Doctor O: A Friends to Lovers Romance

by Ash Harlow

  “You’re amazing, Luther. And, you have no idea how relieved I am.”

  “We all are. And, Darcy, sorry to say, your computer’s fucked.”

  I couldn’t stop laughing. “Why doesn’t this surprise me?”

  “It’s got so many spyware programs on it, the thing asked for vodka when I switched it on. Anyway, that caffeine effect didn’t last long, I’m heading to bed.”

  “I’ve never met anyone like him,” I said after Luther had left.

  “I’m nuts about the guy, but two Luthers would be unimaginable, wouldn’t it?”

  “You shouldn’t even be saying that out loud, Oliver.”

  “Maybe not, but here’s something I still need to ask you, and I’m not leaving it another day. Come here.”

  He lifted me onto the kitchen island. I was always amazed how he did that with such ease.

  “You’re an amazing woman, Darcy Austen Kennedy. Your strength and courage astound me. You’ve made me happy and let me love you in ways I would never imagine were possible. Last night, when you made that ridiculous attempt to leave, I wasn’t scared. I knew I’d never let you go, and that we’d never be over. That made me see that carrying on without asking you this one thing was pointless. I spent the night making all these plans to surround my question with symbols of my love. To have the setting perfect, a beach, or a fabulous hotel, or something. To have a ring made by the best jeweler, with the most flawless stone. But this morning, I realized I didn’t want to wait another moment. So without any of the beautiful props I’d planned, in this kitchen, where we’ve had some of our best times doing simple things like making dinner together, or having mind-blowing sex on the counter…Darcy Austen Kennedy, will you marry me?”

  Partway into his speech my cheeks were wet, and now I could feel the heat in my face, and the emotion thickening in my throat. I was nodding, because I wanted to speak without crying, but I also wanted him to know, right away, that yes, without any doubt, yes, I wanted to marry him, too.

  His hands cupped my face, his thumbs rubbing away my tears.

  “So many things, Oliver.” My voice was croaky, so I swallowed and began again. “So many things you’ve taught me. Love, and trust, and how to step beyond life’s difficulties because with the right person beside you, nothing is insurmountable. My heart is full of love and trust for you, and only you. Yes. Without hesitation, with all my love, I will marry you.”

  EPILOGUE

  Six Months Later ~ Darcy

  “We’re going to be late, Darcy,” Oliver called.

  I was staring in the mirror, trying to see if I appeared any different than how I looked yesterday. I tipped my head from side to side and did something resembling face yoga that exercised groups of muscles, but everything looked the same.

  Same small sprinkling of freckles, same two eyes, nose just below, mouth with … hell, lipstick.

  I stuffed the plastic stick into my bag and dug around for lipstick.

  Oliver appeared behind me. “You can probably do your face painting when we get there.”

  I grabbed him, and kissed him as a little flutter of joy beat in my stomach.

  “Stop trying to make me have sex with you,” he said. “Everything is packed. We need to go.”

  “I’m ready. Do you have the gifts for the twins?” I asked, following him to the door.

  “Yes, and the gifts for Aurora and Orion so they don’t feel left out. You realize, Stella will have a fit. She doesn’t like the children being spoiled.”

  “Pfft.” I waved my hand at him. “Technically, we’re godparents, so we can do what we like. Anyway, they’re educational toys, so Stellar won’t mind.”

  “We’re not Aurora and Orion’s godparents.”

  “Don’t be pedantic. Come on, Oliver, we’re going to miss the ceremony.”

  Thankfully, it was a calm day for our boat trip over to Ahunui. The journey took only twenty minutes at the speed Oliver drove. Other boats were tied to the island’s small jetty, but we had the boat with wheels, so Oliver was able to motor up the sand.

  I tapped him on the shoulder as we left the water. “Watch out for Stella’s birds. They nest around here.”

  “Not at this time of the year, sweetheart.”

  “Oh, right.” I seemed to have nesting and babies on the brain. It was autumn, of course the dotterels wouldn’t be nesting.

