Page 41 of Surgeon's Surprise Baby
Sophie was in good hands.Her mother, of course, took very good care of her.Jack Gallagher was her doctor.While he wasn’t a pediatrician he was a general practice doctor who’d had plenty of experience with kids of all ages.Ryan trusted him.
He was becoming neurotic.Worrying about things that hadn’t come to pass was a surefire way to make himself crazy.
*
A few dayslater, Aria and Sophie packed up and went to stay with Ryan.She was crazy to stay with him.What had she been thinking?Hadn’t she realized how tempting it would be?
You needed a place to stay while they work on your floors.Who else were you going to ask?
Ryan answered the door on the first ring.Which was a good thing since she had the baby’s carrier with Sophie in it, a very large diaper bag filled with everything she could possibly think she might need for Sophie, a backpack with some clothes for herself stuffed in there, and her purse, and she was sure she’d forgotten something.Oh, right, she realized.Pajamas.She’d forgotten her pajamas.
Ryan took the baby and carrier from her and held out his other hand for the diaper bag.“Thanks.”
“I had no idea babies needed so much stuff.”
“Get used to it if you plan on having her over here.”
“I’ll need some help setting up everything for her.I washed the crib sheets and put them on the bed.Your bed is in there too, so you’ll have to share.”
“Not a problem.I think we’ll only need to be here a couple of days.”
“You can stay as long as you need to.I’m working tomorrow, but I’ll be home in the evening and can help you then.”
“I remembered my catalogs but forgot my pajamas,” she blurted.Now that was a devil’s grin if she’d ever seen one.“No, I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Did I say anything?”
“No, but your expression did.”
“I can lend you a T-shirt to sleep in.Unless you want to drive back to your house.”
“No, thanks.I’ll take the shirt.I’m tired and I just want to veg out.”
They played with Sophie until she grew tired and Ryan put her down for a nap.Aria looked through her catalogs for plants she wanted to buy.She’d brought her computer too but she found paper catalogs easier to work with unless she was in a hurry.
Ryan went to his bedroom to dictate notes, saying he didn’t want to disturb her.After a while he came back and asked Aria what she wanted for dinner so he could pick it up.Before she could answer Sophie woke up.
“I’ll get her,” Ryan said.
She wondered if he planned to do everything for Sophie while she was there.He was probably trying to show her how capable he was so she’d let him keep the baby overnight.She wasn’t ready for that, though, and it had nothing to do with Ryan’s competence and everything to do with her not wanting to be away from the baby that long.She was going to have to give in sometime.Just not yet.
“Want me to go down to the diner and pick up some burgers?”Ryan asked as he walked back into the den carrying Sophie.
“She looks happy,” Aria said, handing Ryan a bottle she’d prepared.In fact, Ryan looked pretty happy himself.“I could eat a burger.With french fries.”
“Of course.What good is a hamburger without fries?”
“I can feed her if you want to go get the food.”
“I’m good.I like to feed her.She’s starting to try to hold the bottle.Isn’t that early for her to do that?”
“I don’t know.”She nearly laughed.Ryan was convinced Sophie was very precocious.She thought her baby was bright, but not exceptionally advanced.But why rain on Ryan’s parade?
*
It was allvery domestic.So why, Ryan wondered, was sex with Aria crowding his mind out of any other thought?
He brought back burgers, fries, and a couple of chocolate milkshakes from the diner.He knew Aria had a weakness for shakes and very rarely ordered one, but he wanted to tempt her.In more ways than one.
