*selfie with the daphne plant*
Hope you don’t mind unsolicited bush pics …
An obnoxious guffaw bursts out of me, one so loud that it prompts Tenley and one of the medical assistants to peek around the corner and investigate.
“Sorry,” I say sheepishly. “I was just laughing at a funny text.”
Tenley purses her lips shrewdly as Mackenzie flutters her eyelashes at me. “From your lady friend, Dr. Cutie Pie?” Mackenzie drawls.
I clear my throat. “Maybe.”
“She looks good on you, Doc,” Mackenzie declares, and my cheeks flush as I thank her.
By the time I leave the office later that afternoon, my entire body is humming with anticipation, just at the thought of seeing Claire. I’m afraid Tenley’s right. There’s nothing left for me in Baton Rouge, not so long as Claire is in Camellia. And maybe it’s foolish of me to toss all my eggs into this basket, but I can’t imagine this isn’t where the Holy Spirit is leading me, especially not when a regular weekday fills me with the same joy and exhilaration I could only get from envisioning my future before.
I know the road isn’t guaranteed to be an easy one, because if there’s anything I’ve learned from the lives of the saints, it’s that making the decision to trust in God and follow His will is only the beginning. But there’s no doubt in my mind that this is what He’s been preparing me for all this time.
My heart skips a beat when I pull up at Claire’s house and see her standing in the doorway in her robe, watching as Frankie and Oscar scurry over to the driver’s side and wait for me to step out of my truck.
“Hey, guys. Miss me?” I ask, reaching down to pet them both before I turn my gaze back to Claire. She’s so beautiful that she literally takes my breath away, with her long, chestnut hair pulled back in a loose braid, her amber eyes framed by her dark lashes, and her robefalling open just enough for me to see my boxer shorts hugging her hips.
I can’t look away from her as I close in the distance between us, and her lips tilt up when I trip over the dogs circling at my feet. By the time I stop a few inches in front of her, my chest is already heaving with the effort it takes to stabilize my heart. But it’s all in vain, because the second she latches onto my shirt and drags me in for a kiss, I know this is the way I want to go out.
My hands curl around her jaw as I savor her warmth, her woodsy scent, her smooth skin beneath my palms. I don’t think I could ever grow tired of this, but she pulls away much too soon.
I watch as she licks her swollen lips and twists the cord of my scapular around her finger. She smiles again when a growl rumbles within my chest.
“Hi,” she breathes, still close enough for it to ghost over my face.
“Hi,” I say on an exhale.
“I guess I missed you, too,” she admits, prompting a silly grin.
“I missed you more,” I say, blinking lazily and staring at her mouth.
“Rowan?”
“Hmm?” I’m not sure what she’s going to ask of me, but whatever it is, the answer is going to be a resounding and enthusiasticyes.
“I think I might be in love with you.”
My stomach dips low, and I struggle to regulate my heart again.
“Hmm?”
A lovely flush spreads over her cheeks. “I said I love you,” she repeats, tugging on the cord around my neck. I groan and move my hands to cup her backside, scooping her up and guiding her legs to wrap around my waist.
“And I love you more,” I rasp before I stagger inside and wait for the dogs to follow before shutting the door behind us.
monday
5:58 AM
Rowan
Good morning, beautiful.
Claire
