“You are choosing this for me,” Ava said. “I love you, I know that and I don’t want you to leave, I never want you to leave, but is it selfish of me to want you to stay here?”
“I am choosing you, Ava,” Elizabeth said and stroked her cheek. “I am choosing you, and I amalsochoosing Phoenix Ridge.”
“I don’t understand,” Ava said as she leaned into Elizabeth’s touch.
“You know our line of work, you know how this field is,” Elizabeth said. “You know that we could work out a relationship anywhere as long as we were both committed to it.” She watched Ava’s brow knit in concentration.
“I am committed to it,” Ava said, her voice almost a whisper. “You don’t have to come here, we can work it out wherever you want to be.”
“I know that,” Elizabeth said with a smile. She gave Ava a soft kiss. “That is exactly my point. I’m not choosing to come here just because you are here, though it was certainly a factor. I am coming here because I want to, because, thanks to you, I have fallen in love with this town also.”
“You don’t think that you will be held back in this hospital, in this town?” Ava asked, her face hopeful.
“Never,” Elizabeth said with a slight grin. “Nothing as simple as a geographic location could hold me back, Ava. It most certainly didn’t stunt your growth.”
Ava grinned. Elizabeth realized that in a seemingly short amount of time she had almost completely changed her mind about Ava’s small town. She chuckled at herself remembering how offended Ava had been at the implication that she was holding herself back in this place.
Doctor Mars finally walked in and took a heavy seat behind her desk. She looked back and forth between Elizabeth and Ava trying to suppress a smile.
“I take it you’re asking for a vacation?” she said and lifted her brows.
Elizabeth blinked. That’s exactly what they had intended on doing, and she really shouldn’t have been surprised that Dr. Mars anticipated it, but she still was.
“I have a lake house, in Tahoe,” Doctor Mars said. “It just happens to be vacant for the next two weeks if you’re interested.”
Ava laughed out loud, and Elizabeth turned to look at her. She lifted her brows, confused as to what’s funny.
“We’ve all speculated where you go on the rare occasion you leave for a few days,” Ava said. “We had a pool. I was close. I had money on Reno.”
Doctor Mars shook her head, “Reno?”
“I figured Vegas was too flashy, but your ability to know the future was probably helpful somewhere like Reno,” Ava chuckled. Elizabeth laughed then.
“Our secret,” Doctor Mars said with a lift of her eyebrows.
“Of course,” Elizabeth agreed.
“How long do you need?” Doctor Mars asked.
Ava and Elizabeth looked at each other. As badly as Elizabeth wanted to say something extended like three months, she knew that both she and Ava would become bored pretty quickly, so instead she said, “Two weeks?” and lifted her eyebrows at Ava.
“That sounds great,” Ava said with a look of relief. It seemed as though she was also worried about being bored if the vacation was too long.
“Two weeks it is,” Doctor Mars said with a smile. “I’m happy for you both.”
Elizabeth blinked in surprise. Doctor Mars was always completely professional, it surprised her that she would speak to them about this, even more surprising that she would offer up her lake house. The weight of Dr. Mars’ approval became much more obvious when she glanced over at Ava, who was beaming with pride. Elizabeth smiled. She was happy.
15
AVA
Ava had never been to Lake Tahoe and was excited to go. She had been very surprised when Dr. Mars offered her lake house to them for the couple of weeks, and she could feel her excitement growing as she packed a light suitcase. She couldn’t help but wonder how Elizabeth was faring with her own packing since all she had brought with her from New York was the small carry-on.
Regardless, she was thrilled to be going on this trip. She thought about their relationship. Fear tried to rear its ugly head, but she was able to tamp it down. She worried that this relationship was rushed, but somehow it felt right. She had always believed that when you love someone, when you fit with someone, you would know. With Elizabeth, she knew, she just knew that it was right. Doubts and insecurities would always find ways to sneak in and cause problems, but Elizabeth was perfect for her, and Ava knew it.
She finished packing and readied herself to head to the airport. They were taking a small charter to the main airport in Denver then a short flight out to Lake Tahoe. Her heart was pounding by the time she made it out to the private charter plane. She stood on the tarmac waiting for Elizabeth and found herself suddenly paranoid that Elizabeth had changed her mind. She looked down at herself, suddenly self-conscious. She had opted for comfort, layering a loose shirt over black leggings and comfortable shoes, and was eyeing her bag for something more formal.
The dark sedan that was usually reserved for hospital business pulled onto the tarmac and Ava’s heart leapt when she saw Elizabeth step out of the door wearing a pair of light colored Bermuda shorts and a tank top. Elizabeth smiled brightly around a pair of huge sunglasses situated underneath a wide brimmed hat. Ava chuckled, she must have gone out and bought these things, as Ava seriously doubted that those would have made it into a carry-on for a few days in a hospital.
