Falling for the Foster Mom

by Karin Baine

  The only reason he’d hesitated was because he didn’t want people like Rebecca, or Quinn, reading too much into it. He really hadn’t been able to refuse when he’d had two sets of puppy dog eyes pleading with him to help.

  ‘Nice car.’ Quinn eyed his silver convertible with a smile as he pulled up.

  ‘A treat to myself. Although I don’t get out in it as often as I’d hoped. Much easier to walk around central London.’ It had been his one great extravagance and what might appear to some as a cliché; to him it had been a symbol of his long-awaited independence.

  Yet here he was, strapping a small child into the back seat...

  ‘Yeah. This is made for long drives in the country with the top down.’ She ran her hand over the car’s smooth curves, more impressed than a lot of his friends who thought it was tragic attention-seeking on his part.

  ‘That’s the idea.’ Except now he had the image of Quinn in the passenger seat, her ash brown hair blowing in the wind, without a care in the world, he wondered if it was time he traded it in for something more practical, more sedate.

  * * *

  Quinn’s modest house was far enough from the hospital to make travel awkward but it had the bonus of peace and quiet. It was the perfect suburban semi for a happy family and the complete opposite of his modern bachelor pad in the heart of the city. He at least had the option of walking to PCH and did most days. Since moving to London he’d fully immersed himself in the chaos around him. Probably because he’d spent most of his years at the beck and call of his siblings, his surroundings dictated by the needs of his dependents. This kind of white picket fence existence represented a prison of sorts to him and he couldn’t wait to get back to his alternative, watch-TV-in-my-pants-if-I-want-to lifestyle.

  ‘You can’t get much better than a taxi straight to your door.’ He pulled the handbrake on with the confidence of a man who knew he’d be leaving again soon. This was the final destination for any feelings or responsibility he felt for Quinn and Simon today. Tomorrow was another day and brought another list of vulnerable patients who would need him.

  ‘I really can’t thank you enough, Matt. I wasn’t up to another burst of tantrum before we left.’ Quinn’s slow, deliberate movements as she unbuckled her seat belt showed her weariness and reluctance to go inside.

  The stress she was under was relentless—juggling Simon’s injuries with the fostering process and her job. All on her own. The two of them could probably do with a break away from it all.

  He glanced back at Simon. ‘Someone’s out for the count now. He shouldn’t give you any more trouble.’

  ‘If I can get him up to bed without disturbing him I might actually get a few hours to get some work done. Then I’ll be on standby for the rest of the night with pain relief when he needs it.’ She was yawning already at the mere mention of the night ahead.

  ‘Make sure you get a couple of hours’ sleep too.’

  ‘That’s about as much as we’re both getting at the moment.’ She gave a hollow laugh. The lack of sleep would definitely account for the short tempers and general crankiness, not to mention the emotional outbursts.

  ‘Why don’t you open the door and I’ll carry Sleeping Beauty inside for you?’

  She was strong and stubborn enough to manage on her own, he was sure—after all, she’d been coping this far on her own—but it didn’t seem very gentlemanly to leave her to carry the dead weight of a sleeping child upstairs. If he delivered Simon directly to his bed there was more chance of him getting out of here within the next few minutes. That was his excuse and he was sticking to it.

  Quinn opened her mouth as if to argue the point, then thought better of it, going to open the door for them and leaving him to scoop Simon out of the back seat. It was an indication of how weary she was when she gave in so easily.

  As Matt carried Simon up the steep staircase to bed, careful not to jar his arm in the process, he knew he’d made the right call. Leaving a tired, petite Quinn to manage this on her own would have been an accident waiting to happen. He’d had enough experience of doing this with baby sisters who’d sat up long past their bedtimes to negotiate the obstacle with ease.

  ‘Which way?’ he mouthed to Quinn, who was waiting for them on the landing.

  ‘In here.’ She opened one of the doors and switched on the rocket-shaped night light at the side of the small bed.

  Matt eased him down onto the covers and let Quinn tuck him in. She was so tenderly brushing his hair from his face and making sure he was comfortable that in that moment an outsider wouldn’t have known they were anything other than biological mother and son.

  They tried to tiptoe out of the room together but Simon unfurled his foetal position and rolled over.

  ‘Do you like my room, Matt?’ he mumbled, half asleep and hardly able to keep his eyes open.

  ‘Yeah, mate. You’re one lucky boy.’ He could see how much effort Quinn had gone to in order to create the perfect little boy’s room. From the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, to the planet-themed wallpaper, it had been co-ordinated down to the very last detail. The sort of bedroom a young boy sharing a council flat with three sisters could only have dreamed about.

  ‘Now Matt’s seen your room he has to go and you need to get some sleep.’ Quinn tucked the loosened covers back around him.

  ‘What-about-the-zoo?’ he said in one breath as his eyes fluttered shut again.

  ‘We’ll do that another day,’ she assured him, and tried to back out of the room again.

  ‘Can-Matt-come-too?’ He wasn’t giving in without a fight.

