1
ASTON
The heat surrounding me is pleasantly suffocating, even as it draws a layer of sweat on my forehead. That could also be the small buzz I’m rocking after three beers and three shots of tequila. I can’t remember the last time I did this, and I hadn’t realized how much I needed a night out until now.
A Boston penthouse party wasn’t exactly on my bingo card when I came home to visit from LA but given everything that’s happened in the last six months, there was no way I was going to say no. Especially when my parents told me they’d happily hold onto Zoey for the night.
Heavy-based music pumps through the room, and all around me is a conglomerate of Boston elite. Billionaire doctors, movie stars, pop stars, and professional athletes are everywhere you look. Myself included in the first category, but as I’ve been living and working as a doctor in LA for the last seven years, I hardly fit in here.
“Hey,” Micha yells in my ear. “Want another drink?”
I’ve known Micha my entire life. Not only are our parents best friends, but so are we, to the point where we even went tocollege and medical school together, and he’s my daughter’s godfather. He’s like a brother to me and has been by my side through everything.
“The answer to that is yes,” Bennett states for me, eyeing the end of my beer. He was my resident during my intern year in LA, and we’ve low-key kept in touch over the years. Now he lives here in Boston and is friends with my friends and married to Micha’s cousin. Small world with how that works.
I think about this as I scan the dimly lit room. “Sure. What the hell.”
Micha nods, and the three of us make our way through the crowd over to the large bar lining the wall. There are pink and red decorations everywhere, and every woman, and even some of the men, is dressed in variations of either color. I’d never heard of people having Valentine’s Day parties before, but here we are.
“You made it!” Stone, whose penthouse this is, yells so he can be heard over the noise of the party. “How’s your little princess?”
“She’s good. Hanging in there. She’s with my parents tonight.” I finish off the beer in my hand and set my empty down. “She made me promise to make her heart-shaped pancakes in the morning since that’s a Valentine’s tradition Astrid started last year.”
Stone nods, that familiar look of pity creeping into his eyes. I hate that look. I don’t know why I said all of that. I’m so out of sorts I don’t even recognize myself anymore. Finding out my wife was sleeping with someone else was a blow, but discovering she was not only in love with him but also going to marry him hit even harder. Our divorce was finalized last week, and I brought Zoey to Boston so we could both get away.
A hand slaps my back, and I turn to see my older brother, Alden, with a lazy smile lighting up his hazy eyes. “Good. You’re drinking.”
I laugh. “I’ve been drinking.”
“Even better. Now we just have to get you laid. Listen, there’s someone here I want you to meet,” he begins, but I’m already shaking my head. “Just one drink with her,” he persists. “She’s smart, funny, and sexy as hell.”
A glass is placed in my hand, and reflexively, I stare down at the clear liquid, wondering if another shot is a wise decision but not caring all that much either.
“Don’t push that if he’s not ready, man,” Micha defends.
A frown hits my lips before I can stop it. I don’t remember the last time I had sex. I was working bastardly long hours, and having a kid sort of changes your life, realigns your priorities, and removes options. Also, you know, my wife was fucking someone else.
I had a one-night stand with Astrid. I met her at a club and screwed her in a back room. Three months later, she tracked me down at the hospital and told me she was pregnant.
We started dating, and things were good. Great even. I fell fast and hard for her. We got married and had Zoey, and it was as it should be, even with the end of my residency and the start of my fellowship. Or so I thought. Clearly, I was wrong, and Astrid wasn’t happy even if I was. Or she simply fell out of love with me and in love with someone else.
“I live in LA and am certainly not dating anyone,” I explain.
“Who said anything about dating?” Alden quips, and Bennett rolls his eyes at him. “You know the saying‘get under someone new to get over someone old’? Well, that’s what you need.”
The thought of meaningless sex is as appealing as it’s unappealing, but I simply give him a noncommittal nod instead of replying.
“Well, it’s still good to see you, and I’m glad I was able to drag you out.” Micha holds up his glass.
“Yes!” Bennett declares. “To saving lives instead of takingthem. To the right woman instead of the wrong one. And to our beautiful daughters.”
“I’ll drink to that.” I clink my glass with theirs and down the tequila in one smooth go. A shudder runs through me, and I set my empty glass on the counter. “I’m going to find the bathroom.”
Stone points in the direction of a long corridor. “Any of the bathrooms in one of the bedrooms will be your best bet.”
“Got it.” I slap his shoulder and give my brother, Micha, and Bennett a fist bump. “I’ll find you guys.”
With that, I head toward the hall Stone mentioned. The alcohol warms my belly and lightens my steps. I nod hellos and smile at random people I pass, including a few women who give mecome fuck meeyes that don’t hold a lot of interest for me.
