“What news?”
“I’ve been named chief resident for next year.”
“What? That’s awesome! Congratulations!” Now I really lay a kiss on him. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding this in!”
“Yeah, I know. It’s been kind of hard.” He’s so excited; he grabs me and squeezes all the air out of me.
“Drew,” I squeak, “Can’t breathe!”
“Oh,” he instantly releases me. “Sorry ’bout that.” Then we both laugh.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe this. This is so huge for you. This means you’ll be able to practically name your fellowship then, right? I mean, don’t chiefs carry a lot of clout?”
Never being one to boast, he says in an understated way, “A fair amount. I think I want Charleston, though. Is that okay with you?”
He’s asking me as though I’m a part of his future. We’ve kind of hinted at this sort of thing, but this is no hint this time.
“Are you asking because you want my opinion or because you want to know if I want to go with you?”
His hand cups my cheek and all the cheer turns serious. “Cate, I’m asking because I want you by my side, wherever I go. I want you to be happy with that decision. I’m not going to choose just for me anymore.”
Wow. My head drops down as I stare at my lap. This is an unexpected discussion. Not that I don’t want to have it. I love Drew and at some point I figured we would have this chat, but I didn’t think it would be today.
“I take it from your reaction we’re traveling different roads.”
I quickly say, “No, not at all! I was only thinking I didn’t expect to be talking about this today. I want to be with you, too, Drew. And to answer you, I would love to return to Charleston, as long as I don’t have to live with my parents.”
His eyes grow dark and hooded as he says, “You won’t be living with anyone but me. And at some point our kids.”
I’m sure my brows shoot up to the heavens when he makes this announcement. Then he adds, “That is if you want kids. I’m willing to do anything your way, Cate.”
“I want kids. No more than three, though. That’s my limit.”
“Fine with me. But we won’t work on that until a few more years. We can practice for the time being.”
“I like that idea.” We get a little practice in that night, and the next morning, Jenna and I head back to Purdue. For once, I’m ready to hit the books and finish up this semester.
My birthday weekend arrives in April, and Drew says he has something special planned. On Friday, another spectacular flower arrangement is delivered. It contains all the special flowers he gave me before: roses, lilies, calla lilies, white carnations, orchids, and tulips. This time, I know what they all mean. Jenna’s jaw hits the floor and I take my finger and push it back up to close her mouth.
“Fuck, are you spoiled.” That’s all she says.
“Yes, I am. He hasn’t mentioned anything to you about this weekend, has he?”
“Not a word. Want me to ask Ben?”
“Yeah, would you?”
She picks up her phone and makes the call. I can hear them chatting, but when she hangs up, she has a sly look on her face. “Don’t ask me a thing. I promised Ben I wouldn’t tell you.”
“That is not fair. You’re my best friend.”
“Yeah, but I’m Ben’s sister and he’s Drew’s best friend. And that puts me awkwardly between a rock and a hard place. So I’m screwed either way.”
“If I guess will you tell me?”
“No. My lips are sealed. When are you leaving?”
“As soon as I get packed.”
Jenna presses her lips together. “Did he tell you what to pack?”
“No, why?”
“I don’t know. Just asking.”
“Gah, you suck.”
She makes a face, runs to her room, and slams the door shut. I look at the flowers, smell them, and go finish packing. I want to take the flowers with me.
“Hey Jenna, how can I take these with me and not have them spill all over the place?”
“Got a box? Set them in a box,” she yells through her door.
Looking around, I don’t see anything, until she tosses one out of her room. “Here.” Then her door slams shut again. Damn, she definitely is avoiding me.
When I’m finally packed, I yell through her door that I’m leaving. She runs out and squishes me in a giant hug. “Have fun, birthday girl and I’ll see you on Sunday.” Then she skedaddles right back into her room, as though she can’t bear to face me. Weird. Shaking my head, I head to my car and hit the road.
Sexy Drew waits for me as I pull into his parking lot. It’s a gorgeous spring day, and he’s wearing a black t-shirt and faded jeans. He opens my car door, as usual, and pulls me into his arms.
“Happy Birthday weekend, gorgeous.”
For whatever reason, I’m unusually excited to see him.