“Kale, congratulations! You deserve it, even if you are nothing but a pain in my ass!” Ollie shouted over the din of the busy bar, finishing his toast, which basically was a roast.

Not like it wasn’t expected.

I fought an affected grin as I lifted my glass to join the ring of shot glasses that met in the middle of the round table.

I sat surrounded by my friends, who I considered more family than anything else.

Rex and Rynna.

Lillith and Brody.

Nikki.

Ollie.

They all shouted, “To Kale!” before all those little glasses were clinking together and shots were being tossed back.

Expensive tequila burned down my throat and pooled in my stomach. It landed in a splash of flames that licked and jumped, igniting in my veins.

Head to toe, a rush of satisfaction washed through me.

Contentment seeping all the way to my bones.

Smiling wide, I blew out a gratified breath as I slammed the empty down on the table. “I have to give it to you, man. That was a fine example of what your bar has to offer.”

Ollie smirked. The guy was nothing but burly muscle and tattoos. A fucking giant made up of solid stone.

“Now you can’t say I haven’t done anything for you,” he tossed out. “That was the best bottle of liquor in the house, asshole. Been keeping this baby stashed in the back for a special occasion or a rainy day, whichever came first. Guess the latter won out.”

“Well, it’s good to know my little accomplishment was deemed worthy of this level of praise.”

Ollie held up his thumb and index finger, leaving a centimeter of space between. “Barely.”

My body shook with laughter. “Always such an asshole.”

His expression lost some of its mischief. “You do deserve it, man. Hope you know that.”

Grief flashed.

A streak that blazed through me before it was gone.

Tucked back away where I kept it safe as a reminder of what I was living for.

“Thanks, man.”

I let my gaze rove over the faces of my friends, who were chatting, voices elevated so they could hear each other. It was the bar Ollie owned on Macaber Street, super cool and constantly packed. People flocked through the doors to get a taste of the most popular lounge in our small city of Gingham Lakes, Alabama.

It was located about a block down from my loft, and I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t frequent the place. If someone was looking for me and I wasn’t at work, they wouldn’t be too far off base looking for me at this bar, indulging in all the revelry it had to offer.

It was set in one of the old buildings that had been renovated during Gingham Lakes’s revival. Rex’s company, RG Construction, had been responsible for the restoration. It boasted red brick walls and atmospheric lights, and the never-ending rotation of local bands gave it the aura of somewhere you wanted to be.

But tonight wasn’t just any night that I was out looking for a reprieve from the rigorous demands of working in the ER.

Tonight, all my friends were there to celebrate this new stage in my life, which would take me in a direction I’d been feeling the call to all along. Hoping to give back. Help the most helpless and innocent among us.

Rex tilted the neck of his beer bottle my direction as his wife, Rynna, snuggled under the arm he had draped around her shoulders. “Seriously, Kale, I’m fucking proud of you. Always knew you were an amazing doctor . . . now you’ve got the office to prove it. Don’t let it go to your pretty head.” The last came out with a quirk of his brow.

“You just wish you looked this good.” I shot him my best grin.

“Cocky bastard,” he returned, chuckling and dropping a kiss to Rynna’s temple.

Gratefulness pulsed through my chest. Rex, Ollie, and I? We’d always had each other’s backs. Together through the worst of times and the best of times. And honestly, life had dealt out some damned bitter blows.

From Ollie’s sister, Sydney, going missing when she was sixteen, never to be found, to Rex’s first wife leaving him to raise his little girl, Frankie Leigh, on his own, to my devastating failure.

But somehow, it’d only made us stronger. We gave each other nonstop shit, but our bond was unshakeable. Did my best to always look to the bright side for them, be the strong one they could count on even though sometimes that felt like deceit.

Truthfully, it wasn’t so hard to put a smile on my face.

I enjoyed my life.

I was . . . content.

Really, damned content.

I had everyone who surrounded me tonight.

A career that I gave everything to, where my heart wholly belonged, and I did my best to make that change.

All except for the piece of my heart that belonged to Frankie Leigh and Ryland—Rex and Rynna’s kids. My godbabies.

Frankie Leigh had me wrapped around all her wily little fingers, and when Ryland was born just six weeks ago, it was instant. The way I loved that kid.

“Are you about ready to get out of here?” Rex asked Rynna.

Lillith and Nikki both booed. “No, it’s early!” Nikki whined.

The guys and I had all gone to school with Lillith and Nikki. We’d known them forever, hung out now and again, but they hadn’t been a part of our tight-knit group until they’d become good friends with Rynna, which of course meant Broderick Wolfe was part of the mix as well since he was married to Lillith.

“Says the girl who doesn’t have to get up at five in the morning to nurse,” Rynna deadpanned.

“If you stay a little longer, I promise I’ll be there at five to take on the morning shift so you guys can sleep in and do whatever else it is you want to do.” She waggled her brows. Pure suggestion. “And I volunteer Lillith to join.”

She nudged Lillith with her elbow. “You’ll come, won’t you?”

“Um . . . for some Frankie and Ryland time? Absolutely.”

Rex glanced at Rynna. “I do believe these two have just been promoted to my new best friends.”

“Nice, write me off so easily. And on my big day,” I said with a quirk of my brow, lifting my tumbler of whiskey to my mouth.

Rex cracked a smile. “Hey, man, there are few things more important in life than sleep and sex. Nikki here is allowing me both. Boom. Best friends.”

An incredulous huff shot from my mouth. “Um, hello. This I know firsthand. I was an emergency room physician for the last three years, remember?”

Sleep had become my unicorn.

And sex had become my prize.

