Page 68 of No Ordinary Love

It had been two exciting weeks—both professionally and personally.

From a work perspective, my teaching assistants and I were having a lot of fun working on the women's health advocacy project. I was learning a lot, and we were all excited to work on something that would have a direct application in the real world. As academics, sometimes the research we did was not translated into a benefit for a population, but this was different.

Personally, Lucas and I were back where we used to be when we initially started dating. I had told him to stop apologizing. Enough was enough. It was time to look forward. Basically, we were two people re-discovering each other with so much sexual tension that we were all but vibrating with it. But neither of us was ready to take that step. The last time we ended up in bed, it had only made things murkier.

Did I want him?Hell yeah. Did he want me?Undoubtedly.

We didn't go beyond kisses, though those got pretty heated. There was an almost innocent quality to this renewed relationship we were building.

"This is madness," I told him one night when we were necking in his car like teenagers.

One of his hands was kneading my breast, and the other was on my naked thigh under my dress.

"The best kind there is, Tesoro." He kissed me again, soft and sweet.

I kept waiting for his hand to move up, up, up until he was touching my core. I desperately wanted him, and I knew he did as well because when I cupped him, he was thick and hard.

"I'll come in my pants, Amara," he growled as he removed my hand.

"Don't you want me?" I asked, mindless with desire.

"More than I want to breathe." He peppered kisses along my jawline. "More than you can imagine."

"Then?" I angled my head so he could nibble on my neck and lick the throbbing pulse there.

"I love you," he whispered against my ear, making me shiver.

I stilled.

He raised his head; his eyes sad. "When you can say it back to me, I promise to fuck you so hard and long that you won't be able to walk the next day."

I licked my lips, wanting to tell him whatever he wanted so he'd fuck me exactly the way he said he would.

But I'd decided to be honest with myself and with Lucas; to not hide how I felt and show him what was happening inside of me. "I'm scared."

He kissed my nose. "I know. I haven't earned your trust yet. But once I do, you won't be afraid to tell me you love me. And when that day comes, Tesoro..." He paused, his eyes glisteningwith unshed tears as he fought to keep his emotions in check. "When that day comes, I'll be the luckiest man alive."

Every time we talked, I felt like I learned more about him, and I let him know me better. We'd been together for two years, but I felt that we had known each other inside a bubble where it was just us—but now we were seeing more of what was inside of us, what made us the people we were when we let the outside world in.

Lucas had become more open about his conversations with his family. He told me he'd had a showdown with Shelby and Flynn and several with Kath's father and his mother. His only saving grace was Rena, who was steadfast in wanting her grandson to make choices that were, as she put it,selfishand more power to him for doing that.

Working together had beeninteresting. We were excellent partners, sparred well, were respectful of each other,andwanted,very badly,to get into each other's pants.

"Good luck," Lucas whispered as I prepared to run a focus group. His eyes twinkled, and I could tell he wanted to kiss me, but we had an audience.

Dr. Brooks, Jill, Maury, and one of my teaching assistants were in the adjacent room—one of those sterile, windowless spaces typical of research facilities with a two-way mirror for observing the proceedings.

I entered the focus group room, where six doctors sat around a large oval table, each representing a different hospital or clinic across South Carolina. The group included obstetricians, family physicians, and maternal health specialists, all invited to share their experiences and challenges in communicating with pregnant women, particularly those from marginalized communities.

"Thank you all for being here today," I began, aiming to create a comfortable and safe space for discussion. "We're here to talkabout the challenges in health communication, specifically in maternal care. Let's dive right in—what are the most significant barriers you face with your patients?"

Dr. Martinez, an obstetrician from a rural clinic, spoke up first. "Health literacy is a major issue. Many patients don't fully understand medical terminology, leading to confusion about their care plans. They're often afraid to ask questions, fearing they'll seem ignorant, which only worsens the problem."

Dr. Flynn, a family physician from Charleston, nodded. "Cultural barriers are also challenging. In some communities, deeply ingrained beliefs about pregnancy and childbirth conflict with modern medical practices."

Dr. Nguyen, a maternal health specialist from Chapel Hill, added, "Building trust is another hurdle. Many women, especially from underserved communities, have had negative experiences with the healthcare system."

I nodded, absorbing their insights. These were precisely the kinds of challenges we needed to address in our project—how to bridge the gap between medical professionals and the women who needed their care the most.

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