Wild Promises (The Wilde Brothers #4)

Chapter 2

2

TORI

E ver since I returned to New York, something was off, as if I'd missed something important but I couldn't figure out what it was. I quickly fell back into my routine of working long shifts. Even though I lived with Hugh, I rarely saw him.

It was an endless stream of work and take-out. The winter had blended into spring then summer, but nothing had changed. I felt unsettled, as if I wasn't supposed to be here. Yet the city was my chosen home, and I was happy with Hugh, wasn't I?

How many times had a nurse remarked on how lucky I was to be dating a surgeon, as if that was everyone's end goal? He never failed to mention that to me, that he had an important job when I asked when we could see each other, and spend time together.

If I wanted to see my boyfriend, I'd have to go to him. Maybe I could cook him a meal to take to him on his break. I called and talked to the nurse on duty. She gave me a good idea of when he'd be free, so I cooked a casserole and packed it in a container to take to the hospital.

For once, I was taking things into my own hands. We didn't have to schedule time together. A spontaneous meal was just as good. I was positive he would appreciate it, and I'd get us back on track. There were no stolen kisses in the closet at work or flirty texts. But that was normal when you'd been seeing someone for a while.

I chalked it up to being busy at work, but I wondered if it was more than that. If the pressure to succeed was too much.

At the hospital, I set the container in the kitchen, then went to search for Hugh. I figured he'd be trying to catch a few minutes of sleep in one of our rooms that were reserved for the doctors. I opened the door to his preferred room. The lights were off, but I heard the rustling of sheets. "Hugh? Is that you?" When I heard a grunt, I flipped on the lights without thinking about whether I was disturbing another doctor’s sleep.

Hugh was laying in bed, his hand on the hip of a woman who was straddling him. A very naked woman who looked a lot like one of the nurses we worked with.

Her wide eyes met mine as she scrambled off my boyfriend and gathered her clothes from the floor.

"I don't understand." My brain couldn't catch up with the fact that this woman had been fucking my boyfriend.

Hugh didn't seem to be in any hurry to get dressed.

The woman slipped past me and mumbled a quiet sorry I didn't bother to acknowledge. My hands were curled into fists. "What is this?"

Hugh folded his hands behind his head, not making any effort to cover his bare chest. "I was having a good time."

"How long has this been going on? Is she the only one?" I asked, my throat tight. Why did that make it so much worse?

"Tori, I'm a surgeon." His voice was patronizing.

I ground my teeth so hard I was worried they'd crack. "How can I forget?" He reminded me every time I talked to him that he was big and important surgeon, and I was just an emergency-room doctor.

"This is expected."

"Does everyone know that you're sleeping with the nurses behind my back?" Anger finally seeped into my tone. He hadn't said it, but I sensed that this woman wasn't the only one.

Hugh smirked. "This is the life of a doctor. You know what you were signing up for when we started dating."

"I expected you to be faithful. I had no idea you were cheating on me." I forced myself to keep my voice level. I didn't want the nurses listening in on our conversation.

Hugh chuckled as he slowly got out of bed, his naked body on display as the sheet fell away. Usually, I would have admired how he took care of himself on so little sleep, but he disgusted me now. "Don't be naive. Everyone wants to marry a doctor. That's where I thought we were headed."

It's what I wanted him to say before I walked in on him naked with another woman. But now I was questioning everything. I'd always wanted to take over my father's practice when he retired. I'd done residences in pediatric and emergency medicine to keep my options open. The only thing holding me back was Hugh, but now there was no us, and we didn't have a future together.

"We can still be together. This doesn't have to change anything." He'd pulled on his scrubs as if he didn't have a care in the world, shrugged on his white jacket, and slung his stethoscope over his neck. I used to think he was so handsome and kind. But now, I couldn't stand to look at him.

"It changes everything."

Hugh's gaze shot to mine. "Don't be ridiculous."

The shock and rage gave way to a deep sadness for the time I'd wasted on him. I wasn't getting any younger, and I'd always wanted a family of my own. I worried that with our lifestyle, it wouldn't be possible for a long time, and one of us would have to work less hours to make it happen. But now, none of that mattered. I'd never stay with anyone who cheated on me. I was positive rumors were already running through the nurses' station. There was no getting around hospital gossip. It was worse than a middle-school cafeteria.

He reached for me, and I stepped back.

"We need to figure out the apartment."

His lip curled into a sneer. "The lease is in my name."

"I thought you were adding me to it?" I asked.

"I never did."

I swallowed hard. "So I have to move out. Of course. I didn't know how big of an asshole you were until now."

"I'm not the asshole in this situation."

I snorted. "I caught you fucking another woman, and I need to find a place to live. Until then, you can stay at the hospital." He did most nights anyway. Without another word, I turned on the heel of my sneakers and walked out, leaving the dinner I made for him in the break room for the others to enjoy. I couldn't believe I'd come here to share a meal with my boyfriend and he'd been fucking someone else. I couldn't believe I hadn't known, especially when my coworkers did.

Humiliation and shame washed over me. Everyone would be talking about me behind my back and wondering how stupid I was not to know about what was going on right under my nose. A few probably thought I just wanted to marry a surgeon and the rest of it didn't matter. But it did.

I'd always admired my parents' relationship. I wouldn't settle for anything less, and if Hugh knew anything about me, he'd know that. But he hadn't known me at all.

When I got home, I felt like I was in a fog. I couldn't cry, yet I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around what I'd just seen and the callous way Hugh had handled it. He'd acted entitled, as if that's just what surgeons did, and I needed to deal with it.

