Chapter 3
AIDEN
I sat at the breakfast bar in my brother’s little two-bedroom cottage, laptop open in front of me, and tried to ignore the noises coming from the shower down the hall. Flynn and Bailey were getting ready for a night out, which apparently involved showering together.
They wanted me to go out for drinks with Bailey’s brothers, but I wasn’t really feeling it.
Better to use my time productively. I’d be starting my job soon, and I needed to find a place to live before I got sucked into the glamorous life of medical research.
The rental ads weren’t encouraging. I’d found a three-bedroom house for $2,500 a month, but my tiny hospital stipend wouldn’t cover it, even with two roommates to share costs. And I didn’t know anybody in town, so how would I find these mystery roommates?
I might be a doctor, but I wouldn’t be making a doctor’s salary until I got through my residency.
A studio over a garage for 600 a month caught my eye, but it didn’t have a kitchen, laundry, or central air or heat. I might be willing to go without one of those, but all three?
Maybe I should give up and just stay with Flynn and Bailey.
Another moan drifted down the hall. I hurriedly stuffed my earbuds in. Yeah, no. I couldn’t deal with this. I was happy for Flynn, but I didn’t want to hear how happy Bailey was making him in the shower or the bedroom or—once—the backyard.
I shook my head, trying to forget the scene I’d walked into during my spring break visit. I shuddered. There was no amount of brain bleach that would erase it.
I refocused on the rental ads. Maybe I could live without AC or laundry or a kitchen. I could eat at the hospital, right? The rest of the ads were a wash. Either too expensive or too crappy. Besides one mobile home in a sketchy part of town, I wasn’t seeing much that would even be worth looking at.
A tap on my shoulder startled me, and I pulled out my earbuds.
“Hey,” Bailey said, all smiles and a rosy flush to his skin that was probably from more than just the shower. “You ready to head out?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t know. I thought I might just get a head start on my research for the hospital. I want to be ready Monday, and—”
“Come on, all you’ve done is stare at that computer since you got here,” Bailey said. “Please come out. My brothers really want to give you a proper welcome to Riverton.”
“That’s nice…”
Nice but weird. They barely knew me, but they seemed determined to adopt me, anyway. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I’d been on my own for a long time.
Flynn walked in, his hair still damp and curling around his ears. “Aiden’s work is really important. If he’s too busy to spend a night out with us, then that’s okay. He’s going to be an amazing surgeon, and that means sacrifices.”
Oh, damn. Brother guilt incoming. No one had sacrificed like Flynn.
I sighed and closed the laptop. “I’m not too busy. There’s only so much research I can do until I have access to the hospital database.”
“How goes the rental search?” Bailey asked. “I saw you were on the Riverton housing site.”
“Nothing yet, but I’ll find something.”
“There’s no rush.” Flynn said as he slung an arm over Bailey’s shoulders and nuzzled into his neck.
Right. No rush at all if I wanted to watch this lovefest every day. After my last boyfriend turned into a jackwagon when he learned about my upbringing and Flynn’s felon status, I’d been flying solo. I had my work to focus on, a whole future to chase, so I didn’t need a man.
Didn’t mean I didn’t get lonely sometimes, though. Watching my brother and Bailey together made my heart ache for something I wouldn’t have anytime soon.
That studio with no A/C was looking better and better. Or maybe that trailer on the edge of town. Moving in with a stranger to split bills would be totally safe, right?
I hopped off my stool. “Let me go change, and we can go.”
“No booty shorts!” Flynn called after me, and Bailey laughed. “It’s not that kind of place!”
I escaped into the little guest room Flynn had set up for me.
It contained a futon that folded out into a full-size bed, although with a super-thin mattress, an antique dresser he’d repainted a pale blue, and a tiny closet.
It wasn’t much, but considering I had no furniture of my own after living in furnished student housing in Maple Grove, I was grateful.
I opened the closet door and rifled through my clothes until I found a bright teal T-shirt that brought out the color of my eyes. I didn’t want to do anything too suggestive in a tiny town like this. Flynn didn’t need to worry; the booty shorts would stay tucked away.
I changed out of my faded Thirsty U shirt and applied a few drops of cologne before running my fingers through my unruly waves. Bedhead could be sexy, but not when it looked as if I had never combed my hair. Ah well. It wasn’t as if I’d be prowling for guys tonight.
Ball Breakers was a shabby little pool hall tucked into a strip mall with a tattoo parlor and a sex shop. Motorcycles took up three parking spots, alongside pickups and a few cars that included a sleek-looking GTO and a hideous El Camino.
It wasn’t the yuppyville of Maple Grove, but that was a relief. I’d always felt like an imposter there.
