by Deb Kastner
“I saw you and Dr. Luke kissing!”
What?
Of course, they’d gone and kissed each other in a ridiculously public venue, but Gwenny should have been completely focused on her win, not on what her foolish mother was doing.
To think that she might have accidentally stolen some of her daughter’s thunder shook her to the core.
But Gwenny didn’t look as if she was upset by what had happened,
The complete opposite, in fact.
Her eyes sparkling, Gwenny grabbed Ashley’s hand and then Luke’s, grinning back and forth between the two of them.
At length, her gaze landed on Luke.
“So, does this mean I get to call you Daddy?”
Chapter Thirteen
That had been a pretty big jump, from Gwenny seeing them kissing to thinking that automatically meant he would be proposing to Ashley and consequently Ashley would have a new husband and Gwenny would have a new father.
Oh, the simple mind of children.
It was so much more complicated than that.
But not really that far off—at least he hadn’t thought so, until Ashley had spoken.
She’d gone all tense and wide-eyed at Gwenny’s words, and she’d turned an alarming shade of red. He was fairly certain she hadn’t been breathing, either.
“Ashley?” He’d rushed to her side and curled a steadying arm around her waist. “You aren’t looking so good. Do you want to sit down?”
She nodded and then shook her head. “Yes. No. I—Luke, I—”
“Breathe,” he instructed gently. He’d tried to catch her gaze to read what she was feeling, but she wouldn’t look at him.
And when she finally did, he kind of wished she hadn’t.
“I’m sorry,” she’d said raggedly. “Really, Luke. You and your mom have done so much for us. But I—I can’t. I just can’t.”
She’d swept in another breath and then said, “Come on, Gwenny. Let’s go home.”
That was two weeks ago, and that was the last he had seen of her. Or Gwenny. Or Pudgy.
His mom seemed to think it was only a matter of time until Ashley came back, if nothing else to explain herself and apologize for running off on him the way she had.
Their kiss had meant something. He knew it did.
Granted, Gwenny’s statement had come out of the blue, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t have laughed off. Together, they could have explained that, while marriage was a definite possibility in their future, for the time being, they would be dating in a serious relationship.
Of course, all of this was on his side. Clearly, Ashley didn’t feel the same way.
She wasn’t coming back. Not to apologize, and not to explain.
How could this be happening to him all over again? He’d fallen in love, not just with a woman, but with a family. And because Ashley wasn’t coming around anymore, neither was Gwenny.
Double heartbreak.
And to think he’d known better.
With a growl of frustration, he told his mother to wipe his schedule clean for the day. He didn’t feel like seeing anyone, and besides, he had a ton of paperwork to catch up on. He would just lock himself in his office, where he wouldn’t make anyone else miserable with his poor temper. He didn’t even feel like eating. If he got hungry later, he would order in.
It said something that his mother didn’t even argue with him. She simply picked up the phone and started dialing to cancel all his appointments.
He’d been in his office for a little over an hour when his intercom buzzed. He’d left explicit instructions not to be disturbed.
“What is it?” he snapped, and then sighed. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to be short with you. What’s up?”
“You have a patient. I’ve put him in Exam Room One.”
“I told you I didn’t want to see anyone today.”
“You’ll want to see this one. It’s an emergency.”
Luke threaded his fingers through his hair. It wasn’t as if he was the only veterinarian in town. But now that his mother had actually put the patient in a room, he couldn’t very well ignore it.
“What do we have here?” he asked as he opened the door to Exam Room One.
Immediately, he choked on his words. There in the room stood Ashley, with a teary-eyed Gwenny and a very sick-looking puppy.
Even as Luke stood there, Pudgy made several pathetic hacking noises and squirmed as if he was terribly uncomfortable.
“Hey, there,” he said, moving straight to Gwenny and brushing her tears away. “It’s going to be okay. What’s wrong with Pudgy?”
“He swallowed something he wasn’t supposed to,” Ashley answered from behind him. “It’s all on me. I deboned a chicken on the counter and Pudgy jumped up and grabbed a bone. He ran away with it and swallowed it before I could get to him. I know he’s not supposed to have chicken bones. I should have been watching more carefully.”
Luke’s jaw tightened, but not because he blamed Ashley. It was just so hard being in the same room with her.
“Accidents happen. No need for blame. So, the cause for concern is that he swallowed a bone?”
“Yes,” Ashley answered. “And he’s been making that terrible hacking sound ever since. It’s been about an hour now. I’m afraid he’s choking on it.”
“I see. Well, let me get my mom and we’ll get him into x-ray and see what’s really going on.”
He left the exam room and shut the door, only then feeling able to breathe. That was a lot harder than he’d anticipated. Of course, not knowing who was on the other side of the door had been sneaky on his mother’s part.
But then again, Ashley wouldn’t be here if she’d felt she’d had anywhere else to go. On some level, at least, she must still trust him.
With his mother’s help, they gave Pudgy an x-ray which gave them the answers they needed. Thankfully, it wasn’t serious.
He returned to the exam room with the good news.
“We don’t have to operate,” he said the moment he entered. “The bone has made its way to his stomach, so any hacking he is doing is probably as a result of a scratched throat.”