Every time I remembered the look on his face, the pit in my stomach grew larger. I needed to talk to someone. But my friends were other nurses and doctors at the hospital, and right now, I didn't trust anyone not to be on Hugh's side.

I called my mom, needing to hear her voice.

"Hello." Mom's voice had my heart constricting, and finally the tears stung my eyes. "Tori, is everything okay?"

A sob erupted.

"You're scaring me."

I gulped in huge breaths of air. "I'm okay." Or at least I would be. Mom waited for me to calm down enough to speak coherently. I explained what happened, the PG version of it anyway, and the callous way Hugh had handled the situation.

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. I know you hoped that he might be the one for you."

"I think the worst part was that he expected me to be okay with him cheating so he could continue to do it."

"What are you going to do?" Mom's voice filled with concern.

"I need to find a place to live." I looked around at the modern apartment that was just as cold as the hospital.

"You aren't happy in New York. You haven't been in a while."

I blew out a breath. "I know."

"Maybe it's time to consider where you want to work and live."

"I think you're right." It was time to go home. It was what I'd always planned on doing. Working side-by-side with my father in his clinic. He wasn't getting any younger, and the thought of working with him felt good. The idea of staying at this hospital, where everyone knew about the cheating, was the last thing I wanted to do. "I need to wrap up some things here first."

"Of course. Will you be okay?"

The thought of going home, of being surrounded by my family and childhood friends, made me feel better. "I will be. I think going home will be good for me." I was starting to feel suffocated in the city. It hadn't been the lifestyle I wanted when I went to med school. I'd let Hugh steer me in a different direction, but it was time to live the life I wanted. Not the one he'd talked me into.

"I hate that he cheated on you, and you're going through this."

"Maybe it was just the thing I needed to remind me of who I am and where I'm going." I wasn't this girl. One who lived in her boyfriend's apartment waiting for him to come home while he's fucking someone else. I needed to take charge of my future.

Satisfied I had a plan, I fell asleep in the guest room. The next morning, I packed my things and arranged for movers. Then I scheduled a meeting with my boss. The entire time I explained that I always wanted to work in my father's practice, she had a sympathetic look on her face. She knew what happened and why I was quitting, and the crazy part was that she felt sorry for me. But Hugh had done me a favor. It was the catalyst I needed to remind me of my dreams and what I wanted out of life. I was finally going home.

I gathered my things from the locker room, eager to get out of the hospital. Then the door opened. I was surprised to see Hugh standing in the doorway. "You can't be in here."

"One of the nurses said you'd be here."

"I'm just clearing out my things. The movers are scheduled on Friday. Then you'll have your apartment back. I'll leave my key on the counter."

"So that's it. You're just quitting?"

I smiled as I slung my bag over my shoulder. "You did me a favor. You reminded me of my dream, and it wasn't to work in an emergency room."

Hugh's lip curled into a sneer. "You want to move to your hometown and work in your father's clinic?"

"Yes."

From the look on Hugh's face, I knew he thought that was a fate worse than death.

"It's what I've always wanted, and I lost sight of that."

"You don't have to go. You can stay in the condo for as long as you need. We could go out to dinner and talk about it."

How many times had I asked him to go out to dinner or to grab drinks, and he was always too busy? "It's too late. Besides, I'm excited for the next phase of my life. Good luck, Hugh."

He sputtered as I slipped past him and out the door. I felt the eyes of the nurses at the station on me as I walked. I smiled but kept going. These women were never my friends, especially if they knew Hugh was cheating on me and didn't say anything. I couldn't trust anyone here. It was one more reason to go back to the place where honesty and friendship meant something.

I felt lighter than I had in a long time. Hugh had done me a favor. He'd made me see that I wasn't being true to myself. The thought of moving home to Telluride was exciting. It was a slower pace, where I could get to know my patients. It was what interested me in medicine when I was younger. I wanted a connection to my patients. I wanted to follow up with them and see their progress. And I was looking forward to spending more time with my parents, and even my childhood friend, Xander.

I'd gone to his family's lodge on New Year's to see him. It had been a long time, and he'd stopped answering my text messages. I wanted to know that he was okay and our friendship intact. I hadn't asked why he'd been so distant. Instead, we'd talked about what we were doing, and the marriage pact that had been on my mind more often lately.

I was turning thirty in November, and we'd made a pact to marry each other if we weren't married by then. It was a silly agreement, one no one would insist we fulfill. But I couldn't help but think the idea had merit.

The thought of marrying my best friend set off a fluttering in my stomach. He'd been this charming, flirty guy to all the other girls, but to me, he'd just been Xander Wilde, my best friend. The one person I could always count on to be there for me, outside of my parents. But I'd always had this awareness of him.

Why was the idea of walking down the aisle to him pulling such a strong reaction from me? I wasn't even sure we were friends anymore. His responses to my texts had been fewer and farther apart until I'd given up on communication entirely.

If the feelings in my body were an indication of the direction I was going, I'd made the right decision. I was antsy to get out of New York and away from the toxic culture of the hospital. I wanted to get back to small-town living. Where everyone knew everyone's business, but they wouldn't knowingly hurt anyone.

In Telluride, I could make a difference in a way I couldn't here. Hugh cheating on me was the best thing that could have happened. I think I would have confronted him eventually about the status of our relationship, but it could have taken months or even years to get to the truth.

It hurt that I didn't have the relationship I thought I did. But if I was being honest with myself, I suspected something was wrong for a while. I was just in denial or too scared to go looking for answers.

Now I had my answer, and I could move on to a different chapter. The one I always wanted to live.