Page 45 of Doctor Daddy Dilemma

I crouched down next to him and studied every inch of his face. He looked just like me, only with her eyes and chocolate brown hair that I knew would lighten in the sunlight. The soft blue blanket he lay beneath rose and fell with his breathing. He was so perfect I didn’t want to wake him. So incredibly sweet I never wanted to take my eyes off of him. And his soft snoring made me smile.

“Hey there, buddy,” I said gently stroking his soft chew-stained hand, marveling at how tiny he was. “I’m your daddy.” I glanced at Charlie and she was grinning widely, snapping pictures with her phone. This moment felt surreal and incredible, not at all what I imagined it would feel like to meet my child for the first time.

“He looks just like you,” Amy breathed, and I looked up to see her eyes wide in amazement. She was right.

Charlie cleared her throat. “We better let him sleep, Lex.” She tugged me up and I didn’t want to go. I could’ve stared at my son all day if given the chance, but I slowly stood and took her hand. “How long has he been sleeping?” she asked her friend.

“Gosh, an hour at least. He should wake up soon. Would you guys like to have some tea?” Amy gestured across the living room and Charlie looked at me.

“Tea sounds nice,” I told them both, but I looked down at Sebastian one more time before I allowed myself to be dragged away from him. This moment seemed too precious to end so quickly, but I knew I’d have fifty more years of moments with this boy.

We walked through Amy’s small eat-in kitchen, past the breakfast nook to the back door where she led us to a patio table. A cool breeze swept across her backyard, making the branches of the weeping willow tree overhead sway. Shade cloaked the patio which was as big as the kitchen itself, and overlooked the backyard where a small shed sat in the corner of the fenced-in lot. It was peaceful.

“Thank you,” I told her as we took our seats.

“I’ll be right back. Let me get the kettle and some cream and sweetener.” Amy smiled politely and went back into the house and Charlie scooted her chair closer to mine and took my hand in hers again.

Her face was glowing with pride and love. After very long conversations over the past thirty-six hours, we’d come to the decision that for now, we had to live where we were and make things work, and I promised her I’d never take Sebastian away from her, even if things didn’t work out. But more than ever I was hoping they would work out. It felt like we had picked up where we left off.

“You’re going to love him to pieces, Lex. I’m sorry he’s down for his nap right now.”

I squeezed her fingers in mine and pulled them up to my lips to kiss them. “I believe you, baby. I can wait. He needs his rest if he’s going to grow up to be as strong and smart as his beautiful mother.” Kissing her fingers again, I smiled and she blushed harder. I missed that about her—the way that the slightest compliment made her cheeks a blossoming pink.

“So I have to go back to California tomorrow.” Charlie sighed and looked down at her hand locked in mine. “My boss told me to take only as much time as I needed. I’ve been off work too long as it is. I was sick last week.”

“And you gave me your germs?” I asked, joking. “I’m kidding…” She chuckled and I continued. “I’ll come stay with you then. We can make it our first weekend of long-distance dating. I’ll come up on Friday afternoon as soon as I’m done with work. I bet it’s probably a six-hour flight or so. It will be late, but I can sneak in just after Sebastian?—”

“Bash,” she corrected, interrupting me.

I smiled at the nickname. “Just after Bash goes to bed, and you and I can have alone time. Then I can make sure I’m up and breakfast is ready for you when you wake up. It’s probably been years since you were able to sleep in. I can get him up and bathe him, feed him, and we can spend the day as a family.”

I was thinking practically, what it would take for this to really work. I may need to arrange my work schedule so I had Fridays off for a while. Spending one day in California a week didn’t seem feasible, even with frequent flier miles. I wanted more time with her. I was so lost in thought over it all that I didn’t know she was crying until she sniffled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well first, that is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, but it seems so hopeless. You live so far away, Lex.” She used her sleeve to dab at her cheeks beneath her mascara-laden eyelashes.

“We’ll Skype every night. I can plan my dinner at the same time as yours, and you have to remember that your time is three hours behind. So when I touch down after a six-hour flight it will still only be around 8:00 p.m.” In my mind, the logic worked perfectly. I’d have my meals at nine and she could have hers at six and we’d eat together via video conference. It would challenge us, but we’d make it work.

“And when you have to fly back home, and it’s a six-hour flight from San Francisco to Miami and you leave at 7:00 p.m. Sunday only to land at 1:00 a.m. my time which is 4:00 a.m. your time and you’ve had no sleep?” Her eyebrows peaked in the center and I saw her point. I refused to let it get me down though. I had my family back together and I was going to make it happen.

“Charlie, you’re worried about too much. I hate what this whole thing did to you.” I took a deep breath and brought her hand back to my lips to kiss it. “What I want you to do is focus on everything positive and happy. Alright? I will sleep on the plane. I will rearrange my work schedule. I will do everything I have to do to be there for you, even if it means flying to see you every single weekend.” More kisses pressed to her knuckles turned to kisses pressed to her palm and then her cupping my cheek.

“Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” she asked, and I grinned.

“I don’t believe you have, but even if you have, it wouldn’t hurt to tell me again.”

I winked at her, and Amy reappeared in the doorway holding a tea kettle still steaming with a tray of mugs, spoons, and condiments. Charlie was right about one thing; it would definitely challenge us, but it wasn’t hopeless.

My mind toiled for a while as tea was being served. The baby monitor crackled when Amy sat it in the center of the table and the women discussed how my son had been behaving while Amy cared for him. And then a thought occurred to me.

My practice was doing very well with the addition of the new partners. And Ella kept a tight ship, so I wasn’t worried about a thing. I might just branch out and build a new office in San Francisco much closer to the Hollywood celebrities who had to fly to Miami just to see me. It sparked a new hope in my heart for the future and what it would mean for me and Charlie. I just had to work out a few logistics, and in the meantime, I intended to take as much time off as I could to be with them.

Who knew? Maybe I’d retire early.

35

CHARLIE

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