.

Parker’s nostrils are flaring with each breath he takes, like a bull about to charge as he stares directly at Weston’s thumb slowly tracing circles on my upper thigh.

I feel Weston tense beside me, his movement faltering for just a second. But he doesn’t say anything—he’s letting me take the lead like I asked him to do, even though I know every protective instinct in his body is kicking into overdrive.

I give his hand a soft squeeze to let him know I can handle this.

My eyes narrow on my brother, daring him to say what’s on his mind. “Is there something you’d like to ask, P?”

Parker’s fists clench and unclench several times, his jaw working like he’s holding himself back. Finally, he inhales sharply. “Tell me this is a joke.”

My pulse spikes and a hot wave of anger swells in my chest. But before I can say anything, Morgan chimes in because, of course, she does.

“Nope,” she says, her tone as playful as she can manage, given the shit storm she unleashed around us. “Thought it was rabies. Turns out it was just a baby. Crazy how that happens.”

I grit my teeth, my gaze flicking back to Parker. His glare could burn a hole straight through me, but I genuinely don’t give a shit. This is none of his business and I’m not going to let him steamroll me ever again.

“So you’re together?” he asks, his tone calm and composed.

“We are.”

The room is quiet, except for Carter’s babbles as he tries desperately hard to escape Walker’s arms. I can feel the tension thick in the air, and I know everyone is listening. Watching. Waiting to find out if Parker Winters has really changed—or if this is going to be the same old story we’ve come to expect from him.

“You’re dating my best friend,”he states simply.

“I am.”

Beau sniggers, his face beet red from holding back his amusement. “You know what they say . . . fool you once, shame on me. Fool you twice, shame on you.”

The vein in Parker’s forehead throbs, but he ignores Beau and glances down at his wife. “There’s no way you think this is okay.”

Cassidy wipes a tear from her cheek.

“Actually, I think it’s amazing,” she says before giving Morgan a sincere smile. “I think it’s all amazing.”

My chest tightens with happiness because I know how worried Morgan was about telling Cassidy about her pregnancy.

Was this the right forum to do it? Probably not. But it truly wouldn’t be a Winters’ family dinner without a little drama.

Parker’s eyes snap to Weston. “We should go talk outside.”

I feel Weston move like he’s preparing to get up, but I stop him. There’s no chance I’m letting history repeat itself. My brother did this once to Claire and Beau, and it isn’t going to happen again.

“No, P,” I seethe as my pulse spikes and my vision turns red. “You are going to grow the fuck up and say whatever you have to say in front of me like a goddamn adult.”

There’s clapping from somewhere—my sister, probably—but I have tunnel vision now. My heart pounds as Parker stares at me, daring me to continue. So I do.

“My relationship with Weston doesn’t change anything between you two. And if it does, you need to be seriously assessed because there isn’t anyone better for me.”

“Wes can’t—”

“He can’t what? Make me happy?” I interrupt, letting out a shaky laugh. “News flash, psycho, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’m less alone than I’ve ever felt.”

Adrenaline courses through me as my words tumble out, words I’ve held back for too long. “And you know what? The only reason I’m still in medical school is because of him. Because he believed in me without making me feel like I had to be perfect all of the time.”

Parker looks at me like I’ve just stabbed him in the chest. His face softens, but there’s something raw in his eyes. “I don’t . . .”

“You do,” I say softly, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. “And that’s okay, because I love you anyway. But you do.”

Weston’s hand shifts slightly, giving my thigh a reassuring squeeze because he knows how much this conversation needs to happen. How it’s challenging to have a close relationship with someone when the only thing they want to talk to you about is your success.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cassidy watching Parker, her expression soft and guiding like she’s willing him to hear what I’m saying.

Parker nods slowly. “You really think you’re ready?”

It’s a simple question, but the way his eyes dart toward Walker tells me he’s not asking about Weston—this is about Carter.

“I didn’t . . . until recently,” I admit. “But now I’ve never been more sure.”

The more time I spent with Weston and Carter, the more I felt like something was missing when I wasn’t with them. I knew without a doubt that Weston was the person I needed to be with, but it actually didn’t hit me that I could be what he needed until I talked to my friends. Cassidy gave me the reassurance and confidence that I was lacking. And Morgan helped me understand that you’re never ready, but when you find the right person, you become ready.

Parker swallows harshly. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

Alarm bells start ringing in my head, but I silence them because I want to believe him. I want to believe this can be simple, that he’ll let me have this without making it harder than it needs to be.

But then he adds, “If you want to throw your career away, I won’t stop you.”

The breath flies from my lungs because he was close—so damn close. But then Weston’s steady voice cuts through the air, handing me a lifeline and reminding me that I’m not alone anymore.

“You know what’s funny?” he asks, not waiting for a reply as he continues. “People said the same thing about me when I left Chicago. That I was throwing my career away. That I was making a mistake. But I’d do it all over again if I had to. Because it brought me two things that I love more than medicine—my son.”

He pauses as his warm hazel eyes flick to mine. “And Caroline.”

He squeezes my leg before his attention returns to Parker, and my heart instantly falls to my stomach.

“Throwing my career away was the best thing I ever did. But that’s not what Caroline is doing.”

My brother arches his brow skeptically. “Really? It’s not? You don’t think she’ll choose an easier specialty because of you? Because of what having a family in residency means?”

I want to be mad at his misogynistic concerns, but I also understand where he’s coming from—residency was one of my biggest fears with Weston, too. The stress, the lack of control, the selfishness that it requires. It didn’t seem fair to put them through that.

But Weston didn’t flinch when we talked it through. And he’s not flinching now.

“No, I don’t,” he counters before turning to me with a reassuring smile. “Because Caroline knows that I’m going to support her, no matter what. I don’t need her to help raise my son—I need her to follow her dreams. And I’ll be by her side, cheering her on every step of the way.”