Read Restored (The Walsh Series Book 5) for Free Online Page A

honesty, remember?"
    "It was a good class," I conceded. "We discussed interventional models, and I love getting into the different structures available because students at this level tend to think therapy is a never-ending prescription, which is clearly ridiculous because any treatment should succeed in treating and remedying the issue."
    "If it's ever not a good class, you'll tell me. Right?"
    "Definitely," I said. "And how was your day, darling?"
    Sam cringed, and laughed as he handled the bill. "I told you about Matt's engineering episode. Aside from that special moment, I'm looking forward to this project. It's a beautiful Second Empire-style Victorian property out in Brookline. It's the perfect chunk of land for sustainable design, and now that Riley's running the entire Turlan restoration with minimal supervision, I can focus on this."
    I swirled my straw around my water glass. "Why are you guys so hard on him?"
    "Riley?" Sam asked, and I nodded. He frowned, scratched his chin, and stared at the bottles of tequila lined up on the bar. "We're not that hard on him."
    "Maybe you don't notice it," I said. "But it's no fun being the fuck-up, and I'm speaking from experience."
    "We don't…" His voice trailed off and he frowned again, deeper this time.
    "Think about it," I said, running my hand over his shoulders. "I know that busting each other's balls is in your DNA and it's all hate-love with you guys, but Riley gets it the most."
    Sam tapped his credit card on the bar for a few seconds before nodding and replacing it in his wallet. "Do you think he's…"
    "Hurt? Emotionally damaged? Suffering from low self-esteem?" I asked. "No. None of the above. He doesn't let much bother him—at least I don't think so—and he's really laid back. But he doesn't have to reprise the role of black sheep every day, either."
    "Good," Sam murmured. "Emotionally damaged is my shtick. There's no room for him in this corner."
    "Your humor is remarkably dark," I said. "Now take me home. I need some snuggletime."
    True to form, Riley was sprawled on the sofa with his hand in his boxers when we returned to the firehouse. He was flipping back and forth between several games, and only grunted when we told him we were turning in for the evening.
    Once inside the somewhat enclosed second-floor space that functioned as our bedroom and open-air closets, Sam asked, "Did you notice?"
    I was busy taking off my beaded bracelets and bib necklace. "Notice what?"
    "Back there. Just now. I was going to ask Riley if he was trying to find his dick but I didn't . I listened to you."
    Turning around as I removed my rose quartz earrings, I said, "That's real progress, Sam."
    I withheld a chuckle until the bathroom door closed behind him. After changing out of my dress and into a t-shirt, I heard him rustling in his bedside drawers. He was setting out the equipment to replace his blood glucose monitor's infusion set. The fact that he was standing there shirtless, with the insulin ports on either side of his belly button exposed, said everything about the distance we'd crossed together.
    "Hey," he said, beckoning me closer. He folded me into his arms when I approached, and I laid my head on his chest. "I love you. Also noteworthy: your tits look amazing in this shirt."
    His hands moved down my back to squeeze my backside as I laughed. "I love you, too," I said. "And…we need to talk."
    His chin bobbed against my head. "I know. Let me switch this out, and then we'll get comfortable."
    I retreated to the bathroom and gave Sam some privacy to handle his device. He'd been increasingly open about his glucose monitoring, but just as I didn't want him watching while I bleached the fuzz on my upper lip, he preferred some space.
    Once my teeth were brushed and makeup scrubbed off, I joined Sam under the covers. His glasses were perched on the bedside table and his hair was a little wild, and I was angry that I'd spent entire days doubting whether I was enough for this