Page 294 of Dark Love

Maverick wraps his arms around me. “That means we don’t have to hide anymore.”

“It does.” I hug him back with a smile.

“So, what would happen if I kiss you right now?”

Hmm, good question. Mom is already planning our wedding. “She’ll probably start decorating a room for her grandchildren.”

“One for every kiss at the front door?” He leans down.

“Possibly.”

“A big family sounds good to me.” Maverick presses his lips to mine as the curtain shuts.

A big family… sounds perfect.

***

The last time I walked up to this doctor’s office, my stomach was full of dread even with my mother at my side. Today is a good day. I’m going in strong enough to handle what needs to be done.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Maverick’s voice makes me jump out of my skin.

“There aren’t any general practitioners in this building. They’re all surgeons. Where do you think you’re going without having said a single word to me?”

I spin around to face him. “You said you don’t do doctors.”

“For myself. For you, I do whatever needs to be done. And why exactly are we standing in front of a medical building full of surgeons without you having said a single word to me about it?” He takes two steps forward until he gets right in my face. “Everything. I need to know everything about you so that I can protect and take care of you.”

Isn’t that sweet? “I can take care of myself. And that means going to the doctors on my own whenever I feel the need to.”

“Dahl.” He lets out an exasperated sigh.

The poor man can’t handle even the idea of me being ill. He looks about ready to pass out. “Would you like to come with me today?”

“Yes. Yes, I would.”

“If I hadn’t let you come, would you have asked Shock to hack in and find out what the appointment was about?”

Maverick shrugs. “Probably.”

What am I going to do with this man? Make him a brownie cheesecake and give him some babies. Ever since Temperance talked about Maverick having a family, that’s all I can think about. “You might not like what you’re about to hear. Can you handle it without exploding?”

He takes a long slow breath with his eyes closed, opens them to stare at me for a moment, and takes another breath. “I can.”

“Good. I don’t have time to explain. I’m five minutes late already and doctors get picky about that.”

“They’ll take us,” he mutters under his breath.

The poor doctor is in trouble.

“There’s nothing wrong with me. You don’t need to worry.”

“I’ll worry if I want to.”

Cute man. How is he going to handle it if one of our imaginary kids gets sick? This is going to be an adventure.

***

---