Surviving Secrets (Medical Billionaires #1)

Chapter One

ELLA

“G irl, you look absolutely fuckable .” Brynn grins at me as she comes out of the hotel bathroom.

I try my best to smile despite the worry in my gut. She’s been so excited about this trip to Boston, and I don’t want her to think I’m anything but absolutely thrilled to be here.

Seeing right through me as she always does, she props a hand on her hip. “Ella, babe. Your dry spell is so bad, it’s giving me second-degree burns. You need to get laid.”

Dropping the act, I huff and roll my eyes as I turn back to the full-length mirror. “Yeah, because that turned out so well the last time you wanted me to get laid.”

“Hey, you got the cutest little human out of that trip.” She points a finger at me before sitting down on the hotel bed to pull on her heels.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t trade Macie for anything.”

My heart warms at the thought of my adorable, precocious, sweet little girl. The product of a night that I’ll never forget, and can’t bring myself to regret, despite the heartache.

She’s with my parents this weekend, and most of my anxiety is due to being away from her overnight for the first time ever. The rest of it is caused by this being my night out away from home in four years.

“Just…” Brynn trails off, sighing. “Promise me you’ll try to have fun tonight, okay? You’ve worked your ass off the last two years, and you’re finally a vet tech. You don’t have Macie as an excuse to not let go. I just want you to have fun, okay?”

Sighing, I bite my lip, but I know she’s right. I have to at least try to have fun. “Fine. But no getting pregnant!”

Brynn just laughs before pulling out her phone and getting next to me for a picture. “Say cheese, bitch!” She presses a kiss to my cheek as I smile, and then she pushes the button on the phone to take the selfie. She brings it down and looks at it, whistling low. “Damn, we look good .”

Peeking over her shoulder at the picture, I have to agree. Her softly waved, coral-pink hair brings out her hazel eyes, which are rimmed with gold shadow. Next to her, my long, curled brown hair falls down my back, the color of my hunter green bodycon dress matching the eyeshadow I put on before lining my eyes with black eyeliner.

I check myself out one more time in the full-length mirror though, just to be sure. While my body has changed since having a baby, the dress I’m wearing hugs all the right places, showing off my curves. The black minidress Brynn has on shows off her long legs and hourglass shape.

We, in Brynn’s words, look absolutely fuckable.

Ready for our night out, we head out of the hotel room and walk down the street to the bar we scoped out earlier.

It’s pretty crowded when we arrive, and Brynn immediately drags me to the counter so we can order some drinks.

The spot is trendy, with neon light strips under the bar and on the ceiling, making the area feel a little more like a club than a regular bar. The interior is otherwise black, making the lights stand out considerably.

“What can I get you ladies?” the bartender says loudly over the sound of the music and other patrons.

“Vodka Redbull, please!” Brynn calls out before shooting me a grin.

The bartender turns his attention to me. “And you, miss?”

“A margarita, please. With salt.” The exact words I said to the bartender four years ago leave my lips. Suddenly, it’s like I’m back in Burlington, transported to that night that changed everything.

“Hi… I’m sorry, I don’t usually do this, but… can I buy you a drink?” The deep timbre of a man’s voice has me whipping my head to the side and finding the guy I saw seconds ago.

“I’d like that.” I smile at him. “I’m Ella.”

Mystery man moves to the seat next to me, and there’s this tug in my gut, urging me to get closer. I should probably be weary about a complete stranger buying me a drink, but there’s just something about him that makes me think I can trust him. “Nice to meet you, Ella.” Something sparks in his eyes when he looks at me, and up close, I can see that his eyes aren’t just blue, they’re this gorgeous gray like an ocean after a storm.

“Do I get to know your name now?” I ask coyly, my fingers unconsciously twirling the ends of my hair. “Or do I need to call you ‘mystery man’ all night?”

He chuckles, and something sparks in his eyes when he looks at me. “As much as I like the sound of that, I’m a fair guy. You gave me your name, so I’ll tell you mine… my friends call me Liam.”

“I’m gonna go dance!” Brynn says close to my ear, jolting me out of my thoughts. I blink, then smile and give her a nod. She takes off with her drink in her hand and a sway in her hips.

I turn to the margarita the bartender has set in front of me and take a sip. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. I haven’t been out like this since that night, and it seems like my memories are close to the surface.

It’s been so long. I shouldn’t still be thinking of him. Or the way we had formed an instant connection, unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Before long, my drink is drained and I’m tracing the pattern of the dark lines of wooden grain on the tabletop, lost in thought.

A man with black hair slides into the vacant seat next to me, turning his body so he can talk to me. “Hey there, sweet thing. You feel like dancing?”

He’s not bad looking by any means, but… shit. I know I promised Brynn I’d try to have fun, but I haven’t been with a guy since… not since Liam. Before, I had school and Macie as an excuse to keep to myself, but the closer I got to graduation, the more my mom kept casually dropping hints of men that she’d like to set me up with.

It’s obvious they mean well, but I’m just not ready.

I don’t know if I ever will be.

“Sorry.” I shake my head at the guy. “I’m just here to keep my friend company.”

