Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
R eed checked his watch for the third time in as many minutes, his stomach knotting with a nervousness he rarely experienced. The diner wasn’t crowded yet—too early for the dinner rush—but he’d deliberately chosen a corner booth for privacy. Or as much privacy as you could get in the Southern Comfort Diner, where Patsy MacCallan had eyes in the back of her head and the entire town’s gossip network at her fingertips.
Through the large front windows, he spotted Ava crossing the parking lot, still in her scrubs after her shift, looking tired but satisfied in the way she always did after successfully diagnosing a difficult case. Reed smiled, still marveling at how the sight of her could simultaneously calm his nerves and make his heart race.
He hadn’t told her about his invitation to Noah. It was a risk. Ava hated surprises almost as much as she hated being manipulated, but the rift between the siblings had been eating at her, evident in the sad looks she got whenever she saw families together, the way she’d fall quiet after phone calls that didn’t come from her brother.
Reed hadn’t married Ava to drive a wedge between her and the only blood family she had left. Even if that marriage had started as an accident, it was real now, and that meant doing whatever he could to help heal the breach he’d helped create.
The bell above the door jingled as Ava entered, her eyes finding his immediately, her smile warming her whole face in a way that still made his chest tighten. God, he had it bad.
“Hey,” she said, sliding into the booth across from him. “Sorry I’m late. The lab finally came back with Megan’s treatment results. Mercury levels dropping significantly with chelation therapy.”
“That’s what we’re celebrating,” Reed replied, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. “Dr. Spencer-Campbell’s diagnostic triumph. Even Ciponelli had to admit you were right to be thorough. And hopefully, this gives you that final edge for the position.”
Ava rolled her eyes, but couldn’t quite suppress her pleased smile. “He still thinks I take too long with patients, but at least he’s stopped implying I’m wasting hospital resources.”
“Progress,” Reed agreed, his eyes flicking to the door as he spotted a familiar figure in the parking lot. His pulse kicked up a notch. “How about some sweet tea while we wait for our food?”
Ava raised an eyebrow. “You already ordered?”
“Just your usual,” he assured her. “Grilled chicken sandwich, extra pickles, side salad instead of fries.”
She looked impressed. “You know my order.”
“I know a lot of things about you, Ava Spencer-Campbell.” He used her married name deliberately, still enjoying the way it made her cheeks flush slightly. “Including that you’ve barely eaten since breakfast.”
Before she could respond, the bell above the door chimed again. Reed watched Ava’s face as she glanced casually toward the entrance, then saw her expression freeze as she recognized her brother. Emotions flashed across her face—hope, surprise, fear that he would ignore them.
Noah stood awkwardly just inside the doorway, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, his eyes finding them immediately. Reed had called him four times before Noah had finally agreed to this dinner, and even then, it had been grudging. But he’d shown up, which was more than Reed had honestly expected. Noah looked resigned and began moving their way.
“Reed,” Ava said quietly, her voice caught between hope and accusation. “What did you do?”
“Don’t be mad,” he replied, keeping his voice equally low as Noah made his way toward their table. “But you two need to talk, and neither of you was going to make the first move.”
Ava looked like she might argue, but Noah reached their booth before she could, his expression carefully neutral.
“Ava,” he greeted, his voice stiff. “Reed said you’d be here.”
An awkward silence fell as brother and sister stared at each other, weeks of hurt and misunderstanding stretched between them like a physical barrier. Reed resisted the urge to fill the silence, knowing this was something they needed to navigate themselves.
“I’m glad you came,” Ava finally said, her voice soft but steady. “I’ve missed you.”
Something in Noah’s expression shifted, the rigid set of his shoulders easing slightly. “Yeah, well. Your husband can be pretty persistent when he wants something.”
Reed shrugged, unapologetic. “Seemed like the right time for a family dinner.”
The word ‘family’ hung in the air, significant and weighted. Noah glanced between them, then slid into the booth beside Ava with a sigh that suggested surrender.
