AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’ve done something that I never thought would happen,” he said. “You made me fall in love with Texas. Well, maybe I’m not in love with Texas per se.” He sucked in a breath before continuing. “But I am in love with you, London.”
He felt as if all the air escaped his lungs as he watched London’s expression change from surprise, to what was possibly joy, but then to unmistakable apprehension.
She set her fork on her plate. “No, Drew. It’s too soon.”
He shook his head. “Not for me.”
“This thing between us…it…”
“It’s real,” Drew said. “I’ve been in love before, London. I know what it feels like. And what I feel when I’m with you is so far beyond anything I’ve experienced in the past. I’m not ready to let that go.”
“So you’ll uproot your entire life?”
“You say that as if it would be difficult. I’m based in New York, but I can work from anywhere. I’m willing to move back here if it means I get to be with you.”
“I’m leaving,” she blurted.
Drew’s head snapped back. “What?”
“Shit,” she released with a sigh. She dragged her palms down her face, then gripped the back of her head. “It’s a possibility,” she said. “Remember that extremely competitive pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program in Chicago I mentioned the other day? They’re pulling out the big guns in their effort to recruit me.”
Drew sat back. “This sounds serious.”
“It has done wonders for my ego—not that my ego was suffering,” she said with a short laugh. “I’m starting to think that hypertension isn’t the only thing my dad passed down to me. The line between being proud of your own accomplishments and being a narcissist is thin.”
“You are not a narcissist,” he said.
“What makes you so sure?”
“I was a hedge fund manager. I’m pretty sure if you research the profession with the most narcissists, that would be at the top of the list. You, on the other hand, were driven to overexcel because of your dad, and in the process became this badass surgeon hospitals around the country are willing to fight for.”
She shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. And these hospitalsareputting up a fight. This offer out of Chicago is unlike anything I’ve heard of for a fellowship. I would have the chance to work with some of the top pediatric heart surgeons in the country, and the salary is so generous that it would allow me to pay off a huge chunk of my med school loan debt.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to offer to pay off her student loans, but Drew already knew what her answer would be. And that wasn’t what she wanted from him. She’d demonstrated in so many ways that she didn’t care about his money. It made him love her even more.
“That actually makes it easier for me,” Drew said. A confused frown creased her forehead. “I already have an apartment in Chicago,” he said. “In a high-rise on Lakeshore Drive, overlooking Lake Michigan.”
“That’s almost as impressive as the one overlooking Central Park,” she said.
“Almost.” He chuckled, but then he sobered. “Is this what you really want? This job in Chicago?”
“It is, hands down, the best move for my career,” she answered.
“But is it what youwant?”
“It’s not that simple, Drew.” She hunched her shoulders. “I have to consider what makes the most sense for my future. Although, now that I think about it, what’s best for my career has never been the top deciding factor.”
She fiddled with the petals of the flower she’d lifted from the centerpiece earlier. When she spoke, a trace of that unapologetic self-assurance he’d come to love had entered her voice.
“I could have had my pick of residencies when I finished medical school,” she started. “Honestly, I was more aggressively recruited for residency programs than for these fellowships. You should look me up online. Some of the articles written about me back then really made me look like a rock star.”
“I’ve read some of them,” Drew said. “Youarea rock star. County is lucky you chose to do your residency here. The more prestigious institutions would all love to have had you.”
“I began my residency at one of those more prestigious private hospitals, but when Doug Renault contacted me about joining him at County, I didn’t hesitate. It was a calling. I needed to be here.”
“Do you still feel that way?”
“I do.” She nodded. “Not only because of my patients, but I feel a bit possessive about the sensory room after fighting so hard for it. I don’t want to leave it in someone else’s hands.” She blew out a breath. “More than anything else, I want to be the big sister that my siblings need me to be. This incident with Nina really put things in perspective. I can do better when it comes to those kids. Ishoulddo better.”