I allowed myself that pleasure. Getting lost in a willing body to forget about all the stress and trauma and horrible shit I saw every fucking day.

For a few hours, I’d let myself get lost.

Unbound and unchained.

No promises or commitments or loyalties that I couldn’t make.

Just . . . freedom.

Then I’d pass the hell out for hours.

It was enough to recharge and reboot. The push of knowing I could actually make some kind of difference in the middle of a fucked-up world. A world that continually marched forward in time, meting out tragedy after tragedy.

Truth was, I’d come to realize there were just as many miracles buried beneath the rubble as there were the disasters that had caused them in the first place.

For every heart broken, one was mended.

For every life lost, there was one to be saved.

So, my life was dedicated to saving.

Ollie shook his index finger at me, tatted knuckles flashing under the light.

Funny, how we all looked so different sitting around this table. Brody and I in suits. Clean-cut and shaven. Rex and Ollie a little rough. Clearly, not ones to be fucked with.

“Told you, you were gonna be a doctor when I broke my ankle out by the lake when we were twelve and you set it with a damned stick and your shirt. Think you actually owe me all the thanks since I was the one with the foresight to send you that direction.”

Amusement rippled across my lips. “Dude, you wish.”

“No wishing about it. I expect royalties.”

My brow lifted. “What, you think I’m some kind of celebrity?”

Laughter moved across his face. “Nah, man. Not even close. But they sure as hell seem to think so.”

My gaze moved over my shoulder in the direction he’d gestured to. A rowdy group of women took up the entire opposite end of the bar. Five or six high-top tables had been pushed together to accommodate them, cheers and toasts going up, their laughter and voices ringing through the atmosphere.

Winding with the band that played behind them.

Celebrating and free.

With a grin, I started to turn back to Ollie, to tell him I was refraining tonight, when my attention snagged, tripping up and tangling on a girl in their party.

Like there was a goddamned chance I could look another direction.

A mass of lush red waves rolled all the way down her back. Not the kind that came from a bottle. But the kind that told me there was a smattering of freckles across her milky skin. Skin I was instantly itching to know whether it felt as soft as it looked.

From my vantage, I could see her from the side. The warm, muted lights that poured over her from above illuminated her profile—button nose and pouty lips and dimpled chin.

A knockout.

Because God knew she’d knocked the breath out of me.

But where the rest of her party was having a blast, she was sitting on a stool like she’d rather be any place than there.

My eyes traced across the cream-colored blouse, the crisscross V-neck lined in a wave of ruffles, and down the black skirt I could only imagine hugged perfect hips. Her ankles were crossed, heels hooked in the rung of the high stool. The girl was sipping a glass of rosé like she was terrified the next sip might be the one that put a hole in her rigid armor.

If anyone needed to be shown a good time, it was her.

Nikki sidled up between Ollie and me. “Looks like we’re about to lose tonight’s guest of honor. Look at you, drooling all over that poor girl sitting over there minding her own business.”

Tsking, she shot me a teasing smile. She was always goading me about the girls I followed home, saying one of these days one of them was going to stick.

She didn’t need to know that was never going to happen.

I threw a hand over my heart. “Nikki Walters . . . do you think so little of me? I was doing nothing of the sort.”

“Right,” she drew out, shaking her head and smiling as she gave a little shove to my back. “Well, go on, what are you waiting for? You never know, that might be the girl of your dreams waiting over there for you.”

I cocked a grin. “You know me better than that. This guy is not looking for the girl of his dreams.” I slammed the rest of my drink and smacked my lips. “But I am most definitely looking for a good time.” One look at the girl sitting across the haze of the dingy bar? Bam. The whole idea of refraining for the night had been sacked.

Nikki gave a little mock scoff of disgust. “One of these days, you’re going to get tired of the games you play.”

She stole a glance at Ollie. Pain pierced her expression before she covered it with a bright smile. Poor girl’d been head over heels for Ollie for all the years I’d known her. Sure, she dated here and there, but it was clear she was waiting around for Ollie to come to his senses.

I knew Ollie well enough that I wanted to tell her to move on. Live her life. Find someone who would appreciate her for who she was—this loving, free spirit who had the world to offer and deserved it in return.

Dropping a big kiss to her temple, I hugged her to my side. “And sometimes the only thing we’ve got time for are the games.”

She shook her head. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Married to your work. I get it.”

Only she didn’t. Only Ollie and Rex knew. The two people in this world I trusted with my secrets and my life and my shame.

“Go on, then. We’ll just be over here polishing off this awesome bottle of tequila Ollie was so kind to share.” She dragged Ollie back by the wrist. “You know where to find us . . .”

“In about an hour, it’ll be with your head buried in a toilet.”

She pointed at me. “Oh, dude, I’ll drink your ass under the table any time. But not tonight. I’m on auntie duty in the morning.”

“You’re on. A hundred bucks.”

“Hell no . . . I win and you go on an actual date.”

I gasped. “The cruelty. And here I thought we were celebrating me?”

Her smile turned wry. “Oh, we are.”

The two of them turned back to the rest of our friends, who were laughing and chatting around the table, and I strode to the bar, got a refill of my whiskey, and asked for a glass of bubbly pink stuff.

When I turned around, I damned near stumbled again.

It was a flash.

The girl looking at me.

Eyes the greenest green.

A grassy plain.

Mossy, warm earth.

For a second, I lost my footing.

Lost ground.

Lost sanity.

Because just looking at her felt like something profound.

Before I could evaluate the feeling, I shook it off and twisted my mouth into the smile my ma said I’d always wielded like manipulation.

And I strode her way.