Page 62 of Accidental Doctor Daddy

“And how about you?” Carrie asked, her voice drawing me back into the moment. She reached out, resting a comfortinghand on my arm. “Are you managing? Any luck finding a nanny?”

I drew in a shaky breath, grateful for the small question that didn’t require me to reveal Dom’s presence. “No luck yet,” I admitted. “I’ve interviewed a couple of people, but none of them felt right. I can’t exactly explain it—it’s just a gut thing.”

She nodded in sympathy. “I get it. Letting a stranger take care of your babies is huge. But remember, once you do find someone, you can come back to Suivante.” Her eyes lit up with gentle enthusiasm. “We miss you in the kitchen, especially Giuseppe. You’re the only one who can keep up with his rapid-fire Italian. I’m at a loss.”

I don’t want to chat, I want you to leave,a traitorous voice screamed inside me.Because the man I love is stuck in a closet and I have a million questions to ask him.

The realization stunned me.Love?When had I started using that word, even in my own mind?

Carrie must have seen something flicker in my expression because her brow furrowed slightly. “Ella? You okay?”

“Uh, yeah.” I scrambled to keep my voice steady. “Just tired. You know how it is—feeding, burping, changing. It never ends.”

She squeezed my arm once more. “I hear you. Well, I won’t keep you too long. I’ll just finish up here, then head out. But seriously, call me if you need anything, yeah?”

My heart clogged with conflicting emotions. I was relieved she was leaving but also felt a fresh wave of guilt at wanting her gone. “I really appreciate it, Carrie. I mean it.”

She touched my shoulder lightly in a brief, affectionate gesture. “Anytime, Mama. All right, I’ll see myself out.” She paused, eyes flicking past me to the hallway. “Unless I should say goodbye to the girls again? They were so peaceful, I don’t want to wake them if they’re letting you have a good morning.”

Blood pounded in my ears. “That’s for the best. They’re being good, and I don’t want to jinx it.”

She offered a final wave, and then the door clicked shut. The latch’s sound echoed in my frazzled nerves, and I exhaled a shuddering breath, slumping against the nearest counter.She’s gone.Finally.

I closed my eyes, letting the silence settle around me like a warm bath. Maybe now I could retrieve the father of my children from wherever he’d wedged himself.

And then— thud.

A loud, unmistakable crash echoed from the nursery.

I froze. That was not a baby noise.

Another beat of silence. Then a muffled, “Shit.”

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face.

That could only have been Dom rolling out of the closet.

Chapter 24

Dom

Closets were not made for grown men.

Especially not six-foot-two doctors with broad shoulders and a mild claustrophobia problem.

I hit the nursery floor with a grunt, one leg twisted awkwardly in what I suspected was a receiving blanket, my elbow jamming painfully into a bin of pacifiers. Dignity? Gone. Airflow? Questionable. My ego? Bruised in multiple places.

I stared at the ceiling, trying to convince myself that I hadn’t just spent fifteen minutes folded like a lawn chair in a space the size of a carry-on suitcase.

I groaned, peeling the blanket off my leg and sitting up slowly. The nursery smelled like lavender lotion and baby wipes. It was silent. The girls were still asleep. Peaceful. Unlike me, who was sweating through a pink tank top that was very much not mine.

Ella appeared in the doorway a second later, arms crossed, mouth twitching as she fought back a laugh.

“You good?” she asked, one brow arching.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Define good.”

She shook her head, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. “You fell out of the closet.”

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