Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
N oah set the steaks on the table and slid into the chair across from Ava, the legs of the chair scraping softly against the worn hardwood floor. The scent of seared meat and buttery potatoes filled the kitchen, but neither of them commented. They filled their plates in silence, the clink of silverware the only sound between them. Ava shifted in her seat, her jeans stiff and uncomfortable after a night of restless pacing and crying.
Noah had barely said a word since she’d shown up at his door, her face blotchy and eyes swollen. He hadn't questioned her. He had just sighed, opened his arms, and pulled her in the way he had so many times before when life had bruised her. But this time, the comfort she usually found in her older brother’s embrace had eluded her. It was like trying to warm herself with a memory. There was only one man whose arms she wanted, and she’d driven him away—shattered something precious beyond repair.
The steak was perfectly cooked, but it might as well have been cardboard. She chewed mechanically, the flavor a bland smear on her tongue. She reached for her Diet Coke and took a long sip, using the fizz to chase the ashes down.
Noah set his fork down with a soft clink. “So, it blew up in your face. What happened?”
She leaned back in her chair, spine sinking into the wood as she turned to stare out the window. The late afternoon sun stretched across the rolling fields of the ranch, casting long golden shadows over the faded fence posts and the grazing horses. She took a shaky breath.
“Ciponelli found out. Accused me of manipulating him—and the Board—to get the position. Said I was unethical.”
The words tasted bitter. Of all the possible consequences, that accusation cut deepest. She had clawed her way to that promotion—years of sacrifice, playing by the rules, checking every damn box. To have her integrity questioned like that...it was like someone had reached into her chest and twisted.
Noah watched her, sympathy flickering behind his steady gaze. “I told you this could go sideways. But Ciponelli’s not a hothead. He’ll cool off, take a second look. You’re a damn good doctor.”
She didn’t look at him. Her gaze stayed fixed on the horizon, her thumbnail digging into the raw skin beside it, worrying the spot until it stung. The Board was meeting tomorrow. Her fate was already on the docket.
“Is that really what’s eating you?” Noah asked, voice softer now. “What happened with Reed?”
Her eyes snapped to him, sharp and wary. “Did he call you? What did he say?”
Noah held up both hands, palms out. “I haven’t talked to Reed—not really—since your wedding. But you’re here, falling apart, and he’s not with you. I gotta ask. Did he throw you under the bus? Is that how Ciponelli found out?”
Her voice dropped, small and quiet. “No. He didn’t say anything. But I accused him of it. Of going to Ciponelli or someone on the Board. I thought he’d sabotaged me.”
Noah winced, like her words physically pained him. “Oh, Ava.”
“I know. It was stupid. But I was freaking out. Only a couple of people knew. I thought someone had to have said something.”
He shook his head. “Small towns, Ava. It’s hard to keep secrets here. Harder to keep a relationship hidden.”
“So no one believed us?” she whispered, her voice barely carrying across the table.
He reached across and wrapped his calloused fingers around her hand. “I love you, Ava, but you’ve never been good at pretending. You couldn’t hide something like that. Not from me, not from anyone who’s paying attention.” He sighed. “I don’t want to say it, but I warned you. Lies unravel. Reed’s a good guy, but you two…you’ve always been opposites. Maybe this is for the best. A marriage shouldn’t start with a lie.”
But had it been a lie? She stared down at their joined hands. “It didn’t feel like a lie. Not always,” she admitted softly.
Noah’s eyes narrowed slightly, searching her expression. “He’s impulsive, easy-going to a fault. You’ve always said that drove you nuts. You’re structure, and control, and precision. Are you sure that’s what you want in a husband?”
She looked up, her eyes shimmering. “He’s got one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met. He’s good at his job—great, even. And he knows me. Sometimes better than you do. And that’s just after a couple months.”
Noah leaned back and exhaled through his nose, a long, weary sound. “Then maybe you’ve got some thinking to do.” He paused, his expression darkening as the mood shifted. “Ava, you’ve lived your whole life focused on one goal. Ever since Mom and Dad died, it’s been medicine, medicine, medicine. You threw everything into becoming the best, and I respect the hell out of that. But maybe I should’ve pulled you back sooner, made you live a little, feel something other than pressure and grief. But I wasn’t them, and I didn’t know how to reach you.”