He smiles, seemingly unbothered by my rejection. “No worries! Stay safe!” He quickly disappears into the throng of dancing people, presumably to find someone who’s already on the floor. Jeez. I wish all rejections would go that well.

Once the guy is out of sight, I scan the area for Brynn. She can get a little wild, and I just want to make sure she’s okay.

It only takes me a moment to see that she’s more than fine. She’s dancing with a very attractive man who has to be at least fifteen years older than us. Gray threads the temples of his black hair, and his navy blue button up shirt has the top two buttons undone, revealing a smattering of chest hair.

Just her type.

Sighing, I turn back to the bar counter and order another margarita. The slight burn of the tequila running down my throat as I immediately chug half of it helps numb the niggling feeling in my chest that I shouldn’t be here.

“Woah there, gorgeous. Tough night?” A new man slides in next to me. Sandy brown hair has my eyes going wide, the familiar sight and the alcohol flooding my system making me relive how mine and Liam’s lightly flirty, entertaining conversation had turned heated in just an instant.

“Am I safe in assuming you won’t hold my weakness against me then?” He arches a brow, leaning in slightly, like he’s daring me to say yes.

Playing coy, I stir my drink with my straw. “That depends on what it is.”

“Gorgeous brunettes with hypnotizing eyes and curves that I would sell my soul to run my hands across. Especially when her dancing turns me into a lost puppy that’s desperate to find her when she leaves the dance floor.” His words make my heart pound and my thighs clench. He leans in so close our noses almost touch. “On second thought, please, I implore you, hold my weakness against me.”

“Are you okay?” the man asks, waving a hand in front of my eyes. I blink, my eyes focusing on his face. Not Liam. Not even close. Brown eyes look at me with concern, and while he’s handsome… he’s not what I’m looking for. Only one man seems to fit that bill.

I realize that I’ve just been staring at him while lost in my thoughts and let out a shaky laugh.

“Yeah, I’m good, sorry. Thanks for checking in. Just a… a rough night.” Not-Liam doesn’t seem to be coming on to me, but I want to make my stance clear. “Tonight is my first night away from my daughter since she was born.” Smiling, I pick up my phone and show him a picture of my lock screen, which is Macie in her favorite doctor’s costume. “Isn’t she precious?”

Not-Liam blanches for a moment before he swallows and nods. “Super cute. Oh, hey, my buddy is calling me. Nice talking to you!”

And just like that, I’m left in peace and not the bad guy.

I nearly jump when my phone vibrates with a text.

Brynn: Meet you back at the hotel later. Stop scaring off hotties and get some D girl!

Meeting her eyes across the room, I chuckle and shake my head before typing out a response.

Me: You’re so romantic

Brynn: Romance alone doesn’t turn your legs to jelly

I watch as they exit the bar, his hand on the small of her back, and figure I’m clear to head back to the hotel.

There’s a toddler-free bed and a bottle of wine calling my name.

* * *

An alarm jolts me out of my sleep, and Brynn lets out a groan next to me.

“Turn that fucking thing off,” she grumbles, tossing a pillow at my head.

Rolling over, I check my phone. “Can’t. It’s one in the afternoon and that yoga class you signed us up for is in an hour and a half, unless you wanna skip and chill here.”

Brynn groans again. “Fuck. I paid fifty dollars a person for those spots. We’re going. I just might need to throw up first.”

Brynn got in at around five a.m. after rolling in the sheets all night with “Doctor Daddy.” Her words, not mine. Apparently, he had bought her two more drinks at the bar before taking her back to his place and sharing a bottle of wine. At least, that’s what she told me in her tipsy state when she stumbled into our room this morning.

Once she’s out of bed, I turn the alarm off and lie there, staring at the ceiling. I stayed up until almost three, reading a book and having a glass of wine. If I were at home, I never would have slept so late, but maybe two years of school and three years of single-mommying are finally catching up with me.

Forty-five minutes later, we’re strolling into the yoga studio off the lobby of the hotel we’re staying at, hair in messy buns and sweatpants slung low on our hips. Brynn’s tight blue tank top shows off her shape, and a pair of sunglasses sits on her nose.

My t-shirt isn’t form-fitting, but luckily I only look one step above homeless when I catch my reflection in the mirror of the studio.

We’d managed to scarf down greasy burgers from the diner next to the hotel, which seems to have massively helped her hangover.

“Why was this so expensive?” I whisper as we grab some mats from the corner and lay them out next to each other.

Brynn shrugs. “I guess the instructor is super in demand. I’ve heard she even has some celebrities on her roster.”

Class starts and the instructor guides us through stretches.

“What made you pick yoga, anyway? Has… Regina started doing yoga?”

Brynn rolls her eyes at my whispered question.

I hate how Brynn’s older sister has a habit of baiting her, making her feel like second-best. She’s only a year older than her, and with some sisters, that may have made them extra close, but with Brynn and Regina? It’s like tossing two feral cats into a pillow case and hoping for the best. As much as I try to tell her it’s not a competition, everything Regina does seems designed to get under Brynn’s skin.

