Reed Walton seemingly has it all. He's attractive, has a good job, beautiful condo and a great group of friends. A Resident at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, he's always lived his life according to one thing: keep the Walton name presti...
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I was probably out of my mind. At least, that's the thought I was trying to push to the side as I sped along the interstate toward Columbus. Towards Piper. I couldn't even be sure that she was home. All I could do was hope.
I turned on my hands-free using my steering wheel.
"Call Dadm" I instructed.
"Calling Dad." The robotic voice confirmed my selection.
The sound of an outgoing call replaced the music that had previously been playing through my car's speakers.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Dad," I responded.
"How did it go?" he asked.
I took a breath. "I veered off the speech we wrote together."
"You didn't," I could hear the edge in his voice.
"I couldn't lie, Dad," I told him. "I want something different for the Walton name."
"Reed," my dad's voice was a warning.
"I love being a doctor. I'm going to keep doing it, but I'm done putting my name above me," I explained. "I'm in love with Piper, and I'm going to try and get her back."
I heard him swallow on the other end.
"You should call Rowan," I continued. "He's worried about you, and he misses you."
Still no sound.
"And I know you love him," I finished.
Again silence.
I was about to say goodbye and hang up when Dad said, "I'm proud of you, Reed."
Surprise wasn't a strong enough word.
"Y-You are?" I was practically side-eying my dash.
"How can I not be?" he replied. "I raised a son who feels strongly about who he and this family is. That's all I ever really wanted after all, isn't it?"
I felt a tear slip down my cheek.
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, Reed."
I hung up with my father as I turned onto Piper's street. I could feel my heart rate accelerate. I felt like I was straddling the line between romantic hero and justifiable creep. As I pulled into her parking lot I saw her red car. Relief washed over me that at least part of what could go wrong was going right.
I pulled in beside her and took a deep breath. I knew the next challenge would be to convince her to let me see her. I could see the intercom box for the building and I wondered if it would truly mark the end.
I slowly got out of my car and walked towards the door. I stood in front of the box and list of names. I pressed Piper's apartment and waited.
