Chapter 42 #2
“His temperature’s normal,” she muses, jotting down notes. “Is there any chance he got into something he shouldn’t have? Any new foods, household cleaners, plants—?”
Negative. “My house is baby-proofed.” Yes, I’m an idiot who paid someone to make sure my house is safe for my unusual pets.
She checks him over. “I’m going to take him in back for some X-rays and bloodwork,” Dr. Berg tells me, looking right at me with those ridiculous blue eyes.
“Sometimes potbelly pigs just… feel under the weather, but I want to rule out anything serious. You did the right thing bringing him in. Just hang tight. I’ll have an update for you as soon as I can. ”
She gives me a final reassuring glance before heading out, and two vet techs sweep in like a SWAT team. They gently lift Beans, and he barely moves, his eyes half-lidded and looking miserable as they carry him away. I fucking hate this. I’d trade out with him in a damn heartbeat if I could.
For a few painful seconds, I just stand there like an idiot, fists clenched, heart trying to batter its way out of my chest. Then Pork whines, all pathetic and needy, so I haul his little sausage body into my lap.
I keep stroking him, trying to quiet my brain. What if it’s bad? What if Beans doesn’t make it? Fuck.
I’m trying not to think about Dr. Berg. Or the way I forgot my own name. Or the fact that my mother was right. Elsie Berg is fucking perfect for me.
Time stretches like a bad shift at the station. Every minute feels like an hour. I pace. I mumble swear words under my breath. I Google “potbelly pig sudden illness” until I want to throw the phone in the trash.
Finally, the door opens again.
Dr. Berg walks back in.
“Good news,” she says, smiling at me. “Looks like it was just a mild digestive upset. I’m going to give him some fluids and keep him here for observation, but I think he’ll bounce back by tomorrow.”
I let out a breath so hard I nearly pass out. “Thank Christ.”
Her eyes crinkle at the corners. “You’re a good pet daddy.”
Fucking hell. Hearing the word “daddy” coming from her lips sends all the blood in my body straight to my cock. That’s an understatement. “They’re my family.”
She beams at me. Fucking hell. I’m doomed. The way she looks at me… I can’t breathe.
Dr. Berg leans in, hand gentle on my arm, her ridiculous blue eyes sparkling with warm concern and something else I swear is mischief. “We’ll take good care of him, Beckett. He’s in excellent hands.”
Sweet fuck. My brain short-circuits again at the sound of my name on her lips. I want her to say it again. Over and over. Sweat breaks out beneath my shirt, and I’m seconds away from begging her to call me “Daddy” one more damn time.
I clear my throat and try to sound like I haven’t just mentally proposed marriage to my veterinarian. “Can I come by after my shift and visit him?” Now, I sound pathetic, but I don’t care.
Her smile turns molten. “Absolutely. I’ll call you if anything changes, but otherwise, just come by whenever you’re off. He’ll be thrilled to see you.”
Fuck. She could’ve said, “jump off a bridge,” and I’d probably do it if she smiled at me like that.
I nod, trying not to stare at the faint freckles dusting her cheeks or the way her white coat stretches around her tits. “Thanks, Dr. Berg. Appreciate you coming in early.”
Her hand squeezes my bicep, and I almost groan. It’s a normal, friendly touch. Not sexual. Only my brain is spinning out filthy fantasies so fast I nearly black out.
“Anytime,” she murmurs, her thumb stroking my arm like it’s nothing. Like she doesn’t realize she’s basically giving me a hand job through my sleeve.
Pork sighs dramatically and snorts against my chest, interrupting the moment. Dr. Berg laughs under her breath. The sound is so damn pretty I almost forget I’m supposed to be worried about Beans, not fantasizing about bending my girl over the nearest steel exam table.
“Is he always like this?” she teases, eyes dancing as she gestures to the sausage dog doing an Oscar-worthy performance of Most Abused Wiener Dog on the Planet.
I tighten my hold on Pork’s soft belly, and the little bastard licks my chin, completely betraying how spoiled he is. “He’s a drama queen,” I groan, dragging my free hand over my face. “Beans is the brains; Pork is the brawn. Together, they keep me on my toes.”
She laughs again, this time with her entire, curvy body. “You’re adorable, Beckett.” The way she’s looking at me… fuck, I could drown in those eyes. I shift on the plastic chair, trying to adjust myself without looking like a pervert.
My phone buzzes, interrupting the moment. The fire station. Probably a minor crisis. I groan. Because, of course. The fucking universe couldn’t let me bask in blue-eyed, redheaded glory for more than thirty seconds without shoving work up my ass.
Dr. Berg’s lips twitch. “Do you need to get that?”
I want to tell her no, I want to turn off my goddamn phone and stay here with her, but I can’t ignore my job. I thumb the screen. “Hot,” I bark, trying to sound like a man with his shit together and not a lovesick idiot in a vet’s office.
It’s Jesse, my second in command at the firehouse. “Sorry to bug you, but the new guy tried to cook some fancy ass breakfast casserole and things went bad.”
Are you fucking kidding me? I pinch the bridge of my nose and count to ten so I don’t shout obscenities with my soulmate listening on. “I’m on my way.”
Goddammit.
Dr. Berg’s mouth twitches, like she knows exactly how much I want to punch my own face for leaving. “Duty calls, huh?”
I can’t look away from those eyes. “Yeah. I’ll come by later.” Fuck. I sound like a loser with a crush, and I absolutely am.
She bites her lip, and I almost choke on a groan. “I’ll take good care of him. You take care of yourself, Beckett.”
Jesus. I’d rather have her take care of me. Preferably naked, and preferably with those soft hands wrapped around my cock.
I scoop Pork into my arms and march out like I have my shit together, but the second the door swings shut behind me, I’m two seconds from losing it. She’s perfect. She’s deadly. She’s so far out of my league. My only hope is to wear her down until she agrees to marry me.
Now, I have to drop Pork off at my parents’ house and somehow manage to get out of there without my mother realizing she was right about the gorgeous new vet. Fuck my life.