Page 53 of Hot Doctor & Secret Baby

Joshua checks his Cartier watch with a frown, which does nothing to mar his sleek elegance in a black tuxedo tonight. He looks magnificent, and I ogle him openly, causing him to give me a reluctant laugh. "We better get going," he smiles cheekily. "We're going to be late."

We get there just in time, as things are about to kick off. The event hall looks stunning with its sleek black and white minimalist decor, complete with the runway in the middle of all the people who have gathered to support our research work at Bardot. I knew when Joshua first told me about his plans to collaborate on this with the famous designer, Nicole Gray, that it was a great idea. The enthusiasm of the many people in attendance proves that my hunch was right.

We take our seats and watch as Madison Levine takes the stage as our host. It's true that most people probably just came to see her, and aren't so interested in the boring details of our research. But it makes no difference to us - as long as they still sign those checks.

Dr. Hudson Gray looks over from his nearby seat, then leans in to talk to us. "Congratulations for pulling this off."

"Which part?" Joshua laughs, sliding his arm around me. "This," he says, waving across the stage, "Or this?" He squeezes my shoulders tight and winks at Hudson.

"Both," he replies.

I look up to Joshua and smile. As stubborn as we are, congratulations are certainly in order for both feats.

Hudson's eyes return to his wife on stage. He claps for her and mutters to himself, "God, my wife is so smokin' hot."

I can't help but giggle. The man adores his wife so openly, it's hard not to warm to him. Even Addy can't help but share a quiet smirk with me, though at least she refrains from rolling her eyes. Sam just grins slightly. I can't help but notice that she's got her eyes on Dr. Aaron Ledger, another resident biker bad boy at Bardot with a knack for getting what he wants. I smile.

My eyes scan to the left of the stage where, from this angle, I can just barely catch a glimpse of what's happening backstage. Lexie Bardot and her mother are huddled together, barking orders at everyone. They both did an amazing job at helping us put this whole thing together. Lexie's friend, Olivia, is rushing around with them, wearing a headset to communicate with all the stagehands and models. Apparently she's an up and coming dancer, so her skills came in handy in choreographing the whole show. In the middle of all the madness, I catch Lexie waving with a smile to her husband in the audience - Dr. Pierce Rossi. Olivia pops up beside her and blows a kiss to her own man - Dr. Christian Beckett.

They're seated with the rest of Bardot's best and brightest. Dr. Ford Anderson and Kate Langley are together with her cheek resting lovingly on his shoulder. I notice him turning to plant a kiss on her forehead. Dr. Brett Adler and his wife, Paige, are the next in line - also snuggled up close. Dr. Emery Dawson is seated alone, but he keeps a close eye on the backstage area where his wife, the designer who helped to make all of this happen, is fluttering back and forth. Meanwhile,

"And now, I'd like to call on Bardot's own Dr. Joshua Ashford, Head of Neurology, to tell us a little more about the important cause we're all here to support tonight."

Joshua strides up to the stage, his broad shoulders rippling under the expensive dinner jacket. I'm sure I'm not the only woman in the room eyeing him appreciatively, but I'm the one who gets to take him home, and a sense of victory sweeps over me. After all the obstacles we faced along the way, the mere fact that we managed to come this far...

But Joshua begins to speak, and I lose my train of thought. I notice a lot of people sitting up in their plush red velvet chairs, eager to hear his words, and I am equally impressed by his calm air of command.

"Thank you, Ms. Levine. And thank you all for coming tonight. It means so much to me and my fiancée, who also just so happens to be my boss in the lab, Dr. Vanessa Lopez, to have you all hear tonight. You see, it's no coincidence or chance that we're in this line of work. Tragedy led us both to this field. We both lost people very close to us. People who can never be replaced. Our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, were torn apart from these tragedies. But through each other, we've been able to build ourselves back up again. And we've done so with a shared goal in mind."

He takes a moment's pause, drawing in a deep breath. His serious eyes scan the room, finding resonance in all the people here who have suffered loss at one time or another and understand his words all too well. Beside me, Addy blinks back a small tear and grips my hand.

"Even when we didn't agree on much else," he continued, "we could always agree on one thing. That neither of us will stop until we find a cure for the horrible disease that robbed us of our loved ones. And your support here tonight helps to make sure that we don't have to.

"So thank you. Thank you for being by our side. You all are the strength we need and the reason we endure. Thank you, a million times over."

He steps back, ready to leave. But it's too soon. Because the whole audience erupts in cheers and applause, jumping to their feet to give him the standing ovation he deserves. Including me, clapping loudly with tearful pride in him. In us.

As soon as Joshua exits the stage, he comes back to me. I can't help but hug him before he can sit down.

"I'm so proud of you," I whisper into his ear.

"I'm glad I'm finally the kind of man you can say that about," he smiles with a tinge of sadness in his eyes - the lingering regret from past mistakes that still shows up every once in a while.

I don't allow either of us to dwell on it anymore. Those days are long gone.

"You are," I assure him. "And it's a good thing too. Because soon Addy is going to have a little brother or sister who will be counting on you."

His jaw drops open and his eyes well up with tears. "Vanessa…are you serious? You're…you're…"

I laugh through my happy tears, emphatically nodding to confirm he's right - even if he can't bring himself to say the words out loud just yet. "I'm pregnant."

For a moment, he's stunned, even while Addy beams with joy. Then realization dawns, and he lets out a huge whoop that has everyone around staring at us.

But Joshua doesn't care, and neither do I. He pulls me to my feet and envelops me in a huge bear hug. I bury my face in his chest gratefully, too overwhelmed to even care about my hair and makeup.

"I'm glad you're happy about it," I whisper softly. "I know, I just know that whatever happens, you're going to be an amazing dad."

Joshua grins, then lifts me into his arms and swings me around in the air, kissing me up and down my neck and cheek.

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