Rise: Populations Crumble, Book 2 by Gandy, A. (read book .txt) 📕

shuttle, whistling a snappy tune that is at odds with our gloomy moods. Patrick and Teddy stiffly shake hands, and then it’s time. My eyes water, tears pooling dangerously close to the edge. Faith steps back, giving me a moment with Teddy.

“I’m going to miss you, baby sister. I didn’t plan for it to turn out like this.” His voice is tight, and I realize that I’m not the only one fighting tears.

“I didn’t either, big brother. But you’ve got two very important people to take care of now. And it’s time I learned to stand on my own two feet. I’ll be okay, promise.” I force a smile, for his sake. He shouldn’t be torn up about this, when I’m the one who chose Patrick. In that moment, it hits me like an express train that our lives have irrevocably changed. When I left the ranch, I thought I was going back home the same woman I was when I left. Now, such a short time later, both mine and Teddy’s lives have been altered permanently—no matter when I make it home, things will be different.

“You’re stronger than you think, Sadie. Keep your head down, and come home soon. We’ll be waiting for you.” He gives me a bear hug, lifting my feet off the ground for a second before setting me back down.

They board the bus, and the doors snap closed behind them. I watch, hands held tightly around my middle as the shuttle pulls out of sight, the separation leaving a hollow ache in my chest that feels far more permanent than the first time I was parted from my family.

✽✽✽

We go in for breakfast and see two piles of luggage inside the front door. “Whose do you think those are?” I ask Patrick.

“Maybe some new couples arrived this morning?”

“That would be nice.” It’s still going to feel empty around here, without Teddy and Faith.

We walk through the French doors to the dining room, and I spot a long table with three couples seated. My eyes skip over the surprising presence of Odette and Dominic, past Emmett and Carolina, and land on none other than Nell and her personal mountain of tattooed muscle, Atlas. My jaw drops open.

“Nell!” I half shout in my excitement, and she looks up.

“Sadie! I’m so glad to see you!” She jumps up from her chair, and I run over and hug her before I think better of it. She doesn’t flinch away from the contact like she used to.

When I first met Nell at the shuttle to the NLC, she was thin, wary, and running from her past. After a few months of good friends and good food, her inner light is shining through like the sun. Time with Atlas doesn’t seem to have hurt, either—the two of them are cozied up at the breakfast table like they’ve been together ten years, not two months. The tall, thickly muscled man looks like he could be a direct descendent of a Norse legend. And he owns a private security firm. I’m not entirely sure what that entails, but it’s a pretty safe bet that you want to stay on his good side.

“I’m so glad to see you, too! What are you two doing here? I didn’t know you were planning to come to Mairmont!” The words tumble out in a rush.

She grins. “We weren’t really planning anything, but, we decided we’d like to see some familiar faces on our honeymoon. Although, where are Teddy and Faith?” She looks around as if they’re going to be right behind us, and my heart sinks.

“They actually just left,” Patrick says.

“What? Where’d they go?”

“Home. But, Faith is pregnant!” I say, my happiness for her shining through my pity party for myself.

“Already? That’s amazing! Is she thrilled, or nauseous?” she asks, sitting back down.

“Pretty thrilled. They both are.”

“Well, hopefully the rest of us won’t be far behind them, pregnant and headed home,” she says, optimistically.

Odette snorts. “That’s highly unlikely. The sooner you realize that, the better.”

“Really, Odette? They’ve been here an hour and a half. Could you keep your bitterness to yourself for once?” Dominic snaps.

She glares at him icily, before standing and leaving the table.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” he mumbles and slaps his napkin to the table before following her.

“Uh, trouble in paradise?” I ask, looking to Carolina.

She grimaces. “Yes. Apparently, their number is up. They’re being sent to the RID today, so things are . . . tense.”

Patrick cuts in, “I thought they’d only been here a few months? Why the rush to the Reproductive Issues Department?”

Carolina exchanges a look with Emmett before leaning in. “Their relationship has been . . . let’s call it troubled. They were sent on an intensive retreat their second month, and apparently things still haven’t improved. They were given the choice between another intensive this week, or referral to the RID for IVF. Odette jumped at the chance for IVF, to avoid more time alone with Dominic.” She shakes her head, clearly judging the decision.

Emmett puts his hand over hers. “They’ve had a hard time, Carolina. Let’s not speak badly of people who aren’t here to defend themselves.”

She rolls her eyes. “I appreciate the sentiment, Emmett. But haven’t we all had a hard road? You can’t make it through this as brittle as glass. You’ve got to be willing to give a little, or you’ll break into a million pieces. Not one of us here hasn’t been through something. Not a one.” Her tone is firm, brooking no argument.

“Well, it’s added a lot of pressure that his ex, Carla, is already pregnant with her match. They found out this morning she’s having a little girl,” Emmett adds.

“Sounds like we’ve missed a lot,” Nell says, thoughtful.

“We should get together and catch up,” Patrick says, an undercurrent I can’t quite pinpoint in his tone.

Atlas eyes him with speculation. “Agreed. I’m sure we have a lot to discuss. Dinner?”

Patrick nods tersely.

✽✽✽

Later that evening, Atlas and Nell arrive on our doorstep