“No, fuck her,” Brynn practically snarls. “She’s too busy trying to find a sugar daddy to latch on to. And before you say a word,” she points a finger at me, “I just like to sleep with them. I’m not after their money and trying to take over their life.”

“Okay, okay.” I raise my hands in surrender. That was probably a stupid question for me to ask, anyway. If anyone knows how Brynn feels about her sister, it’s me.

The instructor leads us into warrior pose, then instructs us in dancer’s pose. “If you are a beginner, please do not attempt to bring your foot up any higher than your glutes.”

I follow the instructor, shifting my feet so they are shoulder width apart, then bend my knee to lift my foot behind me. When I grab a hold of my ankle, I glance at Brynn in triumph, only to see her lifting her foot higher and bending her back.

“Brynn!” I hiss, annoyed that she would do something that could end up getting her hurt. “You’ve never done yoga!”

She only rolls her eyes at me. “I can handle it.”

However, the man next to her, can’t. He loses his balance and falls over, knocking into Brynn.

“Shit!” I cry out as she hits the floor, groaning as she grabs the wrist she tried to catch herself with.

In an instant, I’m at her side, tenderly lifting her arm.

“Shit!” she hisses and winces in pain at the contact. Dammit. Her wrist is already swelling and turning purple.

Fuck. A trip to the ER, it is.

* * *

“The doctor will be with you in just a moment,” the nurse tells us before shutting the door of the examination room behind her.

“How are you feeling?” I turn to my best friend, who’s still holding her wrist against her chest.

“Like shit,” Brynn groans. “I hope this isn’t broken. It’s not like we need more medical bills with everything that’s going on with my dad right now.”

Before I can answer, the door to the office opens. “Hello, I’m Doctor Cooper Peirce.”

Brynn draws in a sharp breath.

I look up, and… Is that the guy from last night? She called him “Doctor Daddy,” but what are the odds we’d see him here?

His eyes flicker up from his tablet, and they widen slightly before he clears his throat and moves toward Brynn.

“What exactly happened…Miss Harding?” he asks, motioning to her wrist.

Brynn’s mouth gapes open in shock for a moment. He’s really going to pretend like he doesn’t know her? Then her eyes narrow and she brings out the attitude. “Well, Doctor Puce, we were doing yoga and someone knocked into me. I tried to catch myself and hurt my wrist.”

“Pierce. Not Puce,” he corrects her before gently taking her wrist and examining it. “We’ll need x-rays to confirm, but it looks like it could be fractured, and you’re most likely going to need a cast. My resident should be along at any moment, and he’ll be able to order that for you.”

There’s a sharp knock on the exam room door before it opens again and I notice a head of sandy blond hair tipped down as it studies a tablet. “Doctor Pierce, I was told you needed me?—”

His words cut off as his eyes meet mine, and it’s like the world is ripped out from under me. Hair that’s shaved close at the sides, the top longer and a little curly, light stubble on the jaw, and even in scrubs, I can tell he’s toned by the strain of muscle in his neck.

Eyes that belong to my daughter stare at me in shock, blue-gray like the ocean after a storm.

Liam.

He’s… here.

Just as gorgeous as I remember. For a while, I had thought I had built him up in my mind, but seeing him in front of me is like all my fantasies come to life. It’s like we’re the only two people in the room as his eyes move up my body, assessing me, and finally landing on my lips.

I have to keep from launching myself at him. I tried so hard to find him after the accident. I had gone near crazy, convincing myself that he was the one who had pulled me out of the wreckage of my destroyed car, even though nobody knew what I was talking about when I tried to ask about him at the hospital.

A throat clearing has both of our gazes snapping to Doctor Pierce, and I notice Brynn giving me a look that clearly asks “what the hell was that?” She never met Liam, she’ll have a fit when she realizes this is my mystery man.

“I need you to go order x-rays for Miss Harding.” The doctor’s tone is brisk as he addresses Liam.

He just nods before turning on his heel and leaving the room, taking all the air with him.

“Your address lists you in Ridgewood Falls, Vermont. Are you just visiting?” Doctor Pierce looks between us.

I answer for Brynn, who is still seething at the audacity of this man. “Yes. We’re going home tomorrow.”

“Understood.” The doctor nods. “If you end up getting a cast, you will be able to go to any hospital to have it removed. You’ll just need to let us know which one so we can send over your medical records.”

With that, he also leaves the room and Brynn immediately turns to me. “We’ll tackle Doctor Daddy in a second. Please tell me I’m not crazy. What was that reaction to the other guy?”

I swallow, my throat dry, and nod. “That was Liam.”

“Holy shit,” she whispers.

Part of me is so happy that I’ve finally found him and can tell him about Macie, but seeing him in person has made one thing clear to me. As much as I had built him up in my head, I don’t really know Liam. What if being a dad is the last thing he wants? What if he tries to be with me out of obligation? What if he’s… angry?

I thought I would know what to do when I saw him, but now I’m not so sure what the right call is. I’m suddenly terrified of making the wrong call.

“Yeah,” I agree quietly. “Holy shit.”