  Quinn’s features flickered with renewed panic. This wasn’t in the plan but they knew all hell would break loose again if he left and denied this request. Their silence forced Simon’s eyes open and Matt had to act fast or get stuck here all night trying to pacify him.

  ‘Sure.’ He glanced back at her and shrugged. What choice did he have? With any luck Simon would forget the entire conversation altogether. Especially since the required answer sent him back to sleep with a smile on his face.

  This time they made it out of the room undetected and Quinn released a whoosh of breath from her lungs as she eased the door behind them.

  ‘I thought we’d never get out of there alive.’ She rested her head against the back of the door, all signs of tension leaving her body as her frown lines finally disappeared and a smile played upon her lips. It was a good look on her and one Matt wished he saw more often.

  ‘We’re not off the hook yet but hopefully we’ve stalled the drama for another day.’ Preferably when he was far from the crime scene.

  ‘I appreciate you only agreed to the zoo thing to get him to go to sleep. Don’t worry, I won’t hold you to it.’ She was granting him immunity but he remembered something she’d said about people letting her down and he didn’t want to be another one to add to her list.

  ‘It’s no problem at all. I told you, I love the zoo.’ It just wasn’t somewhere he’d visited since his sisters had entered their teenage years. An afternoon escorting the pair around the sights wasn’t a big deal; he’d been the chaperone on a few organised hospital trips in his time and this wouldn’t be too dissimilar. It would be worth a couple of hours of his free time to see them happy again.

  ‘Thanks for the idea, by the way. I kind of fell apart when he said he didn’t have a home to go to.’ The crack in her voice was evidence of how much the comment had hurt.

  ‘He’s frightened and it’s been another tough day for both of you. It’s easy to hit out at the ones closest to us. I’ve lost count of the amount of times my sisters told me they hated me and they couldn’t wait to move out. They didn’t mean it, and nor does Simon. It’s all part of the extras package that comes with parenthood, I’m afraid.’

  There’d been plenty of rows over the years as teenagers rebelled and
he’d been the authority figure who’d had to rein them in. However, they were still a close family and he was the first person they’d call if they needed help.

  ‘I’d hate to think I was making things worse for him. He seems so unhappy.’ The head was down as the burden of guilt took up residence again on her shoulders.

  He crouched down before her so she had to look at him. ‘Hey, I don’t know Simon’s background but I do know he’s a lucky boy to have you as a foster mother. You’re a wonderful woman, Quinn, and don’t you forget that.’

  She fluttered her eyelashes as she tried to bat away the compliment but he meant every word. The burden she’d taken on with Simon’s injuries and her determination to make a loving home for the duration of his time with her took tremendous courage. A strong, fiery soul wrapped up in one pretty package was difficult not to admire.

  Now free from the responsibilities of work and away from the stares of co-workers and impressionable youngsters, Matt no longer had anyone to stop him from doing what he’d wanted to do for a long time.

  He leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers, stealing the kiss they’d been dodging since their time in the pub. It wasn’t his ego make-believing she wanted this too when her lips were parted and waiting for him.

  Away from the hospital they were more than an overattentive doctor and an anxious parent. In another time, in different circumstances, he wouldn’t have waited a full day before taking her in his arms the way he did now.

  He bunched her silky hair in his hands and thought only of driving away the shadows of doubt already trying to creep in and rob him of this moment. The instant passion which flared between them was a culmination of weeks of building tension, fighting the attraction and each other. Every fibre of his being, with the exception of several erogenous zones, said this was a bad idea. She was a single mother and this went against all of his self-imposed rules. This new carefree lifestyle was supposed to mean he went with the flow, free to do whatever he wanted. And in the here and now, Quinn was exactly what he wanted, so he ignored the voice that told him to leave and never look back, and carried on kissing her.

  * * *

  Either Quinn had died and gone to heaven or her exhaustion had conjured up this mega-erotic fantasy because it couldn’t possibly be happening. It was beyond comprehension that she was actually making out with her foster son’s surgeon in her own house.

  The tug at her scalp reminded her it was very real.

  Matt took her gasp as an invitation to plunge his tongue deeper into her mouth, stealing what was left of her breath. He was so thorough in his exploration, yet so tender, he confused her senses until she couldn’t think beyond his next touch.

  His fingers wrapped around her hair, his mouth locked onto hers, his hard body pressed tightly against her—it was too much for her long-neglected libido to process at once. It was as though every one of her forgotten desires had come to life at once, erasing the loneliness of these past man-free months.

  Her ex’s betrayal had devastated her so much she’d convinced herself romance in her life didn’t matter but Matt McGrory had obliterated that theory with one kiss. It most certainly did matter when it reminded her she was a hot-blooded woman beneath the layers of foster mum guilt. She’d forgotten how it was to have someone kiss the sensitive skin at her neck and send shock waves of pleasure spiralling through her belly and beyond. In fact, she didn’t remember ever swooning the way she was right now.

  Today, Matt had successfully operated on Simon, talked sense into her when she’d been virtually hysterical, held her when she’d cried, supported her when she’d fallen apart and carried a sleeping child to his bed. He was perfect. It was a crying shame the timing was abominable.

