Page 30 of Daddy to Go

“Well, I’m too amazing to die,” Mary said with a yawn. “Besides, I think my uncle is leaving his stamp collection to me. That’s like three trips to Tahiti girl. Might as well just off him now and get it over with.”

Shaking my head, I picked up my book. “Youarelosing it. I’m going to go and finish this book I’m reading. I’ll text you when I leave tomorrow.”

“Fine, fine,” she sighed. “You better be texting me pictures of that doctor’s hot body. Give a girl something to live for.”

“No way,” I replied, shaking my head. “No evidence. Not yet. Besides, you have had your hot bodies, now it’s my turn.”

“Stingy bitch,” she grumbled.

Laughing I got off the phone. “Bye, girl. See you Monday.”

“Toodles,” she yelled out before disconnecting the call.

I still don’t know how Mary and I stayed such good friends over the years but I was damn glad to have her on my side. I knew everyone else would have a negative opinion of me and Ryder, but I didn’t need their opinions. I needed someone to recognize I was capable of making up my own mind and have my back for it. Mary was always good with it. She doesn’t hold back, but once I had made a choice, she supported and cheered me on. That’s how I knew she cared.

Staring down at my book I realized that focusing on anything was going to be a failure. I was already fully packed so there was nothing more to do there. And there were still fifteen or so hours until we left for our long weekend together. I needed to occupy my mind, because otherwise, I was going to go insane.

Ryder and I were about to embark on what could be the beginning of something incredibly amazing, and I could only hope that my sister was wrong. So what if he was a traveling doctor? So what if he’d been brushing me off recently? People can get different jobs, and people can change.

14

Ryder

Ilifted Abby’s suitcase into the trunk of my car. It was way lighter than I assumed it would be. I was so used to high maintenance girls that I forgot not every woman packed her entire house when going away for three days. Besides, I had no plans on letting her keep her clothes on for very long, so it was all for the better.

“Oh, sorry, I could have put that in there,” Abby said, hurrying down the steps from the apartment building.

I playfully kissed my bicep. “I got this, young lady. You just stand back.”

Abby giggled. I loved how she giggled. The fluttering in my stomach threw me off for a minute. There were definitely more emotions swirling around in my head then there should have been, but I didn’t want to think about it. I wanted to get away and be with her.

I put out my hand and opened the passenger door to the car. “You ready for this?”

She smiled, reaching up and kissing me on the cheek. “I’ve been looking forward to it all week.”

She sat comfortably in the front seat and I closed the door, hurrying over to jump into the driver’s seat. When I got in, she looked over at me with wide eyes. “This car is fancier then my entire apartment. No, than the entire town.”

I laughed, starting the engine and checking to make sure I could pull out. As I did Abby’s eyes opened wide with amazement.

“You can barely even hear the engine. This is amazing.”

Pressing the button on the sunroof, she gasped at the light shimmering down. I smirked. For some reason, it felt really good to show off to her. Even though it sounds lame, I really wanted to impress her.

“I bought this after my residency was over. I spent a couple years living on tuna and noodles after it was over, just saving up. Then I bought this when I started my current gig because I was traveling all the time.”

“Is it comfortable for long distances?” she asked, sounding shocked.

I rubbed the seat back.

“More comfortable than anything I’ve ever ridden in, and my father had his own luxury jet when I was a kid. That thing was crazy. But yeah, I like having nice things because, why not? I can’t take the money with me when I die and I make enough to be able to do what I like.”

Abby’s cheeks blushed a little and she fidgeted with a piece of lint in her lap.

“I drive an old Camry that I’ve had since I turned sixteen. When I was ten, I knew my mom wouldn’t be able to buy me a car so every summer I would go around doing chores for people. I would cut grass, pull weeds, grocery shop for them, clean houses, and babysit. I took that money and hid it away. When I got my driver’s license, I went and bought the Camry used. It’s done me good, and I worked hard for it.”

“That’s awesome, Abby,” I replied with a grin. “You know what you want and you go for it. That’s amazing. I would be proud if I were you.”

“I am,” she said with a small smile. “But it is definitely not one of these.”