Headlines (Prime Time #3) - Ella Frank Page 0,23

I stared at the message and read the whole thing back three times over, and still couldn’t believe this was a correspondence with Bailey. How had this happened?

The coffee machine beeped, but I was too caught up in what had just taken place to care. Instead, I hit call on Xander’s number and waited for him to pick up.

“It’s not even nine o’clock yet. Don’t tell me you miss me already.”

A smile automatically hit my lips. “I missed you the second I left you in bed. But that’s not why I’m calling.”

“No?”

I could hear the grin in Xander’s voice and almost changed my mind about telling him the real reason. But he’d want to know what was going on, and we’d promised not to keep things from each other. No matter how much it might hurt.

“No.” I let out a sigh and rubbed the back of my neck. “Bailey just texted me.”

Silence greeted me, and for a few seconds all I could hear was the blood ringing in my ears.

“That’s great.” I could hear the forced happiness in Xander’s voice, but knew it was killing him that Bailey still hadn’t reached out to him. “What did he want?”

God, I really didn’t want to tell Xander this. I didn’t want to smash the hope I could hear in his voice. But again, I’d promised the truth and wasn’t about to start lying now.

“He wants to see me tomorrow.”

One heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Three…

“Just you?”

And there it was.

“Yeah. Just me. Fuck.” I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. “I’m sorry, Xander.”

“It’s okay,” he said, his voice laced with disappointment, and in that moment I wanted to track Bailey down and shake the shit out of him. How could he be doing this to Xander? To his best friend?

It wasn’t okay, and no matter how many times Xander told me it was, I knew he was lying.

“Look, I’ve got to run. But I’m really glad he reached out to you, Sean.”

I eyed the clock and realized Xander would be in his car right now heading to his weekly therapy session with Dr. Lewis.

“I’m sorry,” I said again, even though it felt completely and utterly inadequate.

“Don’t be. You have nothing to be sorry for.” There was a pause, and then, “Sean?”

“Hmm?”

“Promise me you’ll go and see him tomorrow. That’s important to me. That you both work this out. You’re brothers, family. Don’t even think about me.”

My heart broke at the request, because it showed just how unselfish Xander truly was. He wanted me to mend my relationship, even at the expense of his own. But I wouldn’t let that happen, if it was the last thing I did.

“Hey, anchorman?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Have a good day. Be safe out there.”

“Will do,” I promised. As we ended the call, I knew that was one thing I could do for him, because ever since we’d started dating I now had a reason to be safe and get home, and his name was Alexander Thorne.

12

Xander

“YOU SEEM DISTRACTED this morning.”

Dr. Lewis’s voice cut through all the white noise as I watched a handful of children play outside her office. She probably had a point. If she’d asked me about any of the things we’d talked about during this session, I wouldn’t have been able to say. My mind was too focused on the conversation I’d had with Sean nearly forty minutes ago. A conversation I’d replayed over and over again.

“I’d say that’s a good assessment.”

“Do you feel like telling me why?”

I turned to face the good doctor, who was watching me with curious eyes. “Not really. But I’m assuming that was a rhetorical question?”

“Not at all. This is your time, your money. We can talk about whatever you like. If not that, how about your sleeping habits? Are they any better since the last time we spoke?”

I eyed her from where I sat on the plush high-back chair by the window, and wondered what angle she was playing. Dr. Lewis had the uncanny knack of making you believe you were doing things in your own time of your own accord, when really, deep down, you were doing exactly what she had planned all along.

I knew that was part and parcel of her job, and I had to give her credit—she was really good at it.

“Yes, I’m sleeping much better. I was finally able to get off the Ambien and go back to the melatonin.”

“That’s great.” She opened her leather binder and uncapped her pen. “And any