“You could easily have missed your period because of the stress of training so hard. I miss mine all the time. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’re right.” I chewed on my thumbnail.
“Listen, I know you’re going to meet your family now, and I’ve got some time. I’ll go grab you a pregnancy test, and I’ll leave it here in the room for you. I’ll stick it in your backpack, so when you come back, you can at least take the test for peace of mind.”
There was a knock on the door before I could reply to her, and I pulled it open to find Collin standing there.
“Hey, I thought we were meeting in the lobby.”
“I can’t be around those two alone, so I thought I’d come get you,” he said.
“Oh, okay,” I said, walking over to hug Jillian goodbye.
“I’ve got you. Go have fun.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you in a bit. We’re doing dinner tonight, right?”
“Yes. Looking forward to it,” she said.
I waved and headed out the door. I tried hard to push away all my anxiety, because I needed to get my head on straight for tomorrow. It was a big day. And I also needed to get in the right state of mind to deal with my father and Chrissy.
“Is it hard being away from Axel now that you two are together?” Collin asked as we took the elevator down to the lobby.
“I miss him so much, but we talk a lot, and that helps.”
“Are you happy, Wren?”
“That’s a pretty heavy question for an elevator ride,” I chuckled.
“I know.” He shrugged. “But I sometimes wonder if you ever really got to pick who you wanted to be. Or if it was just decidedfor you pretty early on, and obviously you’ve been thriving at life—but that doesn’t mean you’re enjoying it.”
We stepped off the elevator, but I came to a stop and turned to face him. “I’m very happy in my relationship. And I’m happy to have Wrax back. Those are the things I’m sure of. I’m still figuring out the rest.”
“I’m just going to say this to you, because you know I’ve been attending therapy weekly now, and it’s really helping.”
“Okay,” I said as I looked up at him.
“Dad is going to do what makes Dad happy. It’s who he is. He’s our father and we love him, but he’s also a narcissist, which I’ve come to learn I am as well. I don’t want to be,” he added, his smile forced. “I’m working on it, Wren. I want to be better. And we both know that it makes Dad happy when you win. But he’s not the guy out there working himself to the bone. He’s not the one taking a physical beating day after day. He just likes to show up and brag, and treat you like you’re a trophy and not a human being. And I’m here to tell you that life is short. You’ve got nothing to prove to anyone. You deserve to be happy, Wren. You’re the best person I know.”
This was the Collin I’d grown up with.
Did I fully trust him yet? Absolutely not.
My brother could be the most supportive, caring guy on the planet, and then he could also be a manipulative, selfish asshole.
Apparently, both could be true.
“Thank you for saying that.” I nodded. “And thank you for being here.”
“I know I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I am trying, Wren.”
“I can see that. And I do appreciate it.”
“I know Easton and Henley are getting married tomorrow, and that’s why Axel isn’t here for this one, so I thought I could be here to cheer you on because I’m sure you also want to be there.”
“I wish I could be in both places at the same time.”
“You ready to go have lunch with Dad and our new stepmommy?” He smirked, making no attempt to hide his irritation.
