Page 104 of Sweet Heart

“Riley?”

“Sí, she was in the hospital for work and stepped into my office. We spoke a little, and it was good.”

I hesitate for a moment. A part of me wants to know what they spoke about, what Riley said to make her feel better, but another part wonders if this is some privacy I should not invade. The question dies before it can even reach my lips, and I smile up at her instead.

My fingers brush Cat’s jaw as I cup her cheek, and I press my lips against hers. The smell of jasmine and antiseptic curl around me, as if it can single-handedly pull me closer to her.

“She told me that my judgement hasn’t been altered just because I fell for you,” she offers when I lean back, and the warmth that hits my chest is all-engulfing.

“You thought that?”

She shrugs.

“I know it’s irrational, but fear doesn’t care about that, does it?”

Cat frowns as if she is realizing something, and her hands slide a little down my sides.

“Baby, I have always deemed it unethical and immoral for a doctor to get with a patient. It’s not just because it’s against policy, but also because those are my standards,” she says carefully, giving me plenty of time to catch up, but not enough time to bristle. “Getting together with you forced me to look at those standards again and admit that they aren’t as black-and-white as I thought.”

“Do… do you ever re—”

“No,” she cuts me off before I can finish the sentence. “Not once.”

She brushes my jaw and presses her forehead against mine. Our breaths mingle, and her lips brush mine in a chaste kiss before she speaks again.

“But that does not mean that I haven’t felt conflicted and confused. It made me wonder if I was really the person I thought I was.”

“That makes sense,” I agree softly, even if it makes me feel raw. “I felt that too.”

She leans back in surprise, her eyes scanning me as she takes me in.

“You have?”

“Yes, of course. Do you have any idea how often I asked myself if I was a bad person for pursuing you? Especially after…”

“After?”

“After you told me the risks. I didn’t protect you like I should have. Your father was right about that, you know? Katherina, I pulled you into this dynamic because I couldn’t stay away from you.”

She huffs and shakes her head. Something dark flashes behind her eyes.

“Cariño, you don’t hold that power. I willingly stepped into that dynamic because I could not stay away from you either. That is the choice I made. That is the conflict I felt.”

“And now?”

“Now I know that my feelings for you did change me as a person.”

My breath hitches, and I feel my stomach plummet, but Cat just smiles at me, and the feeling of dread suddenly turns into something overpoweringly beautiful.

“They make me a better person, Maria. They add another layer to who I am. You don’t subtract from my core. You enrich it.” She closes the space between us again, pressing her skin against mine. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

My lip trembles when she takes it between her teeth and tugs at it softly before sliding her tongue inside. I gasp and then sigh, melting into her as she deepens the kiss, and I feel the tension in her body loosen as well.

“Welcome home, baby,” I chuckle softly after she breaks away, and she chuckles too.

“Best home to come back to.”

And everything in me soars.