Page 51 of Hot Doctor & Secret Baby

"Sturgill gave that to me. He found out about what we did in the lab. He told me--"

"I know all about the camera footage from the lab, even though I'd give just about anything to forget that I did. Sturgill told me he gave you an ultimatum. Unfortunately, he didn't tell me until after I had already spilled my guts to him. And apparently...everything I said was enough to get you fired. You know, even if you hadn't already quit."

"It's just as well," I tell her. "They should have fired me the moment I tried to stop them from hiring you."

"Well...not only did I accidentally ruin your already-ruined career at Bardot, but I somehow managed to impress Sturgill. He...he actually offered me your position. Not to rub it in, but I have a feeling the salary he proposed was higher than yours."

"Good. You deserve it," I answer sincerely. "Vanessa, that's amazing news. Congratulations. So Kate was wrong then? About you putting in your notice? The wires must have gotten crossed in the rumor mill."

"No, she was right."

I shake my head. "I don't understand."

"I didn't accept Sturgill's offer," she explains. "I quit instead."

"What? Vanessa, why? Look, if you did this for me - don't. Go take it back. I can't--"

"It wasn't just for you," she assures me. "I don't want my research work to be some temporary or until-further-notice assignment. It's what I want to do for the rest of my life, even after I cure cancer. There's always improvements to be made and more work to be done."

I watch her speak with such passion in her eyes, and I'm filled with so many feelings for her. Even if she doesn't want my old position, I have no doubt that she could do it if she did. Hell, she'd probably do it better than me.

"Vanessa, you wanted the job at Bardot, and I never should have tried to stop you from getting it. Now that you have it, I don't want you to let it go. If you don't want the new position, fine. But don't quit."

"That's not the only reason why I put in my notice. I...I couldn't let you walk away from everything," she exhales, spinning on her heels to face me. "Your work means too much to you. I know it does, Ashford. We've talked so much about what happened to my sister lately, but I know you understand it better than anyone. You do what you do because you lost your mom, and I know you don't like to talk about it…but I can't pretend like your loss isn't a part of this."

"Vanessa, I can't let you walk away from everything either," I argue.

"I didn't want to," she admits. "It hurts like hell, but…maybe you can get your job back now."

"You said so yourself. I owe you. Let me do this for you. It's the least I can do."

"You don't owe me anything, Joshua. I thought that was what I needed. Some kind of favor or vengeance or pay back…but that doesn't fix anything. Talking to you was the only thing that made me feel better about the past. I should have just done that a decade ago."

"You had every right to blow me off exactly as you did," I assure her.

"We were both dealt a shitty hand. We lost the people we love to a horrible disease, and the only thing that can even come close to making it any better is to try to save other people like them. People who still have a chance. I can't let you throw that away for me. Now that I'm gone, you can go back to Bardot."

"What about how much your work means to you?" I argue. "That's just as important."

"You were at Bardot first." She sighs with a smile. "Joshua, my sister would want me to be happy. She…she knew how crazy in love with you I was. I feel like…she's still with me somehow, and that she knows I never stopped being crazy in love with you…no matter how much you broke my heart. Even when you're being a complete ass hole like you were yesterday in your office, I can see through all of that to the real you. It scares me to death, so I try to pretend like I can't sometimes…but I do. So if all I have to do to make sure you get to continue your work at Bardot while still giving us a chance to make this work between us…then this is what I have to do. There are other labs. Maybe I can even find funding to start my own."

"Wait," I tell her. "Say that again."

"Maybe I can find funding to start my own?"

"No. Before that. Vanessa Lopez…Did you just say you're in love with me?"

She darts her eyes away as her cheeks blush bright red. "Don't make a big thing of it."

"I kind of have to," I say with a smile, pulling her in close to me. "Because…I am so crazy in love with you too. Always have been, always will be. Only this time, I'm not going to lose you. I don't care what it takes."

"I know you won't," she rasps with tears streaming down her cheeks.

She throws her arms around my neck and buries her face under my chin. I sweep her into my arms, lifting her feet from the floor and spinning her around. When I finally lower her back down, I crash my lips to hers and pray that she can feel everything through it, that she knows how sincere I am. The reality is…I don't have to pray or wish anything. I'm certain she knows it, because she knows me. She's the only one who ever really has.

"So, no more Bardot? Really?" I ask her. "I'm not so sure I want to work there if you're not by my side. I had kind of warmed up to the idea of starting over somewhere new."

"No more Bardot," she breathes, smiling through her tears. "It was going to be a bit much for us to work together and be involved outside of work anyway, don't you think? I'll have to find another job, but I'll find one. I'm going to go on a job hunt as soon as we're done here. Maybe you can write me a good recommendation."

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