Page 46 of Worth the Risk

It had been hard to tell him that we weren’t going to work out because last night had been nearly perfect. We recreated the best of our time together, and if I could’ve stayed on that island with him forever, existing in a bubble that real life couldn’t touch, I probably would have.

But this was real life, not a fairy tale.

Folding the sweatshirt, I stood and placed it back on the chair, telling myself I’d return it to him. Eventually.

It was hard to fully let go. After he told me about what really led to his decision to break up with me, the threat that Dr. Serrano made, I was actually touched by his concern for my career. It meant something to me that he understood how important my job was to me.

But I couldn’t just forget everything else. The shame of being kept a secret and the pain of the breakup. While I could understand that he was trying to protect my job, he took away my choice in the matter. I wasn’t okay with that.

Yet, my doubts lingered. Did we truly have no future together?

I honestly didn’t know. I felt like I needed something to happen, a way to trust him again. But I couldn’t think of anything that would give me that.

Refusing to keep dwelling on my tragic love life, I got back to the task at hand. Once I’d finished unpacking, I left my room and walked down the hallway.

This was a two-bedroom apartment, but I only ever used the other room for storage. I didn’t need it for anything else.

Until now.

Standing in the doorway of the second bedroom, I took in the boxes of holiday decorations and old stuff that I’d been meaning to donate to charity for way too long. Then, I tried to imagine what this space could be. Maybe I’d paint the walls light blue and put a crib against the wall opposite the window. A rocking chair could go in the corner and there was a short stretch of wall by the closet that would probably be the perfect place for a changing table.

I could see it all. A beginning for my little blueberry—since I was now seven weeks along, I’d swapped the nickname in my mind.

The idea of having a baby was still a little daunting, but I didn’t feel so scared now. Instead, I had a fierce determination to do better than my parents before me. No matter what happened with Ford or my job or how pissed my brother was at the father of my child, I knew that we were all going to be just fine. This baby would be loved.

Chapter Eighteen: Ford

I’d waited for this day for months.

When I first heard that the previous director of residency was going to retire, I immediately saw an opportunity for myself. It wasn’t because I particularly liked the idea of shifting to more administrative work. I’d always liked taking care of patients, and the new role would limit my ability to do that significantly.

It was all about the title, the prestige of it. The money was nice too, but my ambition was never focused as much on monetary gain as it was on feeling like I’d made something of myself.

There was probably some deep-rooted psychological reason for that, but I didn’t need to analyze my motives to know that they’d changed.

I walked into the hospital early in the morning, looking around the place with fresh eyes as I tried to imagine how my days would be different if I nailed the interview with the board today and got the job.

It would certainly be different.

When I reached my office, the door was ajar. I usually locked it, but it was possible that I had forgotten. I was miserable as hell before I went to the island, regretting what I did to Zoey so much that it was all I could think about.

I never left sensitive patient information out, using the locked filing cabinet for any charts I pulled, so I wasn’t especially concerned as I pushed the door further open and stepped inside.

Then, I stopped in my tracks as I saw that Delilah was waiting for me.

She was fidgeting with the knickknacks on the bookshelf behind my desk, as if she had a right to be here. I cleared my throat, and she whirled around, not even looking guilty for invading my space like this.

“There you are!” She came around my desk and toward me with a strange mix of excitement and annoyance on her face. “I knew you’d be back today, so I came in first thing to talk to you.”

I heaved a sigh. I knew that I needed to deal with Delilah, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do first thing in the morning. Still, it was probably best to get it over with since she was already here.

“Sit down, Delilah,” I said, gesturing to the chair in front of my desk.

She pouted. “That’s it? You’ve been ignoring me for days while you were off on some island, and all you have to say is ‘sit down’?”

I frowned. “What did you expect?”

“An apology, to start with. I sent you a sexy picture, and your response was so rude.”