We grin at each other like fools, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
“Hey, Dr. Aldridge!”
“Dr. Aldridge! Hi!”
“My nana is doing so much better, thanks to you, Doctor!”
“Dr. Aldridge, it’s good to see you. Here, take some chips.”
After putting on Kip’s leash, Dermot took my hand in his, and we headed out to go to the market. For the last week ofJanuary, I wouldn’t have expected it to be so busy, but everyone is out. While it’s chilly, it’s comfortable with how brightly the sun is shining. The air is crisp and the sky so blue with no clouds. The mountains stand proud and tall, while the sounds of people skating on the pond mix with the general chatter of the market.
I love Holiday Ridge.
But I think I love it more being on Dermot’s arm.
“Holy moly, I love being with a celebrity.” Dermot gives me a bored look, but I can see a grin fighting to break through. “Do you think I could get your autograph?”
“Are you done?”
I smirk. “Not at all.”
I cuddle into Dermot’s side, holding his arm with both my hands as we walk along the circle. I love how he continues to kiss my temple or guide me with his hand to my back. He’s always touching me, and it makes me feel so good to know he feels comfortable enough to do so. I’m still pissed that he was ever made to feel like he didn’t deserve the kind of love and attention he craves. It’s cool. It’s my goal never to allow him to feel anything but what he wants.
“Is everyone staring at us?” he whispers into my temple, and I turn to look up at him.
“Yeah. Apparently, I snagged the most eligible bachelor,” I say with a little wiggle.
“Hardly.”
“No, it’s true. And now everyone is wondering what took us so long, with us being neighbors and me always checking you out. There is a reason everyone in town calls you Dr. Do-My-Body-Good, and it’s all me.”
His lips curve. “I should probably get a shirt that says it’s my fault, huh?”
“That would be helpful, but it’s fine. I’ll just tell everyone that I locked you down.”
He arches a brow at me. “You locked me down, or I locked you down?”
I give him a dry look. “Kip made a move faster than you did.”
Dermot grins. “But when I made a move, I made you scream.”
I wink, and he kisses me fully on the lips. The kind of kiss that is frowned upon in public, but I highly doubt either of us cares. When he pulls back, he kisses my nose, and I lean into him as we stop in front of Pierce Ridge Creamery’s tent. Elaine Pierce has a goat farm that supplies the best goat cheese in the state of Vermont. “We should get some for dinner. It’d go great with the pasta I’m making,” I suggest, and he nods.
“Good idea?—”
Before he can finish, Elaine gasps loudly. “Well, lookie here. Did Maggie Welch finally snag the hot doctor in town?”
I smile brightly, then I hook a thumb at him. “I did. See?”
Elaine snaps her fingers. “Damn it. I really wanted my girl Nora to find herself hanging a lock with him.”
I laugh at that as Dermot smiles. “Is Nora finally back for good?”
Elaine’s granddaughter spent a lot of summers here, but this is the first I’m hearing of her moving back. “Yes, finally. She’s gonna take over for me.”
“How nice. You’re going to rock retirement.”
“I am, for sure,” Elaine agrees, then she points between the two of us. Her gray hair is in a long braid that reaches her bottom, and her bright-green knit hat is pulled low over her ears. She may be close to eighty, but she doesn’t look a day over fifty. Her green eyes shine as she flashes us a grin. “I have to say, you two look rather good together.”
