Page 93 of The Restoration Program

“Yeah, Ry,” she mumbled.

“I practically had to drag you out of the house. You were clinging to me the whole way, too, saying it might be a bad idea. But now look at you.” Ryan paused in a way that made her expectant of his approaching hand—sure enough, he tapped her under the chin, bringing her eyes up from the ground. He gazed at her lovingly. “You’re glowing.”

By all accounts, she should have melted and beamed at the contact. Instead, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“It wasn’t exactly perfect,” she muttered.

Carlos, who lost all humor in his expression, looked at her carefully.

“There were a few people who tried to stop and speak with us,” Nicole explained to him. “A few pictures taken, of course. Some of them might have been the press, but they were far away. They probably couldn’t make out who we were. Is it weird that I’ve been looking at news sites to see if we pop up again?” She hesitated, quietly mortified that she was tearing up. “I dunno. I didn’t ask to be a celebrity.”

Carlos’ expression fell further, brimming with empathy. He pulled her into a hug, her head tucked against his chest. Warmth surged through her. “Te entiendo,” he said softly. “It isn’t easy. Just when you think you’ve got it together, people come along and remind you that you don’t. Fuck ‘em. You deserve a walk in the park.”

It was easy to be stony before she was wrapped in comfort. He smelled like smoke and soap instead of Ryan’s crisp cologne, but there was something intuitively comforting nonetheless. She inhaled and exhaled. Her shoulders loosened.

“Oh sweetheart,” Ryan murmured.

Warm pressure secured onto her waist. Her arms slipped off Carlos’ shoulders as Ryan scooped her up, and a tiny mewl of surprise escaped her. A few eyes drifted in their direction curiously.

“It’s okay. We’ll keep practicing. I’ve got you.” Ryan pecked her cheek and held her in a comforting embrace under his chin. “What?” His voice rose—he was looking at Carlos.

Squirming in the firm grip—unusually firm, she noticed with annoyance—Nicole caught Carlos’ dark eyes for only a moment before they averted. It took a second before Ryan seemed to realize the other eyes lingering on him. The entire room appeared to realize at the same time that he’d come dangerously close to the cardinal sin ofgrabbing her.

His grip faltered somewhat. She could sense an excuse coming—one that would be aimed at her, but meant for everyone within earshot too. Maybe there would be an apology too, but she never found out. The attention swiftly drifted back to the refreshment corner.

Nicole twisted around. “What’s going on over there?” She caught a glimpse of Burman in a tense, whispered conversation, but she couldn’t see the other person.

Having no control of her position, she tapped Ryan’s knuckle, urging him to approach the corner.

“Oh, no,” she whispered when she saw who it was.

Holly had her arms crossed tightly, her mouth set in a hard line. She glanced up from the platform, locking gazes with Nicole. Her normally-bright eyes were dull and vicious. Fresh tears welled in Holly’s eyes as she glanced between Nicole and Ryan like the sight of them was too painful to bear.

Carlos hurried in that direction, and Nicole squirmed. “Ry, put me down.”

As though determined to keep a streak of good behavior, Ryan set her gently on her feet without a word of protest. Nicole hurried into earshot in time to hear Holly’s tight voice lashing out at Burman.

“Because I don’t want them here! I know, that sounds terrible, but this… this ismyplace! Not theirs!” She softened into a pleading look. “I’m here to heal, or move on, or whatever the fuck else, right? I’mtellingyou, I can’t do that with them here, listening.”

“I understand your frustration, Holly, but seeing as Alex hasn’t attended in weeks, it only makes sense that your parents come instead,” Dr. Burman soothed.

Nicole went rigid and searched the room. Sure enough, she spotted a couple who she hadn’t seen before. They stood off to the side, watching raptly as Burman tried to calm Holly down.

“You don’t know how they are,” Holly said, finishing with a dirty look across the room.

“Holly, they’re your guardians. They have every right to be here.”

Holly’s cherub face twisted. She looked like she was about to shout profanity at the counselor when Carlos stepped in.

“Why don’t you give me a few minutes with her?” Carlos asked.

Burman looked at him, his thick eyebrows furrowed. “I appreciate the offer, Carlos, but the purpose of this group—”

“Is to talk it all out together, blah blah, I know. But she needs to cool off. C’mon—don’t make her go into the session like this. Just get started, and we’ll join you in a few.”

The weary look Burman slid toward Holly made Nicole wonder just how long this argument had been going on. “Five minutes,” Burman said.

While Burman stepped away to lead Holly’s parents and the others toward the central table, Carlos made a beeline to Nicole’s side. “Help me out here,” he muttered as the group cleared. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”