  Today Stella and Reuben were having their naming ceremony for the twins, and Oliver and I had been chosen as their guardians. Carrying on their tradition of celestial names for their children, the twins were named after the twin stars in the Gemini constellation — Castor and Pollux, who would be known as Polly.

  Reuben and Orion met us on the beach and walked us over to the recently finished guesthouse.

  “It’s a day for christenings,” he joked. “You’re the first to stay here.”

  “Reuben, it’s amazing.” Nestled into a huge rock, it was small, but with an open-plan design that made it spacious. The rock face made up one wall, and the outer cladding of local rocks made it cave-like on two sides. The other side wall could open completely in fine weather making you feel as though the foreshore was part of the living room.

  We left our bags and Orion led us up to the main house. “We can go this way, but if Mommy sees, she’ll tell us off,” he said, pointing to a steep cliff face. “I think it’s faster that way, and even Aurora can climb it.”

  “Surely not,” I said, my stomach flipping at the thought. I had no idea how parents watched their children doing dangerous things.

  The group at the house was small. Some visiting musicians and Stella’s grandfather, Arthur, who also lived on the island. The babies were asleep together in a hammock and I sneaked over to peer at them while the others talked.

  A lump rose in my throat. They were cuddled into one another, totally peaceful. Words like angelic and cherubic sprung to mind. Oliver came and stood beside me just as the babies stirred.

  “I’ve looked at them too hard and woken them,” I whispered to Oliver.

  His arm slipped around my shoulder. “They’re kind of amazing, aren’t they?”

  One of them—I couldn’t tell them apart—reached out an arm, waved it around and when that batting hand touched its sibling, the fingers wrapped tight around the other’s thumb. The stirring stopped, and they slept quietly again.

  I don’t think I’d ever seen anything so beautiful. Tears rushed to my eyes and I turned my head and wiped them on Oliver’s arm.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. They’re just overwhelmingly cute.”

  The naming ceremony was held outside, officiated by a large, bearded American musician named Mac, who sidelined as a celebrant, but looked more like a biker.

  The twins woke on cue, giving Stella time to feed and change them, then came the moment when Oliver and I were handed the babies to carry outside.

  Castor was handed to Oliver first who held him without the awkwardness you see in so many men when they’re first handed something so precious and small.

  I stole a moment to watch Oliver gaze into the baby’s face. My heart squeezed, more tears threatening as I imagined what it would be like the day he held our own child for the first time.

  Stella came to me with Polly. “This is Darcy, little Pollux. She’ll take care of you, and let you do things when Mommy and Daddy say no. She’s good, and wise, and she’s married to Oliver. Oliver will slay dragons for you and teach you to waterski.”

  She placed the baby in my arms and I lifted her to my face, to smell her, before kissing her forehead.

  “My god, Stella, she’s divine,” I said.

  “Not at 2:00 a.m.,” she replied. “This one’s going to be a party girl. She likes being up at night. Castor is the placid one.”

  We carried them outside, and the ceremony began.

  “Hello, babies,” Mac rumbled.

  Polly blinked at me as if surprised by his voice.

  He then addressed
the gathering. “We gather today to name these babies. To call a thing by name is to give it power, and so today we shall give these babies a gift. We will welcome them into our hearts and lives and bless them with names of their own.”

  The babies’ names were spoken as he anointed their heads with scented oil, then we moved over to a spot where two large holes had been dug.

  A kauri tree was planted in honor of each baby.

  “Mine is the biggest,” Orion declared, pointing to the tree that had been planted in his honor a few years earlier.

  The trees were settled into the prepared holes, along with the babies’ placentas, followed by each guest adding a shovel of dirt. Oliver and I got to cuddle the babies the entire time.

  After the ceremony we ate a dinner of lobster and fish, all of which had been caught by the family. Arthur’s garden provided the vegetables. We ate outside around the fire pit. In the northern sky, the cloud broke apart and Castor and Pollux shone bright in the Gemini constellation.

  “That’s a good omen,” Arthur said.

