by Tia Lewis
"What?" My eyes widened. He had said it so casually that I wasn't sure if I had heard him right.
"Quit the hospital, move in with me. Let's spend the next week in bed. Let's start a new hobby together. Let's go back to North Carolina and see your family. Let's travel the world, let's make up for the time we lost together."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, we don't have to do anything if we don't want to. Let's just enjoy our lives, let's stop trying to stay afloat so much and live," John said bluntly.
"I can't just quit, can I? I don't want to give up my entire career…" my words trailed off. John's offer sounded incredible, but I didn't want to give up on everything I had been working so hard toward. My job and career had been so important to me for so long that I didn't know what I would do with my time if I didn't have to work ten hours a day.
"You don't have to give it up. We could move to Paris and start our own medical practice. We could go to Africa and help children that don't have access to healthcare. We can do whatever we want. The world is our oyster," John smiled and kissed me.
"You look so happy right now," I laughed. "I don't know what to say. I can't tell if you're being serious."
"I'm being very serious, and I'm happy right now. I feel like I just got a second chance at my life, a second chance at love. This is a whole new chapter for us, we can do whatever we want. I have millions of dollars and the most beautiful woman ever in my arms. I'm on top of the world. Let's reshape our lives. Let's do all of the things we have always wanted to. We can do whatever we want together," John said sincerely. He had a fire in his eyes and passion in his voice. "I just need to officially ask you something first, something that both of us have been needing for a long time. Will you be my girlfriend?"
My heart felt as if it was overflowing with happiness. John was right, I had been waiting to hear that for a long time. It was crazy to think, after all this time, we were never officially 'together.' We had never put a title on it, which left us somewhere in between soulmates and fuck buddies. John had never been ready to take the next step; it meant so much to know he was finally ready to make a commitment to me by starting a real relationship.
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" I said, kissing him twice and then wrapping my arms around his neck.
"I love you," John said before kissing me again. "Will you move in with me?"
I stopped and thought about it for a few seconds. After a minute, I realized I didn't know what I was waiting for. I had everything I had ever wanted, and I was being offered a new start with the love of my life. "You would be okay with taking care of me? You would want me to quit my job, and you would fully support me?"
"Of course, I have everything we would need, baby. I would be happy to," John smiled.
"Well, that simply won't do," I smiled back at him.
John's face dropped, "What do you mean? You don't want to move in with me, or you aren't alright with me taking care of you?"
"There is something I need to tell you. I didn't necessarily lie to you, I just left some information out… I was being honest when I said I came to California to find myself and have a new start; however, that wasn't the entire story. I'm actually pretty successful for my age… And I'm not just a nurse. I'm the youngest woman to ever get my Ph.D. I completed my bachelor's degree when I was 16 and then completed my Ph.D. when I was 20. I worked at a hospital for two years as an Orthopedic Specialist. I was tired of everyone treating me differently for being so young and successful, so I decided to move to California for a fresh start. I took a lower paying job to try to fit in more, but I'm not really a nurse. I wanted to know what it was like to be a regular twenty-two-year-old girl, but I found out that I can never be 'regular,' and that's okay. Maybe that's one of the reasons why our age difference doesn't matter to me. We are on the same level, and the guys can't relate. Are you mad that I didn't tell you?"
"No, I'm actually really turned on. I knew you were smart, but I had no idea. I can understand the difficulty in people treating you oddly because of success. I admire you for being willing to start over to learn about life from a new perspective. I could never be mad at you for that, but I also want you to know that I will never treat you differently. And of course, all of those other guys aren't on the same level. No one can fuck you like me," John smirked.
"You're right, but no one understands me like you either. So yes, I want to move in together and to sell my house in North Carolina to solidify that. However, I don't want you to take care of me, and I'm still going to have my career no matter what. But I wouldn't mind taking a few months off to explore the world with you. We might never want to come back, but that's a chance I'm willing to take."
"That's a chance we can take together."
Loving John was taking a chance, and I wanted to take a lot of them.
John taught me a lot about love but not how to stop. Even though he had shown me what it felt like to have a broken heart, he helped me put the pieces back together. I never wanted anyone or anything to stand in the way of my king and me. John was my best friend, my lover, the only person I wanted to tell everything to, my right-hand man, the first person I wanted to run to when anything happens, he's my number one support system. I would defend him, be dedicated to him, and appreciate him for the person he is. I never wanted to lose John over an argument or a misunderstanding ever again.
John was someone I knew I was going to hold onto. As I was laying there with him, I once again thought about all of the romantic films I watched with my parents. I thought about the quote from The Notebook, "I love you. I'm who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours."
