“Yes. The garden house might be small, but I think it’ll let us grow together as a family.”
“Family.” Lena sank into Jess’s eyes, blue like the sea, but instead of drowning, she floated in the warmth.
A shrill alarm sounded from Jess’s phone on the table. Ella stirred and cried, and Lena reached for the phone to shut it off at the same time as Jess did. Their fingers collided, and for a second, Lena forgot what she had intended to do. But the annoying beeping reminded her soon enough.
“Dinner is ready.” Jess looked from Ella on her shoulder to Lena.
“You want me to get dinner or try to reassure Ella?”
Without hesitation, Jess stood and handed Ella over. “My tears are not helping. She might be quieter with her other mom.”
Lena wasn’t sure she had heard right, but Jess left before she could ask her to clarify. She snuggled Ella against her and stood to pace. In combination with cooing noises, that seemed to do the trick to calm Ella, even if it didn’t help Lena.
Family.
She had said it herself, not a minute ago. When Jess decided something, she went all in. Would Lena be able to do the same? She had always held something of herself back to protect her heart. Only it was too late. She was all in already. Her heart had committed to Jess and Ella and Maggie. To her family.
She hastened inside the house, needing to be close to Jess, who had just taken the pan from the oven. Mouthwatering steam filled the kitchen.
“Jess?” Lena stepped next to her. “Did you mean what you said? If it was just a figure of speech or…I can understand. I know you can give no guarantees for forever, but if you say this now and later leave me and take Ella…I don’t think my heart could handle it.” She knew she was babbling, but her fears needed to be voiced.
Jess slipped out of the oven mitts and hugged her, careful not to squeeze Ella between them. “Yes. I meant what I said. I know I offered myself to you already, but Ella is the most important part of me, and I would be honored to share her with you. I don’t want a babysitter or a stepmom or anything like that. I want to be a family with you, and I would love for you to be her mom, same as me. If you want to?”
“Yes.” Nothing more could be said, at least not with words. Lena leaned into a kiss that was different. Not because they were standing in the kitchen with Ella wedged between them. No. Because they were both parts of a whole and the kiss sealed them together.
If you enjoyed Heart Failure, you might want to check out Chris Zett’s Irregular Heartbeat, the novel in which Diana and Emily met in the emergency department and fell in love.
About Chris Zett
Chris Zett lives in Berlin, Germany, with her wife. TV inspired her to study medicine, but she found out soon enough that real life in a hospital consists more of working long hours than performing heroic rescues. The part about finding a workplace romance turned out to be true, though.
She uses any opportunity to escape the routine by reading, writing, or traveling. Her favorite destinations include penguin colonies in Patagonia and stone circles in Scotland.
CONNECT WITH CHRIS
Website: www.chris-zett.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisZettAuthor
Twitter: @ChrisZettAuthor
E-Mail: [email protected]
Other Books from Ylva Publishing
www.ylva-publishing.com
Irregular Heartbeat
Chris Zett
ISBN: 978-3-95533-997-5 (mobi), 978-3-95533-998-2 (epub)
Length: 94,000 words (261 pages)
After nearly a decade as a professional drummer, Diana Petrell leaves her rock-star life behind to continue her residency in emergency medicine. She’s determined not to let anything stop her—not even falling in love with her aloof mentor, Dr. Emily Barnes.
Emily has only ever focused on her career as a senior attending in the emergency department, and she isn’t happy about having to babysit a resident with a ten-year gap in her résumé, no matter how intriguing she is.
But every time they work together, it’s not just their patients’ heartbeat that gets a little irregular. Soon, the once-clear lines between work and personal life begin to blur.
When Diana’s unorthodox secret past is revealed, putting her job in jeopardy, Emily has to choose between her career and her relationship.
A lesbian romance that asks how much we’d risk for love.
Major Surgery
Lola Keeley
ISBN: 978-3-96324-146-8 (mobi), 978-3-96324-147-5 (epub)
Length: 69,000 words (198 pages)
Skilled surgeon Veronica Mallick runs her London hospital department like she runs her surgeries: with hawkish efficiency. Then her perfect world is turned upside down by the arrival of a new Head of Trauma.
Cassie Taylor is a brash, no-nonsense army surgeon, fresh from the front lines, and trying to find her way in civilian life. She’s all action and sharp edges, not too interested in rules. She’s even less interested in bureaucracy, or playing nice with her uptight, paper-pushing colleague, Veronica.
While they’re circling each other warily at St. Sophia’s hospital, Cassie becomes entangled in some shady financial dealings.
Their shared search for the truth draws them closer together, sparking heated moments as they try to see justice done. But in exposing a scandal, can they also find some common ground? How will they both deal with being attracted to a woman they don’t even like?
An enemies-to-lovers lesbian romance about sexy, smart doctors cutting to the heart of what matters.
L.A. Metro
(The L.A. Metro Series)
RJ Nolan
ISBN: 978-3-95533-039-2 (mobi), 978-3-95533-038-5 (epub)
Length: 97,000 words (349 pages)
Dr. Kimberly Donovan’s life is in shambles. After her medical ethics are questioned, first her family, then her closeted lover, the Chief of the ER, betray her. Determined to make a fresh start, she flees to California and L.A. Metropolitan Hospital.
Dr. Jess McKenna, L.A. Metro’s Chief of the ER, gives new meaning to the phrase emotionally guarded, but she has her reasons.
When Kim and Jess meet, the attraction is immediate. Emotions Jess has tried to repress for years surface. But
