Chapter 1

Iget a text from the hospital back home. The noise in the male strip club is overwhelming, so I go towards the back, where the bathrooms are, to see what is so important they needed to text me during my vacation. I keep trying to read, but it"s impossible. It's too dark, and it's too crowded. Further down the hall, there are two people talking, and my heart starts beating faster. It can"t be. I stop at the door of the ladies' room and try to take a closer look.

A woman behind me swears at me, and I am pressed forward inside the bathroom. Wouldn"t it be amazing if I bumped into the man who stars in all my deepest, darkest fantasies?

Another beep from my phone calls for my attention, and I go into one of the stalls, locking the door behind me. I lower the lid and sit down to read about five texts that Amy, my fellow resident, has sent me.

All the texts need complex answers that I cannot give unless I call her, so I resign myself to spend the next fifteen minutes talking shop with my coworker. I dial her and get a sleepy response. I forget she"s in New York, which is several hours ahead of Las Vegas.

"Amy, what"s with all the texts?"

"I"m sorry, Meghan. It"s one of your patients, and I knew you"d want to know firsthand."

"You didn"t text me about any patients."

"I was hoping you"d call. It"s Mr. Jackson. He signed an AMA and left."

An AMA, against medical advice, a patient refusing treatment.

"Oh no. It takes me a lot of work to get him to come in. His cancer is very advanced, but it"s his right to want to spend what time he has left back at home with his family. I"ll give him a call. Do you need anything else?"

I spend ten minutes on the line with Amy, and when I hang up, I sigh in resignation. Is this what my life is? Just work and then go back home to my cat, Jax. I've always known I wanted to be a doctor. When I was a little girl, I"d spend time at my parent"s practice and welcome the patients. As soon as I was a teenager, I was taught how to take blood pressure and help take all the patient"s vitals.

During the summer, I"d volunteered to be a candy striper at the hospital and knew everyone in the maternity ward. I thought for sure that I"d become a gynecologist but when I heard Dr. Noah Richards give a talk on cardiovascular health at the hospital I was hooked. And a little bit in love. Dr. Richards had been my father"s closest friend since school, but I never paid him much attention. That talk changed my perspective and my path in life.

Working your way through med school, however, is challenging. It requires dedication, persistence, and a lot of long nights. So, my little crush on Dr. Richards helped me stay happy while away from the hospital. But now I realize I've let go of a lot of dreams because of my career. At one point, I wanted to have a husband and children. I've seen my parents have a successful marriage, but they opened their own practice so they could have more flexible hours. I don't regret my commitment to excellence, but being close to turning thirty and seeing Hailey want to change her life makes me consider my path forward.

What am I doing? I'm sitting here in the ladies' room pondering about nonsense. Get a grip, Meghan. I get out of the stall and look at myself in the mirror. Same old, same old. I wash and dry my hands, tossing the paper towel in the waste basket.

When I leave the ladies' room, I hear some loud voices in the back, and when I look, I"m shocked to see Noah Richards in a shouting match with a young girl. I freeze in place. I think he sees me, but he continues to lose his shit in the middle of this place. A place I would never have thought to see him in.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Mae?"

"Dad, I don"t want to talk about this anymore. I"ve made my decision. You need to find a way to deal with it!"

"You can"t throw your life away like this. I taught you better than this."

"No, you taught me to think for myself and go after my dreams. That"s all I"m doing."

"Working as a waitress in a strip club is your dream?"

"It pays the bills, Dad. Neil and everyone else in the band took part-time jobs so we could afford the basics while we got some gigs. This is not some fairytale. This is real life, and we need to eat and have a place to live.

"If you"re so set about a career in music, you can go to Julliard back home. You know I"d support you."

"Then support me in this. This is the route I"m choosing, and you need to accept it."

Another server comes up to Mae and whispers something in her ear. She nods back and crosses her arms over her chest in her stubborn pose.

"Mae, you need to listen to me." I practically shout.

I know I"m making a scene, but I can"t just leave my daughter here in Vegas with that idiot, Neil. I see some movement up ahead where the bathrooms are, and I lock eyes with the most beautiful woman I"ve ever seen. I know that woman, but I"m too furious with Mae to do anything about it. I put my hands on Mae"s shoulders and resist the urge to shake her.

"Mae, please. Let"s try and work something out. Come back with me to New York."

"Dad, it"s not happening. I"m done here. You need to go, or I"ll get fired." At my smug look, she shakes her head. "If I'm fired, I"ll just get another job somewhere else."

My mouth opens, but nothing is coming out of it. I"ve pleaded with her for days, and she has not given an inch. I promised my late wife I would take care of our daughters. The last ten years have been so hard without Anna, but every day, I got up and put one foot in front of the other. Some things were more difficult than others.

Boys, for example. With three girls, it was a losing battle. No one ever snuck a boy into their room, though, at least to my knowledge.

What am I going to do? How can I keep my promise to my Anna but at the same time let my daughter choose her own way in this world? Thankfully, Stacy and Jenna chose more traditional careers. But my youngest has always had stars in her eyes.

Suddenly, I don"t feel so well. My heartbeat feels erratic, and I"m dizzy. I try to find a purchase somewhere around me, but I stumble until I feel gentle arms slip around me, and I look into the eyes of an angel.