Page 27 of Tempted By the Handsome Doctor

"Sorry, Grandpa," I say, climbing the porch steps. "Hospital's been crazy."

"Hospital's always crazy." He peers at me over his reading glasses, his gaze still sharp despite his eighty-two years. "But that's not why you're here tonight, is it?"

Straight to the point, as always. I hand him the beer and take the seat beside him, an identical rocking chair that's been there as long as I can remember.

"No, it's not." I twist the cap off a bottle and take a long swallow, buying time. "I have some news."

Lou grunts, setting aside whatever he was drinking—tea, from the smell of it—in favor of the beer. "Good or bad?"

"Both? Neither?" I run a hand through my hair. "It's complicated."

"Son, I've been around long enough to know that when a man says 'it's complicated,' it usually involves a woman." He takes a sip of beer, eyeing me over the bottle. "This about that pretty librarian you were seen with at the fall festival?"

I shouldn't be surprised—Cedar Falls gossip mill works with ruthless efficiency—but I am. "How did you—"

"Tyra called me not ten minutes after she sold you two a scarf," Lou says with a snort. "Said you looked sweet together. Wanted to know if I was pleased my grandson finally found a nice girl."

Heat creeps up my neck. "We're not exactly—I mean, we are, but it's not—"

"Spit it out, Danny," Lou says, his patience visibly waning. "What's got you tied up in knots?"

I take a deep breath, then look him straight in the eye. "Maya's pregnant. I'm going to be a father."

For a long moment, Lou just stares at me, his bushy eyebrows climbing toward his hairline. Then he sets his beer down carefully on the small table between our chairs.

"Well, damn," he says finally. "That was faster work than I expected."

A startled laugh escapes me.

"It's not—we're not—" I stop, recalibrate. "We met about a month ago, before I knew who she was. It was just supposed to be one night, but..."

"But life had other plans," Lou finishes for me, nodding sagely. "Always does."

"You're not... disappointed?" I ask, the question that's been eating at me since I found out about the baby.

Lou's expression softens. "Why the hell would I be disappointed? You're a grown man, Danny. And from what I hear, Maya Sullivan is a fine young woman. Smart, kind—bit on the quiet side, but that's probably good to balance out the Morrison temperament."

"But we're not married, not even dating really," I point out. "It's not exactly the traditional way to start a family."

"Traditional," Lou scoffs. "What's traditional got to do with it? Your grandmother and I eloped after knowing each other six weeks, and we had fifty good years together." He leans forward, his eyes intent on mine. "The only thing that matters is what you do now. Are you going to step up? Be there for her and the baby?"

"Yes," I say without hesitation. "Absolutely."

"Then I'm proud of you." He settles back in his chair. "And I'm going to be a great-grandfather. Hot damn."

The simple acceptance, the lack of judgment or disappointment, makes something tight in my chest loosen. "You'll be a great one," I say, meaning it. "The best."

Lou smiles, creases fanning from the corners of his eyes. "How's Maya taking all this?"

"Better than I deserve," I admit. "She was angry at first—I didn't call her after that night, like an idiot—but we're... figuring things out. Taking it day by day."

"Smart approach." Lou takes another sip of his beer. "You know, Danny, maybe this is just what you need."

"What do you mean?"

"A reason to slow down. To remember there's more to life than that hospital." He gestures vaguely toward town. "You work too hard, always have. Drive yourself like you've got something to prove."

I start to protest, but the words die in my throat because he's right. I've been running myself ragged for years, first through med school, then residency, taking extra shifts, volunteering for the hardest cases. Trying to build a name for myself separate from being "Lou's grandson."

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