I watch him for a second. Watch how pale he looks, how stiff. I don’t think he’s even blinked in the last minute. The love of his life is back there—under anesthesia, under a scalpel, under more risk than anyone should ever have to face. And he’s just here. Waiting. Praying.
I glance over at Julia again. Her lashes flick as she turns a page, completely unaware that I’m watching her like she’s my lifeline. Because she is.
God, I can’t imagine being in Finn’s shoes. Can’t imagine Julia in that OR. Can’t imagine the idea of anything happening to her, ever. She’s my whole fucking world.
My throat gets tight with emotion, and I squeeze her hand harder.
She glances up, surprised. “You okay?”
“I’m always okay when I’m with you, Lia,” I whisper.
Her lips twitch like she’s trying to smile but doesn’t quite make it. She leans her shoulder into mine and goes back to flipping the page.
The room is full of people. Everyone who loves Scottie. Everyone who loves Finn. And somehow, we all showed up in this one room, together.
Scottie’s dad is sitting quietly in the corner, his hand resting on the backpack Scottie arrived with like it’s some kind of emotional tether. Her sister’s pacing, muttering something under her breath and occasionally peeking at the clock like it might give her answers.
Finn’s entire family is here—his mom Helen, looking like she’s aged ten years overnight. His sister Willow and his eldest brother Reece sit side by side, whispering to each other. His twin brothers, Jack and Travis, are off in the corner trying—and failing—not to look like they’re about to fall apart. It’s the most serious I’ve ever seen them.
The Winslow family is all here too. Wendy and Howard, everyone of their grown kids—Remy, Ty, Jude, Flynn—with their spouses and kids. The kids are currently in a full-scale battle with the vending machine.
Jude finally has to get up and shout, “Hawk, stop kicking it before you break your damn foot!”
“But it stole my money!”
“You’re gonna steal my sanity,” Jude grumbles as he digs out a five and feeds it into the slot.
Wes and Winnie are here. So are Lexi and her boyfriend Blake, who’s currently rubbing her back in slow circles as she watches the door like the rest of us. It’s weird seeing them together sometimes. They were like oil and water, and now they’re solid and quietly in love.
Kayla scrolls her phone in the corner, but I know by how quiet she’s been, she hasn’t seen even one word on her screen.
My parents are here too, sitting across from Julia’s. My mom has a crossword puzzle on her lap that she’s not even pretending to finish. My dad is chewing gum like it owes him money. Georgia is whispering something to Kline that’s making him frown. Probably about Gunnar—aka convincing Kline not to kill him for coming back from the bathroom earlier and pranking him by putting wet hands on his face while complaining about his lack of aim while peeing.
Speaking of.
“Has anyone seen Gunnar or Evie?” I ask out loud.
Julia doesn’t even look up. “Last I heard, Gunnar was trying to convince a nurse to let him scrub in.”
“Christ,” I mutter. “If that idiot so much as picks up a scalpel—”
The double doors swing open, and everyone goes still.
Dr. Raines walks out, still in scrubs, mask pulled down around his neck. His expression is calm—almost too calm. But then he smiles.
“She’s in recovery,” he announces. “And the surgery was a success. It couldn’t have gone better.”
The room erupts.
Finn stands, frozen, like his brain hasn’t caught up to his ears. Julia stands and throws her arms around him, and then I’m moving too. I wrap him up in a hug so tight I think we both stop breathing for a second.
Then Blake and Lexi and Kayla and all of Finn’s siblings join in. One after another, we all pile into this messy, overwhelming group hug, all centered around the guy who’s held it together for way too damn long.
“She did it,” Julia whispers to him. “Scottie is okay.”
Finn doesn’t say anything, but I see the tears in his eyes, and I know what that means.
Relief. Gratitude. Love.
