Dr. Terrace leans back in his desk chair, rubbing his hand over his face in consideration as I glance across at Thorne, the emotions bubbling deep inside of me. I swear he just said that he was going to marry me.
My eyes well with tears of joy and as I glance back at Dr. Terrace, I find his warm gaze already on mine. “And what are your intentions, Autumn? Do you look at this relationship as seriously as Dr. Mayson does?”
“I do,” I tell him, right from the bottom of my heart. “Dr. Mayson is my future, so you must know that if you decide that one of us needs to be dismissed from our duties at this hospital, then you need to know that your decision will not impact us as a couple.” I look back at Thorne while still addressing the Chief of Surgery. My eyes glisten with happiness. “I will still be madly in love with him no matter where I’m working.”
A smile spreads across Thorne’s face but before he can respond, Dr. Terrace finally gives us the dreaded verdict. “Okay,” he tells us. “It seems that no matter how I feel about this relationship, it is going to continue just as it always was. It’s clear that this is more than just a sexual relationship, and as long as it remains professional while inside the walls of my hospital, then I see no issue with it. However,” he says, turning his stare back on me just when I thought we could start celebrating. “You are a student, and as it is, Dr. Mayson is your assessing doctor.”
“Yes,” I confirm, my knee starting to bounce with nerves. “But please, don’t take me off his service. Dr. Mayson is the best obstetrician in the state, and in my opinion, the best in the country, and I don’t want to be just an average midwife, I want to be the best. I want to make a name for myself in this industry, and to be the best, I have to learn from the best.”
His eyes narrow as he considers me. “Do you understand exactly what it is you’re asking of me?” he questions. “This allows you an advantage over the other students.”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t believe so. Dr. Mayson has been very strict with this. He does not favor me over the other students. There is no advantage. It’s almost as though our relationship only exists outside of the hospital.”
Dr. Terrace looks to Thorne. “Is this true?”
“Yes, sir,” he says. “Autumn may be the woman of my dreams, and there’s nothing I want more than for her to succeed and see every one of her dreams come true, but handing everything to her on a silver platter is not going to help her to be better. It will cripple her and teach her that she doesn’t need to stand on her own two feet. To be the best, she needs to earn it. If anything, I’ll be harder on her than the rest of the students.”
Dr. Terrace sits back again, his thumb and forefingers rubbing along his jaw. “Okay, here’s what we are going to do,” he says, keeping his gaze locked on Thorne’s. “I’ve known you for a long time, Thorne, and it gives me great pleasure to see you happy. You’ve been married to your work for so long that I feared you would never make space in your life for love, and I feared that you would have allowed yourself to live a lonely life. I do not want to be the reason that you lose that happiness. So, with that being said, Autumn will remain on your service. You will teach her just as you’ve been doing up until this point. However, her assessments will be taken by me until we can find a replacement for Dr. Harding. If I get even a hint that favorites are being played, I will have no other choice but to take further action. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Thorne says, the happiness in his tone unmistakable. “You have my word.”
“And you, Autumn?” he questions, looking back at me. “I trust that you are on-board with this arrangement?”
I nod. “I’m not going to pretend that doing my assessments with such an amazing doctor like yourself isn’t going to give me the worst kind of anxiety, but I’ll be better for it, so yes, I agree completely.”
“Good, now I’m sure you both have places you need to be. Be sure to let me know what happens with your police report.”
“I will,” I say, getting to my feet once again. “Thank you for your time.”
Dr. Terrace nods my way, and just as Thorne goes to follow me out of the room, his voice rings out once again. “Dr. Mayson,” he says, making Thorne spin back around with a narrowed gaze. His eyes sparkle with laughter, and I wait with bated breath for some reason, not wanting to miss what comes out of his mouth next. “I was quite fond of that parking space this morning. Perhaps I will take you up on your offer to use it any time I like.”
Thorne laughs, that usual cocky grin spreading wide across his face. “Go right ahead, sir, but just know that every time I drive into work to find your Aston Martin parked in my space, I’ll be parking my Ferrari right in the middle of your lobby.”
The two men stare at each other for a long moment before Dr. Terrace finally laughs and shakes his head. “Fair call, Thorne. Now, get out of here before you give me a reason to change my mind.”
With that, Thorne and I haul ass out of there and make our way back to the maternity ward.
Just when I think we’re in the clear to get back to work, Thorne’s arm curls around my waist and yanks me into an on-call room.
The door is slammed behind us and my back is pressed up against the wall. Thorne’s lips come crashing down on mine in a bruising kiss, and I instantly sink into his hold, kissing him back with everything that I have.
When he finally pulls back, we’re both panting, desperate to catch our breaths. “You said you were madly in love with me,” he comments, using the exact phrase that I’d used in Dr. Terrace’s office.
A grin tears across my face, seeing the happiness in his eyes. “What can I say?” I tease. “You dared me to fall in love with you, and I’m not one to back down from a dare. But you better be warned, I don’t intend on loving you easily. It’s going to be hard, and fast, and the most intense kind of love either of us has ever felt.”
“Well then,” Thorne says, his hand snaking out and flicking the lock on the back of the door before grabbing me and throwing me down on the bed, my bruised ribs momentarily forgotten. He comes down on top of me, his eyes shining with the promise of a lifetime of perfection. “What the hell are we waiting for?”
CHAPTER 20
AUTUMN
“Okay, are you ready for this?” Thorne asks, his hands on my shoulders as we stand at the door of his Aunt and Uncle’s home, looking as though he’s about ready to pass out.
“Are you okay?” I ask, reaching up to feel his forehead with a smile stretching across my face. “You look sick.”
He knocks my hands away with a goofy grin and a roll of his eyes. “Don’t start that shit with me,” he laughs. “I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Are you sure? You look as though someone has you by the balls and is forcing you to walk inside that door.”
“First off, you have me by the balls, and after this dinner is over, you’ll understand,” he tells me. “I’m just trying to be a decent kind of guy and warn you that what you’re about to walk into is some next-level bullshit, alright? They’re going to love you and they’re not going to hide it. You’ll never be free after this.”