  He slid a hand under her shirt and her nipples immediately tightened in anticipation of his touch. If he ventured any further than her back she doubted she’d be able to think clearly enough to put a stop to this. As enjoyable as the feel of his lips on her fevered skin was, this wasn’t about her getting her groove back on. Simon was her priority and she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise that.

  Matt was his surgeon and this could lead to all sorts of complications regarding his treatment and the fostering authorities. That wasn’t a risk she was willing to take. She wanted to break the cycle of selfish behaviour which had plagued her and Simon to date, and if it kept her heart protected a while longer, all the better.

  ‘I think we should probably call it a day.’ She dug deep to find the strength to end the best night she’d had for a long time.

  With her hands creating a barrier between their warm bodies, she gave him a feeble push. Her heart wasn’t in the rejection but it did stop him in his tracks before he kissed his way to her earlobe and discovered her kill switch. His acquiescence did nothing to ease her conscience or the throbbing need pulsating in her veins.

  ‘You’re probably right.’ He took a step back, giving them some space to think about the disaster they’d narrowly averted. Then he was gone.

  One nod of the head, a meek half-smile and it was Goodnight, Josephine.

  Quinn exhaled a shaky breath as the front door clicked shut.

  It had been a close call and, now she knew the number, it was going to be a test of endurance not to put him on speed dial.

  CHAPTER SIX

  IT HAD BEEN several days since the infamous kiss but Quinn hadn’t laid eyes on Matt at all. Quite a feat when she’d spent every waking moment back at the hospital. She thought he’d be there when Simon had his dressings changed, an ordeal in itself. Although it was the nurses who routinely did that job, he usually called in to see how they were. He was definitely avoiding her.

  Whilst his noticeable absence had prevented any awkwardness between them after locking lips together, a sense of loss seemed to have engulfed her and Simon as a result. They’d become much too invested in his company and now she had very fond, intimate memories to make her pine for him too.

  It had been her decision to stop things before they’d gone any further. Hot kisses and steamy intervals didn’t bring any comfort when there was no commitment behind them. Passion didn’t mean much to her these days when she’d found out the hard way men used it to hide their true intentions. She’d thought Darryl had loved her because he was so attentive in that department but when it came down to putting a child’s needs before his he’d shown how shallow he really was. She wouldn’t be duped for a second time into believing a man’s interest in her body was anything more than just that. Darryl had nearly broken her spirit altogether with his betrayal, to the point she’d questioned her own judgement about foster care. What was the point if the whole ideal of a happy family was a sham concocted so the male species could satisfy their own selfish needs?

  It was meeting Simon which had convinced her she’d taken the right path and she wouldn’t be so easily diverted from it again. A handsome face and a kissable mouth weren’t enough for her to risk her or Simon’s future if she was dumped again and sent spiralling back down into despair. Things were difficult at the moment but she was still soldiering on, wasn’t ready to give up the fight. One more knock to her confidence might well change that. No, she’d made the right call and she’d just have to learn to live with it. Regardless of how much she wanted Matt to be the man she’d always thought would be the head of her perfect little family.

  Today, to distract herself from the events of that evening, she’d joined the committee fighting to save the Castle. Whilst Simon was busy with his physiotherapist, who was working with him to make sure he maintained the movement in his right arm, she had some time to herself. She chose to spend it putting the world to rights with other committee members over a latte in the canteen. Her position also allowed her to keep watch on the door in case of a glimpse of the elusive Mr McGrory.

  ‘I’m so glad you’ve joined us, Quinn. It’ll really help our cause to have parents
of our patients on board, as well as the staff. This is about the children, and showing the board the Castle is an important part of the community, and is more than just a lucrative piece of land.’ Victoria Christie sat forward in her chair, fixing Quinn with her intense hazel eyes. She was a paramedic, the head of the committee and apparently very passionate about the cause.

  With her buoyant enthusiasm she was the perfect choice for a front woman and Quinn got the impression she would attach herself to the wrecking ball should the dreaded demolition come to fruition.

  ‘I’m only too happy to help. I’ll sign a petition, wave a placard, write a personal impact statement...whatever it takes to make a difference. Matt...er... Mr McGrory suggested I join since I spend most of my days here anyway.’ Mostly, she suspected, to get her out of his lovely blond hair, but at least it was a more productive way of filling her time than fretting and crying on shoulders of very busy surgeons.

  ‘Matt’s very passionate about his work and his patients. He’s one of the good guys.’ The tall blonde she’d been introduced to at the start of this meeting was Robyn Kelly, head of surgery at the hospital and the committee’s PR person.

  Quinn shifted her gaze towards the pile of papers on the table outlining their press coverage so far in case her blush gave away her thoughts about that very personal, private moment she’d spent with her colleague at her house.

  ‘He’s been very patient with Simon, and me, but we’re well on the way to recovery. I hope future patients are as lucky to have him on their side.’ She smiled as brightly as her pained cheeks would allow. In truth, she didn’t want anyone to get as close as she had been to him but that didn’t mean she’d deny another family his expertise.