“So,” he said, picking up a menu, though Reed knew he’d order the same thing he always did—double cheeseburger with extra bacon, onion rings on the side. “Reed says your patient is recovering. The one with the makeup poisoning.”
Ava blinked, clearly caught off guard by the normal conversation opener. “Yes, she is. Mercury poisoning from imported cosmetics. Her levels are coming down with treatment.”
“Good.” Noah nodded, seemingly genuinely interested despite the tension still evident in his posture. “That’s good.”
Reed signaled for Patsy, who’d been hovering nearby with poorly disguised curiosity since Noah’s arrival. The diner had begun to fill up, and Reed was acutely aware of the sidelong glances from other patrons, the hushed conversations that paused whenever one of them looked up. Small town life at its finest—the Campbell-Spencer dinner reunion was likely already trending on the local gossip network. They probably had a hashtag and a thread on the local Facebook page.
“Noah!” Patsy greeted with a broad smile. “Haven’t seen you in here for a few weeks. The usual?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He handed back the menu without opening it.
“And sweet tea for the table,” Reed added. “Also, any chance you’ve got some of that peach cobbler left from lunch?”
Patsy winked. “For you three, I might have saved the last few pieces.”
As she bustled away, Reed caught Ava’s eye across the table. She still looked tense, but there was gratitude there too, a silent acknowledgment of his efforts. He grinned, hoping to lighten the mood.
“So,” he said, leaning back in his seat. “Did Ava ever tell you about the time she tackled me in the ED during that big flu outbreak last year?”
Noah looked up, momentarily distracted from his discomfort. “She tackled you?”
“I did not tackle you,” Ava protested, though her lips twitched with the beginning of a smile. “I prevented you from entering a quarantine area without proper protection.”
“By throwing yourself at me like a linebacker,” Reed countered, winking at Noah. “Your sister’s got a surprisingly effective body check for someone her size.”
“He’s exaggerating,” Ava told her brother, rolling her eyes. “As usual.”
“I needed stitches,” Reed insisted, pointing to the tiny scar near his eyebrow. “Three of them.”
“Because you hit the door frame when you stumbled,” Ava corrected. “Not because of my ‘tackle.’”
Noah’s eyes moved between them, something calculating in his expression as he observed their easy banter, the comfortable way they shared space and stories. “Seems like you two have a lot of history I didn’t know about,” he said finally.
The comment could have been accusatory, but instead held a note of genuine curiosity. Reed seized the opening.
“We worked together for years,” he said. “But I think we both deliberately kept things professional because of, well...”
“Because of me,” Noah finished, understanding dawning. “Because I’m your best friend and her brother.”
Ava fidgeted with her napkin, her eyes on the table. “It wasn’t just that,” she admitted. “I had my career to focus on. Reed had his rule about not dating coworkers.”
“A rule I apparently broke without realizing it,” Reed added wryly. “All those years of careful distance, and then Vegas happened.”
Noah was quiet for a moment, processing. “So the Vegas wedding really was...spontaneous? Not some elaborate cover for a relationship you’d been hiding?”
Ava paused. Reed opened the door, hinting at the truth, but she could spin it, holding onto their lie. But Noah deserved better. This was the moment when she needed to come clean, admit what really happened. If she wanted to repair her relationship, she had to be honest. She met her brother’s eyes directly. “It really was that spontaneous. And stupid. And reckless.” She paused. “But what happened after...that wasn’t fake.”
The quiet confession hung in the air between them. Reed reached across the table, taking Ava’s hand in his, a gesture that felt as natural now as breathing.
“I never meant to hurt you, Noah,” Ava continued, her voice soft but steady. “I should have told you what happened right away, instead of trying to pretend it was all planned. I just didn’t want to disappoint you. Again.”
Noah frowned. “Again? When have you ever disappointed me?”
“I wasn’t there for you after Mom and Dad died,” she said, the words seeming to surprise even her. “You gave up everything to raise me, and as soon as I could, I buried myself in med school and work and never really... I never really thanked you properly.”
Reed watched as Noah’s expression shifted from confusion to understanding, then to something softer. This was old pain being lanced, wounds that went deeper than a surprise Vegas wedding.