I remember watching that scene and hoping for that type of love. I remember how quickly I stopped believing in love, realizing that that kind of romance wasn't possible. But, as I laid there with John, soaking in every breath he took, I realized that romance wasn't dead. Romance was very, very alive. I needed to accept the good and bad parts of love, the same way I accepted the good and bad parts about John.
There comes a time in your life when you have to walk away from all of the doubts filling your head. It was finally time for me to forget about all of the doubts in mine. I needed to stop surrounding myself with people who had bad intentions, the people that were only interested in creating drama or fulfilling their ulterior motives. It was time I surrounded myself with people who made me laugh.
Forget the bad and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, wish the best for those who do not. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living. I would not doubt romance anymore. John taught me to love, but he also taught me how to accept life for where it is.
No matter where you end up and with whom, it always ends up just the way it should be. Your mistakes make you who you are. You learn and grow with each choice you make. Everything is worth it. Say how you feel, always. Be you and be okay with it. I choose to live by choice and not by chance; to make changes instead of excuses. Take action, instead of using words.
I chose to listen to what my instinct was telling me, instead of listening to what those around me think is best. I had spent so much time feeling like I wasn't ready to take a chance. I had spent hours, days, weeks, months, even years thinking about whether or not I was ready for something when I could have spent that entire time just doing it. There is only now. And I was ready to take my chances. I was ready to take the risk of being eternally happy with John. And I knew I would be.
Epilogue
John
My Gorgeous Wife, Anna,
Darling, it has been ten blissful years of marriage. With these years, I have only seen what an amazing woman you are. You have nurtured our family and taken such good care of our home. Christine and John Jr. would not be the people they are today if it hadn't been for your tender heart and nur
turing soul. I cannot imagine anyone could do it the way you do.
When we exchanged vows ten years ago, I felt a void in my life fill up. It was filled with unending love for you. That day, I knew my angel was here. My love, marrying you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love the way you brighten a room when you enter it, it's difficult for me to even describe how often I smile when I think about you.
Together we have shared many laughs and tears. And through it all, you have remained my true love, my best friend, and my soul mate. Sometimes I think about those days at the hospital. I think about how I was still searching for something more when I had everything I could have asked for. I think about how many days we spent casually passing by each other in the hallways, not knowing all that we were capable of doing, not knowing all of the love and memories we would share one day. Even though I had everything, I really had nothing at all until the day you became mine.
I can still remember the look on your face when we went to Paris for the first time, the way your eyes glowed when you saw the Eiffel Tower at night, the way you smiled when you saw the Mona Lisa for the first time. I can still remember the moment you told me you were pregnant with Christine. We were both so excited and unsure of what the future would hold for us. We hoped we would be good parents, that we were capable of giving our children the amazing lives our parents were fortunate enough to give us. I'm happy we were able to do everything we feared we would not. I'm happy we were able to start a charity together and give back to so many children that didn't have access to proper healthcare. Every time I see you smile is like seeing the Eiffel Tower at night for the first time. I couldn't imagine my life being more spectacular than you have already made it.
I struggle to find the words to express how much I love you and how much you really mean to me. You have given true meaning to my life. I appreciate every sacrifice you have ever made for our family. You have made each of us a better person, inside and out. I cannot say enough good things about you.
Whenever I feel low or upset, I know everything will be alright because your heart is the safest place to be. Whenever I'm happy, you're the first person I think of. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever known, and I cherish you more than life itself. The whisper of your name is always on my lips and is written in my heart forever. No matter how I feel, I know that you're always there to understand me. Every single one of my most valuable memories was spent with you. I would not have it any other way. You're a wonderful wife, and I just cannot tell you how precious you are to me.
Happy Anniversary, my dearest Anna. I love you and look forward to sharing all of our tomorrows together.
Your husband,
John
Thank You
Thank you for reading Naughty Prescription!
xoxo,
Tia & Penelope
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About Tia Lewis
Tia Lewis is an author of erotic and dark erotic romance. She enjoys writing about strong, possessive, dominant heroes and sassy, smart heroines. Her characters range from hot, dominant bikers, billionaires, to powerful gangsters, and all kinds of bad boys in between. You can find her cooking, reading, or traveling when she’s not busy working on her next release.
www.AuthorTiaLewis.com
Stay connected!
@authortialewis
authortialewis
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About Penelope Marshall
Penelope Marshall was born in the Philippines, and raised in Southern California.
She picked up writing in early 2016 and instantly fell in love with the craft. Her writing runs the romance gamut from sweet romantic comedies, to tough alpha male military suspense thrillers, with a little young adult, and paranormal thrown into the mix.
A good plot twist is what drives Penelope’s writing, striving for that jaw dropping moment at the end of each book.
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Stay Connected!
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