She was right, he didn’t understand. He believed she was all wrong about how Dillon and Pam, or the entire Westmoreland family, would handle them hooking up. He doubted it would be a big deal. But it didn’t matter what he thought. She thought otherwise and that’s what mattered.
“What if I agree to do what we’re doing now? I mean, keeping things between us a secret.”
She lifted her head. “You would agree to that, Aidan? I’m not talking about a few weeks or a few months. I’m talking about until I finish medical school. Could you really wait that long?”
That was a good question. Could he? Could he be around Jillian at family gatherings and pretend nothing was going on between them? And what about the physical distance between them? She wasn’t even sure what medical school she would attend. Her two top choices were Florida and New Orleans, both hundreds of miles away from Boston, Maine or North Carolina.
And what about his family and friends? Like Adrian, Aidan had quite a reputation around Harvard. What would his friends think when he suddenly stopped pursuing women? They would think he’d lost his ever-loving mind. But he didn’t care what anyone thought.
It didn’t matter. Wherever Jillian was, he would get to her, spend time with her and give her the support she needed to be the doctor she wanted to be.
What Jillian needed now more than anything was for him not to place any pressure on her. Her focus should be on completing the MCAT and not on anything else. Somehow he would handle the distance, he would handle his family and friends and their perceptions.
He held her gaze. “Yes, I can wait. No matter how long it takes, Jillian. Because you’re worth waiting for.”
Then he tugged her mouth down to his for another one of their ultrapassionate, mind-blowing kisses.
The present
“This is Captain Stewart Marcellus," a deep voice boomed through the intercom in Jillian’s cabin. “My crew and I would like to welcome you aboard the Princess Grandeur. For the next fourteen days we’ll cruise the Grand Mediterranean for your enjoyment. In an hour we’ll depart Barcelona for full days in Monte Carlo and Florence and two days in Rome. From there we’ll sail to Greece and Turkey. I invite you to join me tonight at the welcome party, which kicks off two weeks of fun.”
Jillian glanced around her cabin. A suite. This was something she definitely hadn’t paid for. She and Paige had planned to share a standard stateroom, definitely nothing as luxurious and spacious as what she’d been given. When she’d contacted the customer service desk to tell them about the mistake, she was told no mistake had been made and the suite was hers to enjoy.
No sooner had she ended the call than she’d received a delivery—a bouquet of beautiful mixed flowers and a bottle of chilled wine with a card that read, “Congratulations on finishing medical school. We are proud of you. Enjoy the cruise. You deserve it. Your family, The Westmorelands.”
Jillian eased down to sit on the side of the bed. Her family. She wondered what the Westmorelands would think if they knew the truth about her and Aidan. About the affair the two of them had carried on right under their noses for three years.
As she stood to shower and get dressed for tonight’s festivities, she couldn’t help remembering what that affair had been like after they’d confessed their love for each other. Aidan had understood and agreed that it was to be their secret. No one else was supposed to know—unless the two of them thought it was absolutely necessary.
The first year had been wonderful, in spite of how hard it had been to engage in a long-distance love affair. Even with Aidan’s busy schedule juggling dual residencies, he’d managed to fly to Laramie whenever he had a free weekend. And because their time together was scarce, he’d make it special. They would go out to dinner, see a movie, or if it was a weekend she needed to study, they would do that, too. There was no way she would have passed the MCAT the first time around without his help. She had applied to various medical schools and when she was notified of her acceptance into the one she wanted in New Orleans, Aidan had been the first person with whom she’d shared her good news. They had celebrated the next time he’d come to Laramie.
It was during that first year that they agreed to bring Ivy in on their secret. Otherwise, her roommate would have been worried when Jillian went missing because she was staying with Aidan at the hotel.
Jillian had fallen more and more in love with Aidan during that time. Although she’d had a lot to keep her busy, she missed him when they were apart. But he’d made up for it when he came to town. And even though they’d spent a lot of time in bed making love, their relationship wasn’t just about sex. However, she would have to say that the sex was off the chain, and the sexual tension between them was still so thick you could cut it with a knife. Ivy could attest to that and had teased Jillian about it all the time.
It was also during that first year that their control had been tested whenever they went home for holidays, weddings or baby christenings. She would be the first to admit she had felt jealous more than a few times when Aidan’s single male cousins, who assumed he was still a player on the prowl, would try setting him up with other women.
Everything had gone well between them as they moved into their second year together. Aidan had helped her relocate to New Orleans after she bid a teary goodbye to Ivy. Jillian leased a one-bedroom efficiency apartment not far from the hospital where she would be working. It was perfect for her needs, but lonely.
It was during the third year that it became harder for Aidan to get away. The hospitals demanded more of his time. And her telephone conversations with him had been reduced from nightly to three times a week. She could tell he was frustrated with the situation. More than once he’d commented that he wished she would have applied to a medical school closer to Maine or North Carolina.
Jillian tried to ignore his attitude but found that difficult to do. Although Aidan didn’t say so, deep down she knew the secrecy surrounding their affair was getting to him. It had begun to get to her, as well. And when it seemed Aidan was becoming distant, she knew she had to do something.
When Ivy came to visit Jillian in New Orleans one weekend, she talked to her best friend about the situation. Even now Jillian could remember that time as if it was yesterday...
* * *
“So, how is Aidan?" Ivy asked, after placing her order with their waitress.
Jillian had to fight back tears. “Not sure. We haven’t talked in a few days and the last time we did, we had an argument.”
Ivy raised a brow. “Another one?”
“Yes.” She’d told Ivy about their last argument. He’d wanted her to fly to Maine for the weekend for his birthday. She had been excited about doing so until she’d checked her calendar and discovered that was the same weekend of her clinicals. Something she could not miss. Instead of understanding, he’d gotten upset with her and because of his lack of understanding, she’d gotten upset with him. Their most recent argument had started because he told her his twin now knew about them. He’d gotten angry when she’d accused him of breaking his promise and telling Adrian. He’d explained that he didn’t have to tell his brother anything. He and his twin could detect each other’s moods and feelings sometimes.
“I’m tired of arguing with him, Ivy, and a part of me knows the reason our relationship is getting so strained.”
Ivy nodded. “Long-distance romances are hard to maintain, Jillian, and I’m sure the secrecy surrounding your affair isn’t helping.”
“Yes, I know, which is why I’ve made a few decisions.”
Ivy lifted a brow. “About what?”