“Av,” Noah said gently, using the childhood nickname Reed had rarely heard, “you were a kid. You were grieving. And you worked your ass off to make something of yourself. I’ve never been anything but proud of you.”
Patsy arrived with their drinks, her usual chatter noticeably absent as she sensed the gravity of the conversation. She set down the glasses and retreated quickly, though Reed noticed she didn’t go far, her attention still obviously on their table even as she pretended to wipe down the counter.
“I still should have told you about Vegas,” Ava said after Patsy left. “You deserved better than finding out from a tacky chapel email.”
Noah’s mouth quirked in what might have been the beginning of a smile. “It was pretty tacky. Lots of glitter and neon hearts.”
“God, was there glitter?” Reed groaned, earning a genuine chuckle from Noah.
“Tons,” Noah confirmed. “And a terrible photo of you two looking shellshocked in front of an Elvis impersonator.”
“We were shellshocked,” Ava admitted. “We woke up with wedding rings and no memory of the ceremony.”
Noah’s eyebrows rose. “Seriously? So you really did the whole drunk-Vegas-wedding cliché?”
“Complete with matching hangover and mutual panic,” Reed confirmed, relieved to see the tension between the siblings continuing to ease. “Not our finest moment.”
“But it led to...this?” Noah gestured between them, his question clear.
Reed glanced at Ava, letting her take the lead. She squeezed his hand, a silent acknowledgment of his support.
“It led to us actually seeing each other,” she said simply. “Beyond the professional roles, beyond the careful distance. We got to know each other, and...” She smiled, the private one Reed had come to treasure. “And it turns out we fit.”
Noah studied them for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he sighed, some of the lingering stiffness leaving his shoulders.
“It’ll take me some time,” he said finally. “To get used to my best friend being married to my little sister. To believe this is real and not just making the best of a bad situation.”
“That’s fair,” Reed acknowledged, relieved that Noah was at least willing to try. “Take all the time you need. We’re not going anywhere.”
“But you will try?” Ava asked, vulnerability evident in her voice. “To accept us, I mean?”
Noah looked at his sister—really looked at her—then at Reed. Whatever he saw seemed to satisfy something in him, because he nodded slowly.
“Yeah, Av. I’ll try.” He paused. “Just...be happy, okay? Both of you. That’s all I really want.”
The arrival of their food broke the emotional moment, Patsy setting down plates with obvious satisfaction at having them all together in her diner. Reed noticed several other patrons quickly averting their eyes, pretending they hadn’t been watching the family drama unfold.
As they ate, the conversation gradually shifted to safer topics—the ranch, the hospital gossip vine, Reed’s summer rec program. It wasn’t perfect, wasn’t the easy camaraderie they’d shared before Vegas, but it was a start. A bridge being rebuilt, one careful word at a time.
When they finally left the diner, the sky had darkened to deep blue, stars appearing one by one above the small town that had always been home. Noah hugged Ava goodbye, a brief but genuine embrace that left her looking lighter than she had in weeks.
“I worry that this will backfire on you,” Noah said, stepping back. “You need to come clean and start fresh with everyone.”
Ava nodded and leaned into Reed. “We know. We just need to figure out the best way to do it.”
Noah sighed. “Okay. Next week, dinner at my place. Nothing fancy. Steaks on the grill. No excuses.”
“We’ll be there,” Reed promised, slipping his arm around Ava’s waist.
As Noah walked to his truck, Ava turned to Reed, her expression a mixture of gratitude and lingering amazement.
“Thank you,” she said simply. “For arranging this. For knowing what I needed even when I didn’t.”
Reed brushed a strand of hair from her face, still marveling that he was allowed to touch her like this, to love her openly. “That’s what husbands do, right? Support their wives, even when it means ambushing them with surprise family reconciliations.”
Ava laughed, the sound clear and genuine in the quiet evening air. “I suppose so.” She rose on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “You’re pretty good at it, for someone who never planned on being a husband.”
“I’m a fast learner,” Reed replied, pulling her closer. “And I have an excellent teacher.”