“It looks like a rough crowd, but it’s not, really,” Bailey said as we got out of the car. “It’s just blue-collar guys who want to kick back after work. A few old bikers, but usually not anyone looking for trouble.”
“Not unless Bailey makes trouble with them,” Flynn added with a pointed look.
“Leave the lectures to Holden, babe,” Bailey said. “He’s better at them.”
Holden was his oldest brother and notorious for being the bossy one in the family. Bailey had two other brothers—Gray and Axel—who I’d met when I visited for Thanksgiving, along with their boyfriends. They’d had a very full house, especially with all the stray dogs that Axel took in.
Flynn huffed a laugh and brushed a thumb along Bailey’s jaw. “I’m just trying to protect this pretty face.”
Bailey smirked. “Don’t worry. Tonight’s about Aiden’s pretty face. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Flynn opened the door, and Bailey linked arms with me and guided me inside. The interior was dim, and the clatter of pool balls competed with laughter drifting from the handful of tables arranged around the small bar. For a Wednesday night, it was pretty lively.
A group of guys in full leathers sat at the bar, one of them tipping his head in our direction.
“That’s Otis,” Bailey said. “Gray has done some work on his bike, and I’m rebuilding the engine in his daughter’s car.”
“That’s a big job, isn’t it?”
“It’s not small,” Bailey agreed. “But I’ve got some time since I’m not starting school again until the fall.”
“Right. You’re going into that car restoration program here in town?”
“Yep.” He beamed. “I can’t wait. The past six months have been great for getting back to normal, but I’m ready to tackle something new.”
“Just don’t go looking for a new relationship with one of those college boys,” Flynn said.
Bailey elbowed him. “Never. You’re stuck with me, Dozer.”
I raised my eyebrow at the old prison nickname that Flynn usually hated. But my brother was smiling, so obviously it hit differently when Bailey said it.
“Okay, I hear you,” he said. “You love me no matter what.”
“That’s right. Every part.”
Bailey’s brothers and their boyfriends had gotten here before us. They’d pushed two tables together and pulled over extra chairs. Two pitchers of pale beer sat on the far right table, along with a few extra pint glasses.
“Hey, guys,” Bailey said. “We managed to finally drag Aiden out of the house.”
Gray grinned. “Good to see you again, Aiden.”
Gray’s boyfriend, Emory, sat at his side. They were a good-looking couple, Gray’s dark hair and inked arms contrasting with Emory’s blond hair and mostly unmarked skin.
Emory had just one tattoo visible, a bit of ink that looked like a chain around his wrist. Tiny linked letters repeated over and over, reading G-R-A-Y-G-R-A-Y-G-R-A-Y.
Flynn had a tattoo just like that, except it spelled out Bailey’s name again and again. Glancing around, I could see that all the boyfriends had one.
“Have a seat,” Holden said. “You want a beer?”
“Um, sure.” Beer wasn’t really my preferred beverage, but I didn’t want to seem fussy. “Thanks.”
I took a seat beside Bailey, across from Axel, who sported even more ink than Gray and sharper features that made me think of a sly fox. His dirty-blond hair spilled over his shoulders.
“Welcome to living in the sticks. You have my condolences.”
I laughed. “Well, I’m only here for a year, so I’m sure I’ll survive it.”
“Why only a year?” Holden asked.
“I’m doing a research year at Elkhorn County Medical Center,” I said. “After that, I’ll apply for residencies all over the country.”
Holden’s boyfriend, Shiloh, leaned forward. “A research year? Is that what it sounds like?”
“Pretty much,” I said with a chuckle. “I’ll be researching disparities in myocardial infarction outcomes in rural areas, primarily delays in access to specialist care, surgeon shortages, and resource limitations.”
“Fun,” Axel said. “I can’t imagine it’ll be all good news, huh?”
“Probably not,” I said. “But the studies are important because they validate the need for change, and that helps hospitals fight for the money, tools, and staffing they need to save more lives.”
“It’s important work,” Flynn said, sounding proud. “My brother is a fucking doctor!”
The guys all laughed and lifted their glasses in salute.
“Glad to have you around,” Gray said.
“Especially if that study shows we’re SOL with the rural hospital,” Axel said with a snort.
“Oh, no. I’m reviewing hundreds of cases from Elkhorn County and other areas of the Midwest, but you’ve all got Dr. Rose, and she’s an amazing cardiothoracic surgeon. You’re lucky to have her.”
“Yeah, but you gotta have sky-high insurance premiums to get her,” Axel said. “I’d rather try my luck with the new family doctor.” He winked.