My December Darling

by Lauren Asher

To those who were torn between Doctors McSteamy and McDreamy… Get ready to fall in love with Doctor Darling.

Catalina snorts, and hell, it sounds a lot cuter than it should. Cuter? More like rude. Yes. So damn rude, I find myself fighting both a smile and a request for her to repeat the sound again.

Most people in town call Catalina an ice queen, but everyone has a melting point. I just haven’t found hers yet.

I swear I’m becoming obsessed with the idea of getting this girl to smile, even if it never lasts longer than a few seconds.

“Are you diagnosing me?” He turns to face me with a smile. “I would never dare, Doctor Darling.” He beams. “Say that again.” I roll my eyes. “And feed your power trip? No thanks.” The sparkle in his eyes rivals the stars above us. “Please. At this rate, I will be begging for scraps of your attention.”

A man like me could get addicted to a touch like hers.

Teasing Catalina might be my favorite kind of punishment yet, knowing I’m only tempting myself in the process.

“Making the most of two weeks with you seems better than spending a lifetime wondering what could’ve been.”

I’m clearly a victim of consumer culture and capitalism.

“Everything about you interests me.” His gaze flickers over my face, and I find my own cheeks warming under his perusal.

I pull her into my side of the booth and wrap my arm around her, tucking her body closer to mine until there is no gap between us. Catalina fits perfectly, like a missing puzzle piece clicking into place, and I wonder how I’ve spent the last two years avoiding her.

“Are you always this exasperating?” “Depends on if I’m in the presence of a beautiful woman like you or not.”

“Being slow to warm up to people doesn’t make you unlikable. At least not to me.”

Luke Darling is kissing me like I’ve never been kissed before, and I’m not sure what to do with this discovery.

He didn’t just kiss me. He ruined every kiss of my past, present, and future, reshaping my expectations and creating a craving that only he can satisfy.

“There’s no place I’d rather be than here with you,” he whispers in my ear, and my heart soars into dangerous, delusional territory.

She looks up at me with a dazzling smile that rivals all the twinkling lights covering the house in front of us, and I’m stunned by the sheer intensity of it. Stunned by her.

“Your heart is beating fast.” “Because you make me nervous.” “Nervous?” She cracks a smile. “Me?” “Yeah. You.” “Why?” she asks with a smile in her voice. “Because you’re you.” “And who am I exactly?” The girl I can see myself falling for, even if she has no intention of falling with me.

“I’d rather keep you on your toes.” “You don’t have to try too hard when you’ve got me wrapped around your little finger.”

“That there is always room for love in our lives, so long as we are open to accepting the kind we think we deserve,”

“I want you any way I can have you.”

There isn’t a single doubt in my mind that I could fall in love with this girl. In fact, I hope I do. Just like I hope she can love me back.

“Will you ever stop being so sappy?” “Depends on how long you plan on loving me.” “Now that you mention it…”

“Will you marry me?” I look down at the ring nestled inside the box he built just for me. Choosing to love him for the rest of my life is the easiest decision I’ve ever made—almost as easy as saying one little word. “Yes.”