banter, despite the subject matter. He used to call me ‘beautiful’ all the time, as though it was my name. “Maybe one or two. But I don’t want to marry a doctor.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m busy enough for the both of us.”
“I see.” The words were said stoically, but I imagined I could hear him passing judgment.
“You still think I should have stayed, don’t you?”
Before he answered, his eyes moved over my face as gentle as a caress as he studied me. It was strange how normal this seemed—almost as though time had rewound. In that moment, feeling so safe and loved in his arms, I didn’t ever want to go back again. “What I think is that for someone who is getting everything they ever dreamed of, you don’t seem very happy.”
I tried to laugh off his words, but it came out sounding hollow. “I’m not there yet. I still have another year before I’m a real doctor, remember.”
“Sure.” He dipped me and pulled me back up in his strong hands. “You know, Shan, I was thinking…”
“What?”
“This is going to sound crazy, but promise you’ll hear me out.”
“All right.” His firm, insistent stare almost made me laugh, but I swallowed it back. “I promise.”
“I was thinking… we should get married.”
The words struck me numb for one paralyzing moment. When I snapped out of it, I was torn between laughing and crying. How had we ended up here again?
“Not now,” he rushed to assure me, as though he could read my mind. “But, say, if we’re both thirty-five and we haven’t found anyone… say you’ll marry me.”
I sighed heavily. “Oh, Brody, I don’t know.”
“Why not?” he challenged. “Come on, what are the odds that both of us won’t be married in a decade?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it again. It was a pretty good argument.
“Besides, would marrying me really be that terrible?” Those brown eyes pierced right through me and I knew I didn’t have a choice but to tell the truth.
“Of course not, Brody.”
“Then why not?” he persisted.
“Why thirty-five?” I countered.
“What?” he asked, blinking.
“Don’t most people agree on forty?”
“Oh, that. Well, that’s easy. Thirty-five gives me a few years to enjoy that rocking body of yours until things start to sag.”
“Brody!” I exclaimed in protest, reaching out to smack his chest.
Brody deftly caught my hand and trapped it inside his own, pressing it against his chest. I could feel the faint flutter of his heart. “Is that a yes?”
I nibbled at my lip, certain that I should say no but not really wanting to. “Just…”
“Shan, look at me.”
From the moment I raised my eyes to his face, I knew I’d already lost any argument I could have made. “OK. It’s a pact.”
“We should seal it with a kiss.” Before I could respond, he bent his head and brushed his lips against mine in a way that made a jolt of electricity strike through my body. When he straightened, he gave me a smile and echoed, “It’s a pact.”
I raised a hand to touch my lips where he’d kissed me. They felt scorched from even that brief contact. “You know, I better go. Becky’ll be looking for me.”
“Oh, I don’t know, she looks like she’s having a pretty good time to me.”
I craned my head to follow his stare and saw Becky chatting up a tall, cute redhead. Damn.
“But I need to go, too. Just one thing before I do, though.”
I turned back to look at him, secretly hoping he’d kiss me again and feeling like an idiot for wishing for it. He was with someone, and besides, I didn’t believe in long-distance relationships.
“I want you to promise me you’ll lay off the alcohol for the rest of the night.”
When his words registered, I blinked at him in surprise. Suddenly, his voice was charged with an authoritativeness that I’d never heard before. He looked different, all of a sudden, and it wasn’t just the seriousness in his eyes or the no-nonsense look on his
“Why not?”
“Because I’m busy enough for the both of us.”
“I see.” The words were said stoically, but I imagined I could hear him passing judgment.
“You still think I should have stayed, don’t you?”
Before he answered, his eyes moved over my face as gentle as a caress as he studied me. It was strange how normal this seemed—almost as though time had rewound. In that moment, feeling so safe and loved in his arms, I didn’t ever want to go back again. “What I think is that for someone who is getting everything they ever dreamed of, you don’t seem very happy.”
I tried to laugh off his words, but it came out sounding hollow. “I’m not there yet. I still have another year before I’m a real doctor, remember.”
“Sure.” He dipped me and pulled me back up in his strong hands. “You know, Shan, I was thinking…”
“What?”
“This is going to sound crazy, but promise you’ll hear me out.”
“All right.” His firm, insistent stare almost made me laugh, but I swallowed it back. “I promise.”
“I was thinking… we should get married.”
The words struck me numb for one paralyzing moment. When I snapped out of it, I was torn between laughing and crying. How had we ended up here again?
“Not now,” he rushed to assure me, as though he could read my mind. “But, say, if we’re both thirty-five and we haven’t found anyone… say you’ll marry me.”
I sighed heavily. “Oh, Brody, I don’t know.”
“Why not?” he challenged. “Come on, what are the odds that both of us won’t be married in a decade?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it again. It was a pretty good argument.
“Besides, would marrying me really be that terrible?” Those brown eyes pierced right through me and I knew I didn’t have a choice but to tell the truth.
“Of course not, Brody.”
“Then why not?” he persisted.
“Why thirty-five?” I countered.
“What?” he asked, blinking.
“Don’t most people agree on forty?”
“Oh, that. Well, that’s easy. Thirty-five gives me a few years to enjoy that rocking body of yours until things start to sag.”
“Brody!” I exclaimed in protest, reaching out to smack his chest.
Brody deftly caught my hand and trapped it inside his own, pressing it against his chest. I could feel the faint flutter of his heart. “Is that a yes?”
I nibbled at my lip, certain that I should say no but not really wanting to. “Just…”
“Shan, look at me.”
From the moment I raised my eyes to his face, I knew I’d already lost any argument I could have made. “OK. It’s a pact.”
“We should seal it with a kiss.” Before I could respond, he bent his head and brushed his lips against mine in a way that made a jolt of electricity strike through my body. When he straightened, he gave me a smile and echoed, “It’s a pact.”
I raised a hand to touch my lips where he’d kissed me. They felt scorched from even that brief contact. “You know, I better go. Becky’ll be looking for me.”
“Oh, I don’t know, she looks like she’s having a pretty good time to me.”
I craned my head to follow his stare and saw Becky chatting up a tall, cute redhead. Damn.
“But I need to go, too. Just one thing before I do, though.”
I turned back to look at him, secretly hoping he’d kiss me again and feeling like an idiot for wishing for it. He was with someone, and besides, I didn’t believe in long-distance relationships.
“I want you to promise me you’ll lay off the alcohol for the rest of the night.”
When his words registered, I blinked at him in surprise. Suddenly, his voice was charged with an authoritativeness that I’d never heard before. He looked different, all of a sudden, and it wasn’t just the seriousness in his eyes or the no-nonsense look on his
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