Page 356 of The Doctors Will See You Now

“No.” He shook his head with a grin. “Your original dream. Although, please feel free to practice your stripping skills anytime. I volunteer as your lap.”

“And my pole?” I asked with a waggle of my eyebrows, and he licked his lips.

“Yes, motherfucking please.”

“Fantastic. It’s settled. I’ll become a stripper.”

He groaned. “Christ, the thought of you as a stripper is making it hard to concentrate, but you know what I’m really talking about.”

I did know. Scott wanted me to follow my original dream of becoming a pediatrician. And ever since we’d been in the middle of this media shitstorm, and I’d had to take a leave of absence from Gossip in the name of sanity, he’d been occasionally bringing it up. Not pressuring me, but just encouraging me and reassuring me with kind words.

I stared up at the handsome man above me and sighed. It was a dreamy fucking sigh, and I earned one hell of a Scott smile in return. Not only did he encourage me to follow my dreams, but he was also sexy and fucked like a god.

Damn, I really was the luckiest woman on the planet…

“You really want me to go to med school?”

He nodded, and his lips pressed soft kisses against my skin and his nose brushed my cheek as he did. “It’s your passion.”

“That’s a big commitment, Scott. I mean, before I could even apply to med schools, I’d have to study my ass off and pass the MCAT. And even if I managed to achieve that, who knows if and where I’d get accepted.”

“I’ll help you study,” he declared, and I giggled.

“Let me guess, naked study time?”

“Whatever it takes, baby.” He smiled against my skin. “I mean that. Whenever, wherever—”

“We’re meant to be together?”

He laughed and lifted his head to meet my gaze. “Well, yes. And I really appreciate your knowledge of Shakira. But I mean we follow your dream wherever it takes us.”

“That could be anywhere.” I searched his face for any hint of uncertainty, but he didn’t falter under my scrutiny. His mocha eyes stayed locked with mine. “What if I end up going to med school on the West Coast?”

He shrugged. “Then, I guess I’ll be working in an emergency room on the West Coast.” He smirked. “And reaping the benefits of you in bikini weather.”

“Really? You’d do that?” I asked, because holy hell. That was a big commitment. That was Scott letting my future career path guide us. That was…everything.

“I’ll follow you anywhere, Harlow,” he said. “And if your dream keeps us here, then we’ll find a way to deal with the media until it dies down. All that matters is that we’re together.”

I wrapped my arms and legs around his strong body and pulled him closer to me. This man had me. He so fucking had me. “I love you,” I whispered into his ear. “You make me so fucking happy.”

Because he did. My life wasn’t the same without him in it. And, even though we were in the middle of a temporary hell, as he put it, with the whole media shitstorm following us around, it didn’t matter. That was just minor details in comparison to what we had together. And nothing could affect that kind of happiness.

He winked, picking up both glasses of water and handing one to me. “To love,” he said with a smirk, taking me back to the very beginning with the toast at his dad’s anniversary party. I clinked my glass to his, and he smiled. “Cheers, Doc.”

Seven months later…

“Scott!” Harlow yelled, her voice carrying up the stairs and into the loft.

“Yeah?” I yelled back as I pulled the protective wrapping off of my diploma from NYU and set it to the side to reveal another frame. The quilted padding of the moving blanket and tape concealed its contents completely, but I knew what was inside.

Years of studying, years of training, and years of service to the citizens of New York City, all symbolized in one framed, white coat. It was a source for a million memories, and despite knowing this move was going to be everything I’d ever had in New York and more, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to open it yet. Sometimes memories—especially those that carried a tinge of melancholy—had the ability to feel more potent than the present. But happiness feeds the soul, and it wouldn’t be long before Harlow’s smiles and flirty fun were the only thing I could feel.

“Scott!” Harlow called again, now impatient.

Fuck. “Sorry! I zoned out!” I shouted, keeping my sentimental moment close to the vest. I didn’t want her to think I had any resentment about leaving New York and starting over with her—because I didn’t. The life we were leaving behind had really started to feel like no life at all. Although we were blissfully happy together, the media was a constant circus, and everything we did played out under a microscope of public scrutiny. But I guessed that was what happened when you were at the center of a scandal with the mayor of New York City.

After a fairly lengthy investigation, both Brent and Pam had been indicted on a litany of charges. Not only had Pam falsified statements to the police, but she’d been the one to organize the actual hacking of Harlow’s email account. The fine law enforcement of New York had taken the cybercrime pretty seriously. While jealousy and scorn over our non-relationship had been the weak board underneath her, it was her naïveté and willingness to consort with Brent that had turned her life upside down. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who’d slept with the wrong person in an effort to get to the top.