His voice cracked slightly. “You’ve pushed everyone away, except the ones who fought like hell to stay close. And now you’re doing the same with Reed. I’m worried about you.”
“Get in line. Rachel said the same thing,” she muttered, blinking back fresh tears.
He tightened his grip on her hand. “You’re incredible, Ava. You’re not just a doctor. You’re kind and loyal and passionate, even if you bury it under layers of steel. I bet Reed saw all that. And maybe, for once, you let someone actually see you. So when you thought he betrayed you, it hit deeper.”
A single tear slipped down her cheek, and she brushed it away quickly. “I trusted him,” she whispered. “And he didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But you still pushed him away.” Noah tilted his head. “Why do you think that is?”
She let her head fall back against the chair, staring up at the ceiling as emotion tightened in her throat. She didn’t need to think about the answer. She had known it for years—had heard it from more than one therapist. But knowing and accepting were two different beasts.
“He was going to leave eventually,” she murmured. “So I figured I’d leave first.”
Noah’s jaw clenched as he studied her, sorrow etched into his features. “That’s not Reed. And I think, deep down, you know that.”
She did. Reed would have stayed. He would’ve fought for them. He had fought for them. And she’d shoved him away because she was terrified—terrified of letting him in, terrified of needing someone, of having everything and losing it all again.
The tissue appeared in front of her face just as her vision blurred. She hadn’t even noticed the tears falling.
“Thanks,” she said, voice cracking as she took it from him.
Noah gave her a sad smile. “Now, how are you going to get him back?”
Ava stared down at the balled-up tissue in her hand, the fibers soft and damp. Her chest felt hollow, scraped out by too many years of holding herself together when no one else could do it for her. “You want the truth?” she asked, her voice barely more than a breath.
Noah gave her a slow nod. “Always.”
She leaned forward, elbows braced on the table, her eyes fixed on the wood grain like it could ground her. “I was twelve when they died. You were what—nineteen? Barely out of high school, hoping to go to the rodeo, and suddenly you were raising me. And I saw what it did to you. You tried to stay strong, but I could hear you crying in your room some nights. You never knew I heard, but I did.”
Noah flinched, but said nothing.
“I told myself I wouldn’t be that fragile. I wouldn’t need anyone that much. Because if I did—if I relied on someone and they left me—I didn’t think I’d make it.” She took a shaky breath, her fingers curling around the edge of the table. “I put everything into control. Into school. Medicine. Saving other people because I couldn’t save Mom and Dad. Because I didn’t even try. I just stood there while the paramedics worked, frozen, useless.”
“Ava—” Noah started.
“I know I was a kid,” she snapped, then softened. “I know it wasn’t my fault. But that didn’t stop the guilt. And I figured, if I worked hard enough, became good enough, maybe I could prevent someone else from feeling that helpless. That broken.”
Noah’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t interrupt. He just let her talk, something not many people ever gave her space to do. Except Reed.
“I stopped letting people in. I didn’t date. I didn’t party. I barely kept in touch with friends from college. There was always another test to study for, another residency to apply to. People called me driven. Focused. But really, I was just scared. Scared that if I loved someone, really loved someone, they’d leave. Or worse.”
“And then Reed happened,” Noah said quietly.
She nodded. “He happened without a warning. Just there, crashing into my life, laughing too loud, flirting shamelessly. Making me feel things. And I hated it at first. I hated that he got under my skin so easily.”
“And then you married him in Vegas,” Noah said dryly, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Her lips twitched despite herself. “Yeah, that was not the plan.”
Noah chuckled. “No kidding.”
“But being with him was like breathing for the first time in years. He made me laugh, challenged me, listened to me even when I didn’t want to talk. And I think that scared me even more. Because I felt safe with him, which meant he could destroy me. And when Ciponelli found out about us, I panicked. It was easier to blame Reed than admit that I let someone in and didn’t see the train coming.”
