Page 63 of Accidental Doctor Daddy
“I’m aware.”
She leaned against the crib, clearly enjoying herself. “That was a dramatic exit.”
I couldn’t help but grin back. God, she was beautiful. Even rumpled in her robe, hair wild and cheeks flushed from the stress of our little comedy of errors, she looked like the best part of my day.
“Did Carrie suspect anything?” I asked, quieter now, as I adjusted the blanket that had somehow attached itself to my ass.
“No,” she said, still smiling. “But we need to talk."
My grin faded, just a little. “That’s never a good sentence.”
She gave me a look. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to kick you out or say we made a huge mistake. But I need to know what that was back there.”
My grin faded. “Yeah,” I said, pushing to my feet. “I figured you would.”
Her mouth twitched. “You panicked and dove into a closet like we were teenagers sneaking around.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Right.”
“Dom…” she softened, stepping forward, her robe brushing against my bare arm. “I get it. Seth’s your coworker. Carrie’s his wife. You want to keep your personal life out of the hospital gossip mill.”
I nodded once. “That’s part of it.”
“But it felt like more than that.”
I swallowed hard. “We’re up for the same promotion. We are not friends.”
She shrugged. “What’s that got to do with you hiding?”
“You were my patient, Ella. If they find out?—”
Her lips parted. “Oh,” she whispered, eyes widening as it sank in.
I exhaled hard, dragging a hand through my hair. “Seth and I have hated each other for years. But this? If word gets out that Iwas with someone I treated in the ER—someone who gave birth to my children the night I was on shift—he’ll bury me. No admin job, no credibility, nothing. My entire reputation would be shot.”
She was quiet for a beat, just watching me. The teasing edge had vanished, replaced by something deeper—concern, maybe guilt.
“I wasn’t thinking about the hospital,” she murmured. “I was just thinking... we were hiding you from my best friend.”
I tilted my head, watching her. “Is that why you wanted me to hide in the closet? To keep me from Carrie?”
She opened her mouth, then shut it again. For a second, I thought she might lie, but instead she glanced toward the sleeping babies and lowered her voice. “Can we talk somewhere else? I don’t want to wake them.”
I nodded, following her as she padded quietly out of the nursery and into the living room. The soft light from the kitchen spilled over her shoulders, casting everything in a hazy warmth. She dropped onto the couch with a tired sigh, pulling her robe tighter. I sat beside her, waiting.
She rubbed her hands over her knees, as if buying time. “I never told Carrie you were their father,” she admitted, voice low. “When I got pregnant, I just… kept it vague. She knew I’d met someone on vacation, but I didn’t say who.”
I frowned. “Why?”
She hesitated, chewing on her lip, eyes flicking toward the window like the answer might be written in the city skyline. “Because I was embarrassed,” she said finally. “About the whole thing. A one-night stand with an older man I barely knew… it didn’t exactly sound like the setup to a happily-ever-after.”
I let the words hang there, my jaw tightening—not at her, but at how small she looked saying it, like she expected me to judge her for it.
“Ella,” I said, leaning in, my voice low and steady. “You don’t ever have to be embarrassed about me. Or about them. We’re not some mistake that needs hiding.”
Her eyes flicked back to mine, uncertain. But she didn’t look away.
She tucked a knee beneath her and turned to face me fully, her eyes searching mine. “So… are you willing to let Seth know? Because if I tell Carrie, he’s going to find out. There’s no way around that.”
