Page 31 of Blind Date with a #Doctor
Chapter Eighteen
Aspen
I never thought I’d be this person, a woman who watches the clock, waiting for a man to come home. One who curls up on the couch in his shirt, barefoot, sipping tea, feeling completely and utterly at peace.
Someone who doesn’t feel trapped by love but safe in it.
Here I am, sitting on Carter’s couch, in Carter’s house, waiting for Carter, and I’ve never been happier in my entire life. The sound of his truck pulling into the driveway makes me perk up instantly.
I check the time, 8:45 PM, a lot later than usual. I grab my mug and head toward the door, just in time to hear his keys jingle and the front door creak open.
Then he’s there, right in front of me, looking exhausted but still ridiculously handsome. Dark scrubs, hair a mess from running his fingers through it all day, a five o’clock shadow dusting his jaw.
God, I love him.
I lean against the doorway, grinning. “Long day, Doctor Reed?”
He exhales heavily, dropping his bag by the door, already walking toward me. “Too long,” he mutters. “But this makes it worth it.”
I lift a brow. “This?”
Carter smirks, slipping an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. “You,” he murmurs, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to my lips.
I melt.
Carter leans back against the kitchen counter, watching as I pour him a cup of tea.
He smirks. “No wine?”
I grin. “You looked too tired for wine.”
He hums. “Maybe.”
I hand him the mug, letting my fingers drag along his just for fun. And then, casually, “You know, if you ever want to come home in your white coat and stethoscope one night, I wouldn’t complain.”
Carter chokes on his tea.
I cackle.
His eyes narrow playfully. “You are so much trouble.”
I shrug. “I contain multitudes.”
He sets down his mug, then stalks toward me, cornering me against the counter, his exhaustion is nowhere to be found. “Oh, sweetheart,” he murmurs, brushing his lips over mine but not kissing me.
“Yeah?” I whisper, tilting my head.
He smirks. “Careful what you wish for.”
We end up curled up on the couch, my head resting on his shoulder, his arm draped around me, holding me close. It’s quiet. Safe. Warm.
“You should just move in already.”
I freeze. Then, slowly, I lift my head to look at him. He’s serious. No teasing and no games. Just Carter, looking at me like he already knows my answer.
My stomach flips. “Move in?” I repeat, testing the words.
Carter nods, running a thumb along my jaw.