“What about the bone in his stomach?” Ashley asked.
“It’s small. More than likely it will pass on its own. I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a little more—aware—of what goes through him for the next day or so. If you don’t see the bone you can come back and we’ll see what’s happening, but I really don’t think it’s going to come to that.”
Ashley let out a deep breath and her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you. I—I didn’t know where else to go.”
The moment her eyes filled with tears, Luke knew he could not let her walk out of this building without knowing why she’d run away from him. And not only that, she needed to know how he felt about her.
That he was in love with her.
“Ashley, do you think you and I could have a quick conversation? I’m sure Granny Ruth would love to play a game with Gwenny.”
“Indeed, Granny Ruth would,” his mother instantly agreed. “Come on, Gwenny. We just got in a brand-new video game that I think you’re going to love.”
A heavy silence fell over the room after his mom took Gwenny away. The only sound was the occasional hack and gag from Pudgy, who was leaning against Ashley. She was stroking his head absently.
Pudgy had grown immensely and wasn’t a lap dog anymore. Instead, he was a bona fide service dog, doing his job with pride.
“I feel like we need to talk,” Luke started when Ashley didn’t speak.
“I figured.”
“Well, to start with, I’m confused. The last time I saw you, we shared a kiss that I, at least, really thought meant something special.”
Her head jerked up. “It was special.”
“Then why did you run away?”
“I didn’t—” she started to protest, but then she groaned and shrugged. “Yes, I did. But it wasn’t because of you. There were so
many people around, and I was afraid someone might overhear our private business. Gwenny isn’t exactly quiet.”
“I suppose I get that. It was something which required a deeper explanation—but it should have come from both of us, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” she mumbled, and then lifted her head and said more firmly, “Yes.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Just that we are friends. Of course, Gwenny wanted to know why we were kissing if we were just friends and I didn’t have a good answer for her.”
“You didn’t, or you didn’t share it with her?”
Ashley’s cheeks colored a pretty pink. “Isn’t that the same thing?”
He shook his head. “No. I don’t think so.”
“I see.”
“No, you don’t. You’re looking through me instead of at me. Look at me, Ashley.”
He didn’t want her to bolt, and she kind of looked like she might, so ever so gently, he raised his arms and framed her face with his hands.
“I have a good answer for her. One I’ve wanted to share with you both ever since that day at the basketball game. But I’ve had to wait for you to come to me. I didn’t want to push you when you weren’t ready.”
“But I didn’t come to you,” she pointed out, her voice ragged. “I mean, I did, but it was because of Pudgy.”
“Because you trust me.”
He held his breath. This was the moment where she could just laugh it off and say she trusted him with the dog.
But she didn’t.
“Yes,” was all she said.
“And?” he probed. He wanted to hear it from her lips first.
“And I care about you. That kiss did mean something special to me. If it was just me—well, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But when Gwenny called you Daddy—I panicked.”
“I get that,” he said huskily. “But Ashley, I’m not afraid. How long have we known each other now? Ever since Day One, you and Gwenny have been a package deal. And that’s better than all right with me. It’s absolutely awesome.
I’m falling in love with you. If you feel the same way about me, I want to pursue a serious relationship and see where it leads. In the best of all worlds, the end of this road and the beginning of the next is the day I take on the role of husband to you and Daddy to Gwenny. Like I said—I’m not afraid of what that means.”
She put her hands on top of his. Her tears were coming in earnest now and she was making these cute little sobbing hiccup noises.
“Truly? This feels like a dream.”
“It’s not a dream. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You and Gwenny. And I know my mom will be pretty excited to hear we’re back on.”
“I’m sure she’ll want to get her granny groove going again.” She laughed and wiped away her tears.
“Come on. Let’s go tell Gwenny and Granny Ruth what we’ve just decided.”
“Be ready to plug your ears,” Ashley warned. “Between Gwenny and Granny Ruth, they may just scream the building down.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Gwenny waved at her Mommy and Granny Ruth as they drove away from her house. Granny Ruth was taking Mommy to the spa for a facial, a massage and a mani/pedi, even though Mommy wasn’t yet aware of all the pampering she was going to get. The whole day was a special surprise for Mommy’s birthday.
Granny Ruth had promised next time would be a girl’s spa day and she and Mommy would take Gwenny along to participate in all the fun, but today, Dr. Luke said he had something special planned for just the two of them.
Gwenny was super excited to spend the day with Dr. Luke. She was so glad he and Mommy had made up again, even if they were only in a relationship, like Mommy said—not that she believed that. Actually, she wasn’t even sure what that meant. But whatever—the truth was, Mommy and Dr. Luke were in love with each other. The only ones who couldn’t seem to see it were Mommy and Dr. Luke.
With Granny Ruth’s help, she’d done her best to convince Mommy that Dr. Luke should be her new daddy. He was Mommy’s Prince Charming, she was sure of it.
Hopefully Mommy would figure that out soon.
“I just ordered our pizza,” Dr. Luke said as he entered the living room from the kitchen. “Spinach and a whole bunch of little fishies, right?”