Noah leaned forward. “You didn’t ruin your life, Ava. You made a mistake. One big, emotionally charged mistake. But if you love him, if you want this marriage to work, then it’s not too late.”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t know if he’ll forgive me. I looked him in the eye and accused him of something awful. Something he never would’ve done. I saw his face, Noah. He looked shattered.”
“Then you have to fix it,” Noah said simply. “Own it. Apologize. And not with a text or a voicemail. If Reed means that much to you, go find him. Show him.”
Ava stared at him for a long moment, her heart pounding. For years, she'd built her life around control, certainty, and distance. But maybe it was time to stop hiding behind her career. Maybe it was time to fight for something that wasn’t on her resume.
She whispered, “What if he doesn’t want me back?”
Noah reached out again, his thumb brushing a tear from her cheek like he used to when she was a kid. “Then at least you’ll know you tried. But if you don’t go after him, you’ll regret it every damn day.”
Ava looked back out the window, the fields bathed in amber light. Somewhere out there, Reed was nursing the wound she’d given him. And for once in her life, the next move wouldn’t be about logic or strategy or survival.
It would be about love.
And she finally understood—love was the real risk.
And maybe, just maybe, it was worth taking.
R eed guided the gurney through the automatic doors of Elizabethtown General’s emergency department, careful to avoid the slight bump in the threshold that always seemed to catch the wheels. Mrs. Gladys Peterson, eighty-two years old and sharp as a tack despite her fall, hadn’t stopped talking since he and his partner had helped her off her kitchen floor.
“—and that’s when I told Mabel that she’d better get her grandson to fix that porch light before someone breaks their neck. Not that she listened, of course. Mabel never listens.” Mrs. Peterson adjusted the thin hospital blanket across her lap. “Reminds me of my late husband that way.”
Reed nodded, navigating the busy corridor with practiced ease. Three days since Ava had walked out on him. Three long, quiet days and sleepless nights. He had checked to make sure she was in her apartment, safe, but didn’t reach out. She had to make the first move. But she hadn’t, and he felt like he was moving through fog. But he kept his voice professional, warm.
“We’re going to get you checked out, Mrs. Peterson. Probably just some X-rays to make sure nothing’s broken.”
“Oh, I know I didn’t break anything. Been falling since I was a child, young man. I know what a break feels like.” She patted his hand where it rested on the gurney rail. “But my daughter would have a conniption if I didn’t come in, and I’ve learned to pick my battles.”
They reached the triage area, and Reed maneuvered the gurney into an open bay. His partner, Kyle, handed the intake nurse Mrs. Peterson’s information while Reed began the transfer protocol. Then Kyle disappeared, probably to check in on his wife, Rachel.
“Now, is your lovely wife working today?” Mrs. Peterson asked, eyes bright with interest. “Dr. Spencer-Campbell? I was surprised to hear about your marriage. I didn’t think you would get married, but you two would make such a wonderful couple. She is such a competent young woman. She was so kind when I came in with my bronchitis last winter.”
Reed’s hands faltered on the gurney lock. He kept his eyes fixed on the mechanism. “I’m not sure if she’s on shift today.”
“Oh, but wouldn’t you know?” Mrs. Peterson’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I would have thought?—”
“Let’s get you settled first,” Reed interrupted gently, forcing a smile. “The doctor will be with you soon.”
Mrs. Peterson seemed to sense his discomfort and mercifully let the subject drop. Reed completed the transfer efficiently, gave his report to the nurse, and backed out of the bay with a polite nod to the patient.
“You take care, Mrs. Peterson.”
“You too, young man. Tell that wife of yours I said hello! And your mother too!”
Reed’s jaw tightened, but managed another smile before turning away. He headed for the main desk to complete his paperwork, hoping to get in and out without running into Ava. He hadn’t seen her since the night of their fight, had deliberately switched shifts with other EMTs to avoid the awkwardness.
The emergency department was busy but not chaotic—a typical Monday afternoon. Reed noticed a few glances in his direction as he approached the desk, a whispered conversation that ceased abruptly when he drew near. His stomach clenched. The news was out, then.
He kept his focus on the tablet in his hands, filling out the electronic transfer form with quick, efficient taps. Almost done. Almost free to escape back to the ambulance and the relative sanctuary of the road.
