Page 119 of Doctor’s Forbidden Match

We don’t know what’s next for them. But we know Pulse Point will always claim a little credit.

Dr. Whisperer

“All right, you two,” Mom says at the airport terminal, pulling me into a tight hug that smells like her floral signature perfume. Her eyes are misty, but she’s smiling. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate. We’ll be there in a heartbeat.” She releases me and turns to Zac, squeezing his arm with both hands. “Otherwise, we’ll see you when you return.”

I smile, letting her assume our timeline. I haven’t asked Zac yet, but I’m secretly planning to host Thanksgiving, combining both our families. I think he’d love it. Especially since his mom added me to the family group chat. The memes Bri sends tend to be about how whipped her brother’s become, and Zac’s still not checking the chat much, so he isn’t annoyed by it. Even his dad calls him more, just to check in. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it’s better than it was.

We head down to the jet bridge toward the plane, a single suitcase each in hand. I’m back in my element today—black Louboutins and a tailored outfit—fresh off three weeks of pre-production meetings for my first feature directing credit. Zac smiles as he watches me navigate the airport ramp like I own it, because for the first time in my career, I actually feel like I do. It’s a funny contrast: me in designer labels, him usually in scrubs, glasses, and surgical tools. We’ve spent the last year seamlessly trading worlds for each other, and it’s been so nice.

Brooke tags along right beside us, her hair pulled into a messy bun, wearing yoga pants and an oversized sweater. She and Emmett have become close over the last year. They text constantly, and since Brooke and I share everything, I get to see her giddiness every time his name pops up on her screen.

Before long, our flight lands, and we’re back at Murmur Bay’s airport. Channing is already waiting beside the car. I practically sprint in my heels and throw my arms around him. He’s like a second father to me now.

“Look at you.” Channing pulls back, his face breaking into a proud grin. “Running in heels. I’m impressed. Last time I picked you up from this airport, you were in flat shoes and taking it one step at a time.”

I roll my ankle playfully, extending my leg to show off my perfect recovery. “Good as new. Between the extended physical therapy and this man beside me, I’m very lucky.”

I lean into Zac’s side, feeling the solid warmth of him through his t-shirt. His arm comes around my waist, his thumb rubbing small circles against my hip. It’s an unconscious gesture now, something he does whenever I’m near.

I did extensive physical therapy, probably more than I needed, but Zac insisted. With all the heels I wear for work, he wasn’t taking any chances.

It’s been a chaotic year, but a good one. Yolanda hasn’t surfaced once since the restraining order, not so much as a stray comment to a tabloid. Whatever fight she has in her, she apparently used it all trying to take Zac down with her. And lost.

I hosted two more seasons before I finally quit. Working with Dain became unbearable, his ego inflating with every episode until I couldn’t stand to be in the same room. So I walked. Took the credit the show gave me and used it exactly the way I’d hoped—pitched a directing reel, got laughed out of two rooms, and then didn’t. My first short premiered at a festival in the spring. My first feature starts shooting next month. Nobody calls me the girl from the competition show anymore. Now I’m just the director, which still feels hard to say out loud without pinching myself.

Jaina ended up taking a full-time job with Nikkita in LA after her trial, so all three of us grab lunch once a month. It’s funny how some people just end up woven into your life permanently, long after the reason you met them is over.

Zac took the offer at a private orthopedic practice in LA after six months, not under anyone’s thumb, not because Peltz forced his hand or his father asked twice. He chose it because it let him keep operating without the politics, and because it put him close enough to me that neither of us had to keep doing the math on flights and time zones. He kept the title this time. Senior Surgeon, on his own terms; nobody able to dangle it over him again.

Because his reputation as the “orthopedic surgeon to the stars” gives him flexibility, and my work is project-based now, we don’t have to stay pinned anywhere permanently. We can travel and split our time exactly how we want.

“Brooke confirmed she’s staying with the guys tonight,” I murmur to Zac as Channing loads our bags. Originally, she was going to stay with us at Zac’s, but Emmett convinced her otherwise.

I know Zac has missed having time at the cabin. He’s been upgrading it, and this is the first time I’m seeing it finished.

When Channing pulls up the gravel driveway, my breath catches in my throat.

The cabin is stunning. All rich wood and wide windows, with a stone chimney rising from one end and a covered porch wrapping around the front, overlooking the glass-like water of the lake.

Brooke heads inside and looks around.

“Oh my God,” I gasp, my hand flying to my chest. “Zac, it’s perfect.”

“You like it?”

“Like it? I love it.” I lift onto my toes, grabbing his face and kissing him hard. He laughs against my mouth as he pulls back.

Inside, the open-concept space is beautifully framed by floor-to-ceiling windows facing the bay.

“You know,” Zac whispers, stepping in behind me, pressing his chest to my back, wrapping his arms securely around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. His breath is warm against my skin. “When I invited you to this cabin, you were the first woman I’d ever told the address to.”

I turn in his embrace, my heart swelling. “Really? I had no idea.”

“I never had a single hesitation with you.” His fingers thread through mine, his expression completely open, raw and vulnerable. His blue eyes search my face. “This place was my private escape. But the second I met you, I wanted to share it.”

A warm rush of emotion makes my eyes sting with happy tears. “I love you,” I whisper.

“I love you too.” He kisses my forehead, then my nose, before pressing a deep kiss to my lips.