Chapter Fourteen
Aria called Steven the next morning. Even if he was her father she wasn’t calling him Dad. His first name would do. He didn’t have his own phone so someone had to go get him. When he answered the phone she said, “It’s Aria. Can you come see me? I have questions for you.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. It might be a while, though, if I can’t borrow a car.”
He didn’t have a phone or a car and he lived in a group home with other veterans. Clearly he wasn’t do well monetarily.
Ryan had gone into work and was on call, so he’d be out of touch. He might squeeze in a phone call, depending on how busy surgery was. It irritated her that she missed him. She was getting far too accustomed to his presence.
Sophie was on the floor on her baby gym mat when Steven showed up. She let him in, wishing she didn’t have to let him meet Sophie, but there was no help for it.
“Have a seat.” She waved a hand at a chair.
“Thank you for calling me. Your baby is beautiful. She looks like you did at that age.”
“Yeah, about that, I’ve thought of a way, besides a DNA test which I still might need, that you might convince me you’re who you say you are.”
“All right.”
She stared at him a while before speaking. She’d been so little when he left and it was so long ago, she couldn’t possibly say if he looked like the man she remembered. “Do you remember giving me a present when I was around six? It was a special present. What was it?”
“The plant. The African violet.” He chuckled. “Your mom was convinced you were too young to care for it, but you weren’t, were you?”
“Not once you showed me how to mix the food. And set it up with a grow light in my room. Mom was afraid I’d drink the plant food.”
“You were too smart to do that.”
“The water was such a pretty blue color. I can see why Mom was worried.”
“I can’t believe you remembered that. You were so young.”
“It was the last thing I remember that you gave me. It stayed with me. Even after I realized you weren’t coming back, I still kept it.
” She’d started to throw it out multiple times but had never been able to make herself do it.
It had died while she was in high school and she’d mourned it like she’d lost a friend. In a way, she had.
“It looks like you’re building a greenhouse. Is that for pleasure or do you plan to make it commercial?”
“I’m starting a nursery. I’ve always loved plants and now I can indulge and, hopefully, make a living. I was a hospital administrator before this. When we moved I decided to change careers.”
“I wish I’d been in time to see your mother. When did she pass?”
“Several years ago. But I’d rather not talk about her.
” At least not until she was certain he was who he said he was.
After all, he could have told someone the African violet story.
Unlikely that he would have, though. “I want you to get a DNA test. I need to be absolutely sure you’re who you say you are. ”
“I’ll be happy to but where do I go to do this?”
“I’ll ask Ryan but I’m sure the hospital can do it. I’ll be in touch with you about when.”
“Once we take the DNA test and get the results, I’d like to talk to you. I want to tell you about why I left. I’m not trying to excuse it but there were reasons.”
“I’ll listen but I’m not guaranteeing anything. Also, I’d like to wait for Ryan to be here and he’s working tonight.”
“Okay.” He stood. “I’ll let you get back to the baby. Call and tell me when and where.”
“All right.” She walked him to the door with Sophie in her arms and watched him leave.
In a different car than the one he’d had the night before.
Which made sense since he’d said he’d borrowed one.
Her emotions were a complete mess. She was almost certain he was her father, but did she want to know him?
Did she want to hear his explanation about leaving and not getting in touch with either her or her mother for all those years?
Ryan seemed to think there could be a reasonable explanation for what the man had done. Aria wasn’t so sure.
Sophie began to fuss and Aria went to get her a bottle. No matter what else happened in her life—concerning either Ryan or her father—Aria knew one thing. Sophie was the important one. Whatever happened she needed to view it through the lens of how it would affect her baby.
*
The ER was a place that could be anything between incredibly boring or way more exciting than you wanted, Ryan thought.
Since the hospital drew patients from miles around, they received all sorts of injuries and illnesses.
Usually, children with more serious injuries or illness went to Billings, to the level 1 hospital there.
Unless there was an emergency. A four-year-old child with a hot appendix was an emergency.
Appendicitis at that age was fairly uncommon, and it also carried a stronger risk of perforation.
The closest hospital to the patient being Marietta Regional meant the patient would be Ryan’s since he was the surgeon on call.
Ryan had done plenty of appendicitis surgeries on people of all ages, but nowadays a pediatric surgery meant a pediatric surgeon.
Still, even by helicopter Billings was too far away to be safe, so the child came to Ryan.
She was a sweet little girl with dark curly hair that reminded him of Sophie.
Her parents, Tyler and Mary Jones, were nervous wrecks but Ryan managed to talk them down to where they were nervous, but not wrecked.
Thank God, the surgery went smoothly. He went out to talk to the parents. “The surgery went well. Anastasia should recover fully with no problems. She’ll be in recovery for a while yet but one of you can sit with her until she’s moved to her own room.”
The little girl’s mom began to cry as soon as Ryan said the surgery went well. Tyler put his arm around his wife and hugged her. “Thank you, Doctor,” he said. “Mary can sit with her. I’ll wait.”
Ryan pointed them toward recovery and watched them go, thinking he hoped he and Aria never had to go through that with Sophie.
The problem was, Ryan knew all the bad things that could happen and he was sure they would be on his mind if his child were to need surgery.
He’d be a basket case rather than the calm, collected surgeon he was.
But why the hell was he thinking about Sophie needing to have surgery?
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 days later, 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 all very 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.
They played with the baby before her bath time and bedtime.
He watched Aria with her, trying to remember what life without them had been like.
Pretty damn empty. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so lucky as to now have a child and her mother to love.
But he knew one thing. He wanted it all: Aria, Sophie, and a life together. Even marriage. The whole shebang.
Connor had convinced him that he’d been wrong to think what had happened in Afghanistan was unforgivable.
He still regretted Casey’s death, and always would.
But Connor had gone a long way toward making him believe that her death hadn’t been his fault.
It was war. Terrible things happened during a war.
Rationally, he’d always known that. But his guilt hadn’t been rational, it had been emotional.
And since he was a surgeon he was accustomed to holding his emotions at bay.
No one wanted a surgeon who lost his shit.
So he repressed his emotions. But now things were different.
He wasn’t talking about surgery, he was thinking about the rest of his life outside of his work.
Now he had to prove to Aria that he was sticking.
And that they should be together. He knew she was still attracted to him.
Hell, she’d admitted it. But she didn’t want a serious relationship with him, or so she believed.
He could seduce her. He remembered exactly what had turned her on.
But he wanted her to make the first move this time.
He wanted her to want to be with him, not have to seduce her into something she’d regret later.
After bathing Sophie and putting her to bed, they watched a movie. He let her pick. He’d thought she’d go for a romance, or romantic comedy, but no, she picked a thriller. A shoot-’em-up, blow-’em-up exciting-as-hell movie. By the end she was snuggled up against his side with his arm around her.
“Wow, my heart is still beating double time,” Aria said as the credits rolled.
He looked down at her and smiled. He could no more stop himself from leaning down and kissing her than he could throw a two-ton truck.
She seemed surprised at first but then she opened her mouth and kissed him back, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on his back on the couch and Aria was lying on top of him, still kissing him.
He sank one hand into her hair while the other went to her ass to press her to him.
She didn’t resist. No, she responded enthusiastically. He was lost. Lost in her arms, in her scent, in the feel of her pressed against him. He wanted her naked. He wanted her in his bed. He wanted her to need him as much as he needed her.
“Aria.” He tugged on her hair so she’d raise her head. Her lips were swollen, her eyes heavy with desire. “I want to make love to you.”