Ella was—well, I’m not sure how she took it. JP told her without me and he’d only told me that she took it better than my parents which is really not saying much.

“Maybe I could go with you to your mom’s?” I ask.

“I would love that but I know you don’t really want to.”

“I want to be with you.” I purse my lips, and he smiles before planting a kiss on my lips.

“I’m going to swing by the hospital today. Let them know I’m ready to come back after the holiday.”

“Which holiday?”

He raises an eyebrow curiously. “Thanksgiving…?”

I pout. “Because I was kind of hoping you meant like Christmas? I mean New Year!” I know all too well what Jacob’s job entails and while he typically gets home at decent hours not working into the wee hours, I do know that giving surgeons off on holidays isn’t always a luxury the hospital can afford.

“You want me to wait another seven weeks?” He chuckles. “I’ve already been off for a month.”

“And what a great month it’s been, right? Lots of sexy time with me.” I shimmy and his eyes find my chest instantly as they shake in my La Perla bra. “And just think, in December I’ll be out of class and that means even more sexy time.”

He takes a step forward and pulls the wand out of my hand and sets it down before pulling me into his arms and running his nose down my neck. “I would love that. I’ll see what I can do.” He places a hot kiss on my neck and drags his tongue upward until it finds my mouth giving me a kiss that makes my knees weak. When he pulls away, my eyes immediately drop to his groin and then back to his eyes. “Hmm, I thought you didn’t have time?” He winks before he backs out of the room with a cocky grin on his face.

I let out a deep breath as I stand in front of the door to my parents’ house. It’s the first time I’ve set foot inside but we needed to talk and I couldn’t run the risk of them not answering my phone calls. It’s after six, so I know they’re home, not to mention, I see their cars in the driveway. When I open the door, it’s quiet and I frown because in the twenty-two years I’ve been alive, this house has never been quiet. I push through the front door and make my way into the living room where I see my mom lying on the couch taking a nap. Underneath a cashmere blanket, she looks so peaceful and I wish I didn’t have to wake her. I take a few steps when her eyes flutter open and she gasps in surprise.