Page 55 of Surgeon's Surprise Baby
“When did you get to be such a mother hen?Go to work.Sophie and I will be fine.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I’ll call you and check in.If you’re in surgery, I’ll have them give you a message.And Whitney is coming back until after Sophie’s bedtime.”
“All right.”He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.“I’m just trying to be careful.”
“Overly careful.”
“So sue me.I care about you two.”
“I know.”She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.“Go to work.We’ll be fine.”
He pulled her close and kissed her mouth.“I’d better go.”
Sighing, she watched him leave.Could this possibly be as good as it seemed?She and Ryan together, with Sophie, happy and in love?She was almost afraid to count on it but the longer they were together the more hope she had.
She believed Ryan when he said he loved her.But she’d known he cared about her in the past, even if he hadn’t admitted he loved her then.That didn’t stop him from leaving, though.Of course, he hadn’t been a father then.Hadn’t fallen in love with his baby.He was absolutely crazy about Sophie.Aria had no doubts about that.
But was that enough?Were she and Sophie enough to keep him here?To keep him happy and not restless?She hoped like hell they were.How could she be sure, though?
*
Aria almost hadbeen able to put her father out of her mind.But not quite.Especially once she was basically recovered from her surgery.Ryan had told her the odds against her father’s recovery.Not good, especially given his overall health and age.
Could she live with herself if he died and she never forgave him?She wasn’t heartless, even though she’d been so badly hurt by her father’s actions.Following her conversation with Ryan, she’d read more about veterans and PTS or PTSD.Ryan was right.PTS could sometimes either be cured or the person could learn to deal with it, possibly never needing counseling or not much.But PTSD was severe, often requiring hospitalization and years of counseling, and even then there was no guarantee the person would ever get better, much less be “cured.”
Holding that against him would be as bad as holding it against him that he had cancer.She’d talked to Ryan about it.He’d been very careful to say it was completely her choice whether she wanted to see more of her father or not.But she could tell he thought she should.
Or maybe she was projecting onto him what she believedshouldbe her reaction.When in truth she had no clue what she actually felt.
She decided to go to the store and find something nice to fix for dinner.Ryan had been so great about picking up food for them, she thought he deserved a break.Besides, she liked to cook when she had time.Sophie was down for her nap but Whitney was there so she was able to go shopping by herself.Which was a treat.Much as she loved her baby, grocery shopping with a baby wasn’t always fun.If Sophie was hungry or sleepy or just out of sorts, that made it very hard to think, much less accomplish anything.
She’d just about finished her shopping when she ran into Melvin Mercer, her real estate agent who’d found the house for her.He’d told her he thought he’d found the perfect place for what she needed and to her surprise, he’d been right.
“Aria, how are you?It’s great to see you.I’ve been wondering how you’re doing.”
“Hi, Melvin.I’m good.I’m going to be opening the nursery before long.”
“Be sure and send me a card for the opening.Where’s the baby?Have you got Ryan staying with her?”
Marietta being the small town that it was, Melvin had heard about her connection to Ryan early on.Not to mention, he’d been Ryan’s Realtor when he’d come to town.
“No, he’s at work.Whitney is with her.”
“Oh, that’s right.You have a nanny.”
More than a nanny.Whitney was her right hand.
“Listen, I’m glad I ran into you,” Melvin continued.“I’ve been meaning to call Ryan and haven’t had a chance.Tell him to call me.My contact told me that property in Boise that Ryan was interested in is about to go on the market.I wanted to give him a heads-up.”
“Boise?You mean Idaho?”
“Yes.Didn’t he tell you?I know it will still be a while since he committed to be here for at least a year, but this is too good a deal to pass up if he’s serious about moving anytime within the next six months or so.”
Moving?ToIdaho?Withinsix months?Her stomach dropped to her toes.Ryan wanted to move to Idaho?What the hell?He’d said he was committed to Sophie.To raising Sophie.To being with her and Sophie.Hadn’t he?Or had she totally misunderstood?Melvin was droning on while she stood there in complete shock.
He’d told her he loved her.She’d admitted she loved him.And now to find out he was still planning on moving to freaking Idaho?
