Page 90 of Double Daddies
“Stop being mad about Ben,” my friend and co-worker Rayna scolds as I wrap up my notes on my last patient for the day.
“I’m not mad,” I say, refusing to look at her.
“You are. You’re pouting.”
“I am not!” But when I look up, Rayna is grinning.
“I’ve never met him, but you’ve always said he’s a great guy.”
“He is a great guy,” I defend him at once, despite the fact that, yeah, I’m a little mad. “You’d really like him. Everyone does.”
“Okay, so maybe Mr. Great Guy is right about this. And if he’s not, he’ll come around. So maybe see it as an opportunity to have a little fun.”
My eyebrows shoot up.
“Notthatkind of fun. I mean, unless…”
I shake my head. “No, I would never do that to Ben.”
“Okay. Listen, I have a couple paintings in the gallery on West.”
“Oh, Rayna, that’s great!” I enthuse. “Congratulations!” Though she’s a nurse, like me, she’s also a budding artist. She likes to say that while it doesn’t pay the bills, it’s way cheaper than therapy after what we deal with on the daily.
“There’s this fancy gala tonight. Why don’t you get dressed up and come out with me?”
“Oh, I don’t know…” The idea of going out and pretending I’m not heartbroken doesn’t sound all that appealing.
“What will you do if you don’t? WatchGilmore Girlsand cry over your pint of rocky road?”
I’m more of a chocolate kinda girl, and never manage to stop at a pint, but I decide not to mention that. “No, of course not.”
Rayna grins, flashing her dimple. “Good. I’ll have the limo at your house at seven.”
My eyes widen. “Seriously? You should have just led with that.”
She laughs, scoops up the file off the counter and waves it at me. “See you then.”
I wince at the memory. Because I had, in fact, done the very thing to Ben that I’d sworn I wouldn’t. And now we’d spend the rest of our lives regretting it.
Stop it. Ben’s not thinking about it like this… why are you?He’s determined to put this behind us and be a good dad to my baby… our baby. Because either way, it’ll be ours.
I roll over, refusing to fall any deeper into my memories. I can relive the moment I, dressed to kill and with a smile to match, saw Ryle. The way my pussy had awakened when he touched my hand. It had betrayed me then… what if the mere thought of him made my body betray me again?
Stupid Ryle.
I send all the venom in my mind, in my heart, to him. All so I won’t have to focus it where it belongs. On the girl who had been a littletooexcited to see an ex-patient. As a nurse, I’m flirted with on a daily basis. That’s nothing new. But Ryle flirts in a way that is so subtle, so skilled, you really think he means it.
And he has those dark, enchanting eyes. I’d never given eyes much of a thought before until I found myself arrested by his. He’s so charismatic, so smooth, that it feels like the most natural thing in the world to love him. He’d been my patient for three long weeks. I told myself having a crush on him was okay. It was innocent, because he was just kidding, he wasn’t into me. And besides, I never thought I would see him again.
But I had. And knowing that I might be carrying a part of him inside of me… it makes my tummy ache, because itshouldbe Ben’s baby. It has to be Ben’s. But also… it feels a lot like betrayal knowing I don’t hate the idea of another man’s baby nearly as much as I should.
Because if telling Ben my baby might not be his was hard…thiswould kill him.
Chapter Two
Ben
I only planned to watch. I told myself I just want to know the man who might have contributed the other half of Cami’s baby. Ryle Whitney was shockingly easy to find. There are only three Ryles living within thirty miles of us, and one was a man in his sixties with a loving life partner. One was a junior in high school, so the only one left was Ryle Whitney.
