Page 28 of Meant to Be

“You still have to take those every day?” I asked her but was staring at the labels for each of the pills. She’d typed up the different pill names and placed them on the sections of the pill box.

“Yup. Some I take twice a day, others only once,” she stated casually, closing the pill box.

“You don’t get tired of taking them?”

She looked at me carefully. “Not really. This might seem like a pain in the ass, but remember, I was the girl who was sticking myself with needles by the time I was ten. Sometimes, up to ten times a day when my blood sugar wouldn’t stabilize. I woke up in pools of blood more times than I care to remember from pulling my insulin monitor out in my sleep. Nearly passing out or fearing going to sleep because I might not wake up …” She broke off, shaking her head, obviously remembering the horrors of a childhood with Type 1 diabetes. “Now all I have to do is take some pills a few times a day combined with a healthy lifestyle. I’ll take that any day of the week.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I remember.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, Josh.”

I peeled my attention away from the now closed pill box to a guilty looking Kayla.

“I didn’t mean to remind you of …” She didn’t finish her statement, too busy scooping the pill box off the counter, into her arms as if she was hiding it from me.

“Chelsea?” I shook my head. “You didn’t. I’m heading out for a few hours. I’ll be in late but the alarm has already been set and security is just one button press away.”

“Oh, okay.”

“You finish unpacking,” I instructed as I stood from the stool and moved to pass Kayla. My eyes found the box of medicine and my chest squeezed, something ugly blanketing me. I gave Kayla one last nod and headed for the garage.

I hopped in my Lotus and backed out of my garage. Whenever this darkness overcame me, I headed to the one place I could let all that shit out.

Chapter Six

Joshua

“What the fuck was up with you tonight?”

I turned my attention from the unfurling of the wrapping on my right hand to peer up at Connor standing over me, arms folded. There was an impressed look on his face.

I turned my back to him. “Liked what you saw?”

He whistled low. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you do three takedowns back-to-back.”

“Two years ago, the night after I lost the biggest deal of my career.ThoughtI lost, anyway,” I answered. A deal to purchase a huge piece of land to convert into a luxury community had gone south and it seemed like my main competitor was going to swoop in and get it. Fortunately, things turned around in the end.

“Yeah, whatever. You looked like you might have a shot at taking me on someday.” Connor’s gruff chuckle echoed off the tiled walls of the bathroom.

“You won’t fight me because you don’t want the guys to see you get your ass kicked.”

Connor gave a disbelieving snort. “You wish. I know fighting and I know that most men who come through our doors fight like you fought tonight when something heavy is weighing on them.”

Tilting my head to the side, I stared up at Connor. “Don’t get fucking mushy, O’Brien,” I grunted.

“Fuck you.” Connor waved me off. “I’ve got enough of my own shit to deal with. Kid brother of mine keeps asking me to let him fight.”

“Is that right?” I packed my wraps in my bag. Obviously, Mark hadn’t told his brother the whole truth.

“Yeah, so I get it. Listen, my flight leaves tomorrow morning. Do me a favor and keep an eye on Mark while I’m gone, will ya?”

“You know Mark’s a grown man. He’s pretty good at taking care of himself.”

Connor became silent behind me.

I peered at him over my shoulder. “But, as always, I’ll keep an eye on him for you.”

“That’s all I ask. See ya in a week and a half.”