Page 38 of Must Be Love - Irresistible Bachelors

“Marnie is a no-go, Mom, and you know it. I could never be with someone like her.”

“It’s such a shame, what happened. She was an amazing girl.”

Yeah, so amazing that she cheated on me. And with me.

I can’t say that to my mom, though. She has always had a soft spot for Marnie. Mom begged me to make it work – even after she heard the full story.

“You need to get over this Marnie business,” Mom says after a brief pause. “She was just one bad egg. Aren’t there other women in New York? I lived there for many years. I know the streets are filled with stylish young ladies just waiting to be courted.”

“God, Mom.”

“What?” she asks innocently. “I’m just saying that it wouldn’t hurt for you to put yourself out there. You know, you’re reaching your prime, and I’d like some grandchildren.”

“Adam is working on that for you.”

“I’d like some from both my sons. That’s why I had two of you. Double the grandkids!”

I can’t help but laugh. My mom wanted more than two kids. She probably would have had a dozen children if my father hadn’t died. She never remarried, so she’s stuck with just the two of us. Now it’s on us to give her the extra kids she missed out on.

My mind wanders back to Amber. She’s curvy and beautiful. My mother would likely approve of her. She never liked the skinny twigs in New York. I think that’s part of why when she retired, she moved down to Florida. That, and she hates the snow.

I shouldn’t have touched Amber in the office. It was unprofessional of me. But she was so damn receptive to everything I did. Amber wanted it as much as I did. I think she wants more, too. That’s why I’m so excited for our date and where it might lead in the future.

But I can’t mention any of this to my mother. She would be scandalized to know I had sex with a patient on the exam table.

I have to say something, though, or she’ll never stop nagging me about getting a girlfriend.

“There might be someone,” I admit. “But it’s really early. Barely even the beginning.”

My mom gasps. “What do you mean, there might be someone? Are you dating again? Who is she? What’s her name?”

I roll my eyes. Of course, she can’t just let it go at that. I refuse to put Amber on her radar. Even with just a first name, my mom will find a way to learn everything there is to know about Amber. I won’t subject Amber to my mom’s questions. That would scare her away before we even have a chance to start.

And I want a chance to start with Amber. For the first time since I left Marnie, I feel like dating might not be such a waste of time. I thought that my ex-fiancée ruined women for me forever. Maybe what she did was actually a blessing.

Amber said that the two of us meeting was fate. I think fate intervened long before that day. I caught Marnie because I’d been up late talking to a dermatology practice that was going to hire me on as a doctor. I’d needed to take a nap before my rounds, so I headed for the on-call room. That’s when I learned the truth of Marnie’s affairs.

Seems like fate to me.

“I’ll tell you more if it progresses,” I promise her. “For now, just know that I’m working on it.”

“That is not enough, and you know it. Tell me about her!”

“Sorry, Mom. It’s getting late, and I need to get some sleep. It was nice talking to you!”

Mom tries to protest more, but I hang up on her. Our phone calls end this way fairly often. It doesn’t matter to her, though. At least I answered.

Shaking off the stress from the call, I go back to the paperwork on my table. I’m trying to figure out a way to get approval for AJB-9. So far, I’m coming up empty.

The secret ingredient is causing me all kinds of issues. Only one other person knows what I put in the serum. That’s why Briana didn’t want Amber to test it. Giving the product to Amber was a risky move. So far, it has paid off. I get to spend time with an amazing woman.

Except that none of that will matter if she finds out what I put in the serum. I have to tell her eventually; I promised her I would.

I shouldn’t have ever created AJB-9. That would have prevented all of this. Sure, I wouldn’t have met Amber without it, but maybe that would be for the better. It would’ve prevented the potential scandal I’m about to unleash.

I went through eight formulations of AJB, but I was never happy with the results. I tried so many different ingredients. I added essence of cassava, but it didn’t stand out enough. I flame-broiled the elixir to see if that helped its effectiveness, but it had the opposite effect. The serum lost its potency when heated.

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