Read Online Trust by Sherri Hayes - Free Book Online

forms. There were only two left after he’d sifted through them. One wanted general information—my name, age, address. The other asked about my medical history.
    I filled the papers out as best I could and then gave them back to Cal. He walked them back to the receptionist and returned to sit beside me. For some reason, the fact that Jade and Cal were flanking me allowed me to breathe easier. I knew, despite all the ways he made me nervous, Cal would protect me if anyone tried to hurt me.
    Less than five minutes later, a door to our left opened, and Dr. Candice Perkins appeared. She was shorter than I’d thought she would be, maybe five two, and her hair was lighter than what it had seemed in her picture. It almost had a reddish tint to it.
    “Brianna?” She looked straight at me.
    I glanced at the door, then back at her.
    “Would you like your friends to come back with you? I don’t mind. I want you to be comfortable.”
    Jade squeezed my hand to get my attention. I looked over at her. “It’s up to you, Anna.”
    “Please.”
    Cal and Jade stood, and so did I.
    Dr. Perkins’s office was much as the waiting room outside had been. It was full of soft colors that reminded me of water and sand. She motioned for us to take a seat on a large couch along the wall.
    “Hello.” She smiled as she took a seat across from us.
    Jade and Cal remained silent on either side of me, and it made me feel self-conscious. I knew I was here to talk to Dr. Perkins, but I didn’t like having everyone focused solely on me. Glancing down, I started picking at the fabric on my jeans. “Hello.”
    “I heard your friend call you Anna. Do you prefer Anna or Brianna?”
    “Anna’s fine.”
    Another smile. “Anna it is, then. It’s nice to meet you. You can call me Candice.”
    I nodded but didn’t comment.
    “Maybe we should start by having you introducing your friends.”
    “This is Cal.” I motioned toward my left first, then my right. “And this is his girlfriend, Jade.”
    “Have you known Cal and Jade for a while?”
    “Cal and I . . . we grew up together.”
    “Sounds like you’ve been friends for a while, then.”
    “O-our fa—”
    Jade gripped my hand, trying to comfort me. I saw Cal open and close his fist reflexively. He wanted to comfort me, too, but he knew how I’d react if he tried to touch me.
    “Our fathers were friends.” Cal’s voice had a clipped tone to it. I knew he was angry with John. He’d told me about going to see him at the jail. I also knew that Cal wasn’t all that happy with his own father. When Cal had told Neil what happened with John, he’d defended my father, insisting that the Jonathan Reeves he knew would never do such a thing. Since then, Cal had had little contact with his dad. It was yet another thing for me to feel guilty about.
    Dr. Perkins tilted her head to the side. “It doesn’t sound like you’re happy about that.”
    Cal snorted.
    She wrote something down on the pad she was holding and then looked directly at me. “Anna, why are you here? What do you want to get out of therapy?”
    “Cal and Jade say I need to talk to someone.”
    “Do you want to talk to someone?”
    Tears formed in my eyes as I nodded.
    Jade wrapped her arm around me, pulling me close.
    Dr. Perkins handed Jade a tissue. She gave it to me, and I tried to dry my tears. For several minutes, everyone sat there waiting for me to regain control of myself.
    “Anna, can you explain to me what just happened? What were you thinking that made you start crying?”
    Moisture began to pool in my eyes again. “Ste-Ste-Stephan. I-I want Stephan.”
    At my outburst, Cal stood and walked toward the window. I knew he was upset, but I couldn’t change how I felt.
    “Do you think you’d feel comfortable if you and I talked alone?” Candice asked.
    I looked to Jade and then Cal. Doctor or not, I didn’t know this woman. Did I really want to be left alone with her?
    “Your friends would be right outside. We