“Buffalo winters.”
“Ah, of course.”
“Do I not look like I drive a truck?”
She squints and tips her head to the side. “I dunno. I don’t really think about cars that much. But yeah, maybe I thought you were more of a sports car person.”
“I like a sports car. Love muscle cars, too.” I hang up my coat and toe off my boots. “You mind if I eat while we talk?”
“Not at all. What are you having? I had pizza.”
I take her into the kitchen and open the takeaway container, showing her my chicken parm and broccoli. “Tell me about your day as I eat.”
“Dr. Chen asked me to present a case at grand rounds next week.”
“Frankie, that’s incredible.” Pride swells in my chest. “What’s the case?”
“We had a patient in clinic today who presented with a long history of fractures, and it turns out they probably have a previously undiagnosed genetic condition. It’s kind of a complicated story, so I won’t bore you with the details.”
“I want to hear about it.” I love watching her face light up when she talks about medicine. “Tell me everything.”
“Yeah?”
“Please.”
She does, and I listen, asking questions whenever she pauses, craving more of the passion in her voice and the animatedexcitement that grows as she talks. When she finally finishes, her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright.
“I can’t believe you actually care about this,” she says.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you’re...”
“Your husband?” I fill in when she trails off. “Who wants to know everything about you?”
“Okay, fair.” She gives me a look so sweet I want to crawl through the phone screen and wrap myself around her. “I want to know everything about you, too, you know.”
I dump my empty dish and fork into the sink. “Want to tuck me into bed?”
She blushes and nods.
“Come on, then. Let’s go upstairs.” I grab my phone, then head upstairs.
On the screen, she’s moving, too.
“I have to brush my teeth.”
She smiles happily at me as I park my phone on the bathroom counter and get all minty clean.
We climb onto our respective beds at the same time. Her attention sharpens when I pull off my t-shirt, her lips parting, her gaze growing hooded.
I settle against the pillows and grin at her. “What do you want to talk about now?”
“Books?” She swallows hard as I turn onto my side and put my phone against my lamp. Now she can see more of me. All of my bare chest, and my sweatpants, too, at least to my knees. The good stuff.
I rub my hand over my abs. “Yeah, we can talk about books if you want.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Or…?”