Gwenny giggled and wrinkled her nose. “Ewwww!”
Dr. Luke grinned. “Pepperoni with extra cheese, just like you wanted.”
Gwenny liked that he teased her. He teased Mommy, too, and made her smile and laugh.
“So, before the pizza comes, I’d like to talk to you about something.”
He was still smiling, but now he looked nervous. He kept messing up his hair and making it look funny with the tips all going every which direction. Clearing his throat, he sat down on an easy chair and gestured for her to wheel closer to him.
He put his hands on the arms of her wheelchair and looked straight into her eyes. “I know—I mean—I think I know, that you and my mom—your Granny Ruth—have been playing matchmaker between your mommy and me, right?”
Gwenny nodded voraciously. She liked where this conversation was going already.
“My friend Camille at school told me her mommy was sad until she got a new husband. I just want my mommy to be happy, too. That’s why I picked you.”
He grinned and cleared his throat again, then slipped down onto one knee before her, a velvet ring box in his hand.
“Since it’s your mommy’s birthday today, I want to give her this.”
He flipped open the box to reveal the prettiest, most sparkly diamond Gwenny had ever seen. It was square, with tiny diamonds all around the big one.
“Do you like it?” Dr. Luke asked.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” Gwenny exclaimed because one yes wasn’t enough. Not for this.
“And you’re okay with me marrying your mom? If she says yes, I mean.”
“She’ll say yes,” she assured him.
“And what about you? If I marry your mommy, I’ll be your new daddy. What do you think about that?”
“Whoa! So cool! I can’t wait to call you Daddy.”
Dr. Luke looked relieved. Gwenny didn’t understand why he’d been so worried. Of course, she wanted to call him Daddy.
“How are you going to ask her?” she wondered aloud.
“How?” Dr. Luke’s voice turned high and squeaky and he scrubbed his fingers through his hair again, making it even more messy and sending Gwenny into a fit of giggles. “Was I supposed to think of a how?”
“You don’t want it to be boring.”
“Nope. Definitely not boring,” Dr. Luke said with a groan. “Do you have any cool ideas for me?”
Pudgy, always at Gwenny’s side, barked and rolled over on his back.
“I think Pudgy wants to help,” suggested Gwenny.
“Looks like,” Dr. Luke agreed. “So, Pudgy. What do you have for us then, boy?”
“Do you have a little bag?” Gwenny asked. “Like maybe the one the ring box came in?”
“I think so.”
“Perfect. Then we’ll let Pudgy do what he does best.”
The pizza arrived and Dr. Luke and Gwenny spent the next two hours chowing down on pepperoni with extra cheese and watching old cartoons, ones Gwenny hadn’t seen before. Dr. Luke had promised she’d like Bugs Bunny, Sylvester the Cat and Wile E. Coyote, and she did—especially because it helped her keep from getting too overexcited about what would happen once her mommy and Granny Ruth returned.
She, Pudgy and Dr. Luke had the perfect plan and she couldn’t wait to see it all play out.
Finally, she heard Granny Ruth’s old car sputter to a stop in the driveway, and then Granny Ruth came in the front door speaking noisily. Granny Ruth was always loud, but Gwenny thought in this case, she might be trying to warn them to get ready for Mommy’s best surprise.
Luke winked at her and whistled
for Pudgy, who was much bigger and lankier than he’d been when she’d first got him. The man and dog disappeared down the hallway.
Gwenny was shaking with excitement. It was hard to look as if nothing was happening when something totally was.
She didn’t want Mommy to suspect anything, but Gwenny thought she might when she walked in the door and noticed Gwenny was sitting in the middle of the living room all by herself watching old cartoons.
“Where’s Dr. Luke?” Mommy asked in concern. “I thought you guys were going to do pizza and a movie?”
“Dr. Luke showed me some of the cartoons Granny Ruth grew up with.”
“Wow. Did you like them?”
“Liked them? Of course, she liked them. They’re called classics for a reason,” Granny Ruth said with a snort.
“Someday we’ll have to show her some of our favorite shows from when we were kids,” said Dr. Luke, appearing from the hallway--minus Pudgy. “I remember my favorite was Blue’s Clues.”
Yay. The moment Gwenny had been waiting for all these months had finally arrived.
“Of course, it would be,” Mommy said. “Gwenny, Blue was this big dog who solved mysteries. See? He liked animals even back then.”
They shared a laugh.
“The Big Comfy Couch was my favorite,” Mommy added. “This little clown girl sang a song about a ten-second tidy. My mom, Gwenny—your grandmother—used to use that song to help me tidy up my messy bedroom.”
“You had a messy bedroom when you were a kid?” Dr. Luke asked in disbelief. “For some reason I pictured you as being as tidy as you are now. You weren’t a perfectionist as a preschooler?”
“Huh. Yeah. Not so much. That was something I learned in college, in a tiny room with a roommate who had too much stuff.”
Gwenny raised her eyebrows at Dr. Luke and gave him a questioning glance. Why was he talking about a silly kid’s show when he was supposed to be proposing to Mommy?
Well, if he wasn’t going to get the ball rolling, then she’d have to do it herself.