  “For the babies?” I asked.

  “No, for getting out fishing again tomorrow. Looks as though it will be a fine day.”

  “Are you sure you won’t have a glass of wine?” Stella asked me.

  “No, I’ll stick to water tonight.”

  She bent down by my ear. “You don’t know how happy that makes me,” she whispered.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You haven’t told him yet?”

  I shook my head.

  She winked, pressing a finger to her lips, telling me my secret was safe.

  I was tired, and when Oliver caught me yawning, he came over.

  “Do you want to go to bed?” he asked.

  I nodded. I was tired, and excited, and I wanted him alone.

  ***

  OLIVER

  We turned the soft lighting on in the guesthouse and I pulled Darcy down to lie on the bed with me. “You have no idea what that did to me today, watching you with a baby in your arms.”

  “I think I had the same feeling watching you. Did it scare you, or make you happy?” she asked, stroking my cheek.

  I caught her hand and kissed it. “Something different. Not happy, more like, hopeful.”

  “I see. Do you think you’re ready to be a father.”

  “I kept imagining those babies were ours today.”

  Darcy rolled off the bed and went to her handbag. She climbed back onto the bed and sat cross-legged, facing me. “There’s this thing, you see. Um, no, that’s not how I meant to say it.” She laughed and covered her face with her hands. She was holding a small paper bag.

  “Is that a gift for me?” I asked.

  “No, it’s a gift for both of us.” She pulled a plastic stick out of the bag.

  “Is that what I think it is?”

  She nodded, her eyes glistening.

  “You’re…we’re having a baby?”

  “According to the line on that stick, yes, we are. Is that okay?”

  “It’s better, way better. It’s magnificent. I pulled her back down onto the bed with me, pushed up her shirt and kissed her stomach. “Hello, baby,” I said.

  Darcy giggled.

  I crawled up her body and put my hands on her cheeks. “To be honest, I’m so fucking—oops, sorry, baby—I’m so over the moon, I’m lost for words. When did you find out?”

  “This morning, when you were calling for me to hurry.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me then?”

  “Because today was special for Castor and Polly, and I didn’t want anything to overshadow that.”

  “That was thoughtful.” I kissed the corner of her mouth. “Are you sick?”

  “No, Oliver, I’m pregnant.”

  I kissed the other corner. “Is the house big enough? Do you want to move—”

  She covered my mouth with her hand. “Stop. We don’t have to do a thing. The house is big enough for ten babies.”

  I pulled her hand away. “Good. Ten babies would be great, wouldn’t it?”

  “Let’s just have one, and see how we manage.”

  “When do you think the baby’s coming?”

  “Not before I do,” she said, tugging my shirt over my head.

  “Are you sure this is okay?” I asked, peeling off her shirt and unhooking her bra.

  “I’m sure.”

  “I love you, Darcy, thank you.”

  “I love you more,” she whispered.

  I crawled off the bed, taking her skirt and panties with me, then I took my time, kissing her from her ankles to her soft belly where our baby grew. We made love, gently, and slowly, with the sea crashing just outside the house, and a lightning storm on the horizon.

  I’m so thankful for Darcy. Thankful for the baby we’re growing and the life we have together.

  “I still crave you every day, Darcy,” I said, pushing into her wet, welcoming heat.

  Her hips rose to meet me. “And, I’m still addicted to you, Oliver. Forever.”

  ~0~

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  Who on earth is Ash?

  That’s me! I’m Ash, and I live in New Zealand. (That sounded like a group therapy introduction). I love writing romance with strong female characters and Alpha males who aren’t assholes. My men are protective without being controlling. Well, apart from sex. Most of my men get a little bossy in the bedroom.

  A lot of my books are set in New Zealand, and I love sharing snippets about my beautiful country with readers.

  This is my rescue dog, Skipper, jumping for joy (or the ball) on his morning walk.

  I also write in US settings. My stories are steamy right through to raunchy romance (depends on the characters), and I’ll always give you a Happily Ever After!

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