“Campbell.”
Reed looked up to see Joe Salvini leaning against the desk a few feet away, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. Salvini had been gunning for the permanent ED position for months, making no secret of his ambition or his disdain for Ava as his competition.
“Salvini,” Reed acknowledged with a curt nod, returning his attention to the tablet.
“So, your marriage was fake, huh?” Salvini’s voice carried just enough to draw the attention of the unit clerk and a nearby nurse. “I always knew it.”
Reed’s fingers froze over the screen. He took a slow, deliberate breath through his nose, pushing back the urge to grab Salvini by his pressed white coat and drag him into the parking lot.
“I’m working, Salvini,” he said instead, his voice deliberately neutral. “And so are you.”
“Just making conversation.” Salvini shrugged, moving closer. “Though I must say, I admire the commitment. Getting married in Vegas just to help her secure a job? That’s dedication. Or desperation. Hard to tell which. Or who was the desperate one. Probably Ava, since I hear you’ve had more than your share of companionship in town.”
Reed hit submit on the form with more force than necessary, setting the tablet down before he could give in to the urge to fling it at Salvini’s smug face. He turned to face the doctor, keeping his expression carefully blank despite the anger churning in his gut.
“You done?”
“Hey, no judgment from me.” Salvini held up his hands in mock surrender, that irritating smirk still firmly in place. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll be moving on. Got the job at the trauma center in Louisville. I’ll be shaking off this small town in a couple of weeks.”
Reed blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. Louisville was a significant step up—a Level I trauma center with state-of-the-art equipment and triple the patient volume of Elizabethtown.
“You’re leaving?” Reed couldn’t keep the surprise from his voice. “I thought you were taking the ED position here.”
Salvini’s smirk faltered, a grimace flashing across his features before he recovered his composure. “Nope. It was filled.” He straightened his coat, an unconscious gesture of pride. “But Louisville is a better opportunity anyway. Better pay, better cases. I hadn’t expected to get that position so quickly. But Ciponelli gave me a great recommendation, so that helped.”
Reed studied him, noting the slight defensiveness in his posture. Salvini had wanted the Elizabethtown position—had been vocal about it for months. His sudden departure to Louisville felt off.
“Who’d they give it to?” Reed asked, curiosity momentarily overriding his desire to end the conversation.
Salvini shrugged, his affected nonchalance not quite hiding his irritation. “Don’t know, don’t care. Probably some buddy of Ciponelli’s.”
Reed glanced around the department, wondering if anyone else knew. A few staff members were watching their exchange with undisguised interest, but no one volunteered any information.
“Anyway,” Salvini continued, already backing away, “good luck with... Whatever’s going on with you and the good Dr. Spencer-Campbell, or is she back to Dr. Spencer now? Marriage counseling, divorce court—whatever feels right.”
Reed gritted his teeth but didn’t rise to the bait. He simply nodded once, picked up the tablet to return it to the charging station, and turned away. He had paperwork to finish in the rig, and Kyle would be wondering what was taking so long.
As he pushed through the double doors back to the ambulance bay, Reed couldn’t help wondering who had secured the position Ava had wanted so badly. The position that had been at the center of their fake marriage in the first place. The irony wasn’t lost on him. That their marriage might be ending just as the reason for its existence was resolved one way or another.
He climbed into the rig, closing the door with perhaps more force than necessary. Kyle raised an eyebrow from the driver’s seat but didn’t comment.
“Ready?” Kyle asked instead.
Reed nodded, staring out the windshield as they pulled away from the hospital. Ready for the next call, yes. Ready to face what came next with Ava? That was an entirely different question.
Three days of silence stretched between them, filled with unanswered texts and one brief, stilted phone call where they’d discussed only the logistics of her picking up more clothes. Three days of sleepless nights, staring at the ceiling, replaying their fight and wondering where exactly it had all gone wrong.
As the ambulance turned onto Main Street, Reed found himself wondering if Ava even knew about the ED position yet. If she’d been chosen, passed over, or if she was still in limbo waiting for the Board’s decision.
He wondered if it even mattered anymore, or if some bridges, once burned, could never be rebuilt.