A Baby for the Vet (Boys of Rockford Series Book 4)

by Henley Maverick

  I shook my head. “No, not really. It’s the baby daddy.”

  Tenley sighed. “What didn’t he do?”

  My gaze snapped to hers. “What makes you think it’s something he didn’t do? Isn’t the right question, what did he do?”

  Tenley snorted. “With any other person, yes. With you, the right question is what didn’t he do? Or maybe the better question here is, what did you do?”

  My eyebrow climbed up to my hairline. “What makes you think I did anything?”

  Tenley gave me a look.

  Sometimes, I forgot that living in close proximity to someone gave you all kinds of insight into who they were, and what they were like stripped down. It was the best way to get to know someone because behind closed doors is where their true colors shine.

  “Okay, fair enough,” I conceded. “It’s not something I did per say. It’s something I didn’t do.”

  Tenley pulled up a chair and placed her head between her hands. “Go on.”

  “Stop looking at me like that.”

  “Do you have any idea how rare it is for me to have an adult conversation? I miss gossip, so stop focusing on how I look and just speak.”

  “Remember I told you about Dean’s friend, Charity?”

  “The bartender who introduced you guys? Yeah, what about her?” Tenley asked.

  “Yesterday, she insisted that I go hang out with her and her date, and to get her off my back I said yes, but it turns out she was setting me up with Dean.”

  Tenley choked on her tea, and it came flying out of her nostrils. She reached for a napkin and dabbed her nose while her entire body shook with laughter.

  “And you didn’t see right through her flimsy excuse? I thought you were the smart one.”

  “She’s very convincing, okay?” I said, defensively. “Anyway, Dean didn’t know either, so we decided to go ahead and eat since we were there.”

  “Where was it?”

  “Tuscany’s.”

  “Oh, that’s a fancy place. Did you guys enjoy it?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, the food was great, and I had a lovely time.”

  “But?” Tenley prompted.

  “What makes you think there’s a but?”

  “Just a vibe I got.”

  I exhaled. “I slept with Dean.”

  Tenley smacked her forehead. “Jeez, sis. I thought you said you didn’t want to be with the guy in any way, shape or form.”

  “I don’t,” I insisted. “This was just a one-time thing.”

  “You mean aside from the other time when he got you knocked up?”

  “Yes, well. I guess it’s a two-time thing.”

  “Oh, honey. It’s obviously not a two-time thing either,” Tenley said, gazing at me sympathetically as she reached for my hand and began to pat it. “You obviously have a thing for this guy.”

  My hands tightened around hers. “No, I don’t. We just keep falling into bed together for some reason.”

  “Yes, hence you have a thing for this guy,” Tenley pointed out. “It’s okay, Kait. You’re only human, and Dean is attractive. You’re also having his baby.”

  “That’s exactly why I shouldn’t get involved with him, right? He’s still the father of my baby, and I want him to be a part of our child’s life, but if we get involved, things will get complicated.”

  “Not necessarily. People start families all the time, Kait,” Tenley responded with barely concealed amusement. “Like Knight and I.”

  I smiled. “I don’t mean it like that, Ten. You and Knight fell in love first then got married.”

  “Yeah, but we didn’t exactly do it in the right order or whatever. I did get pregnant first, and Knight was out of the picture for a while and then he came back,” Tenley reminisced, a soft smile on her face. “Anyway, that’s not the point.”

  “I really hope that wasn’t your point,” I teased as I ducked to avoid a napkin sailing straight at me.

  She glared at me. “My point is you clearly care about him, and he cares about you too. Don’t argue with me. I saw the way he looked at you when you brought him here, so why are you so afraid?”

  I lifted my chin up. “I’m not afraid.”

  Tenley scoffed. “Yes, you are. You’re terrified actually, and I don’t get why. Why not just give in to him? He can take care of you and the baby. What more could you want?”

  “What makes you think I want that?” I retorted, defiantly. “We all know I’m not the white picket fence type, Ten. I don’t want to give up my freedom and saying yes to Dean means giving up everything I’ve worked for and being domesticated like some kind of house pet. If I say yes to Dean, I’ll be saying no to everyone else. Something tells me he’s the type to take these things seriously.”

  Tenley blinked. “I don’t understand what’s wrong with that. It’s a wonderful thing to have someone be your forever.”

  I shook my head. “Of course, you would say that. You’ve been in love with the same guy since high school.”

  I’d almost forgotten for a second who I was talking to.

  How could she possibly understand?

  Secretly, I didn’t expect her to, and I realized that was okay. I just needed someone to vent to, and I would feel much better after that.

  “I’d better get going,” I announced as I stood back, the chair scraping across the floor. “Thanks, Ten.”

  “No problem,” she called out as she went back to tend to her kids.

  I hadn’t found the answers I was looking for, but Tenley did help shed some light on what parenting was like.

  It was all very confusing.

  Not to mention disgusting what with all the vomit and snot.

  How on Earth was I supposed to be a good mom?

  18

  Dean

  I swear the reverend could be a CIA operative with his interrogation techniques. Not that I was expert or anything, but I’m pretty sure his solid unblinking stare, and the way his mouth slid into a frown was enough to make anyone confess.

  After almost an hour with him, I’d have happily agreed to anything just to get him off my back. He felt like the principal back at my old school encouraging me to confess to something I didn’t do.

  The reverend wasn’t quite as cruel, but it was clear he had expectations. Ones I obviously wasn’t fulfilling.

  Not that it was my fault.

  When I opened my mouth to try and explain that, I could already envision the look of disappointment he was going to give me, and the speech that would undoubtedly follow. He was not a sexist man, not exactly, but he did believe that it was a man’s primary role to provide, and that a woman can contribute if she should wish it.

  And he was also old fashioned.

  So, he believed it was up to the man to take the first step towards building a future. He made sure he outlined all of these things, so that there was no room for misconceptions.

  I was glad when my phone rang, and I excused myself to take the call from work. Afterwards, I claimed that I had to get some paperwork finished, and he finally let me go.

  I felt a tiny prick of guilt at the lie I told because I wasn’t actually needed at work. It was just Charity wanting to know how the date went, but the reverend didn’t need to know that.

  As far as he was concerned, my excuse was legitimate, and any guilt I felt would soon fade away.

  In the meantime, I needed a drink.

  A strong one.

  Maybe a shot of whiskey or bourbon.

  My tongue felt dry in my mouth as I stood in the middle of the street checking my watch and debating the morality of the whole thing.

  There was a reason we weren’t supposed to drink during the day.

  A medical one too, but for some reason, it failed to come to mind.

  All I could think about was how good it would feel sliding down my throat, how it would quench my thirst and help take the edge off. Even if it was a just a little.

  What was that excuse people liked to use?

  It�
��s 5 o’clock somewhere.

  Yeah, that sounded like a decent defense right about now. Not that I needed much convincing. I forced myself to unclench my fests and take a deep breath as I weighed the pros and cons.

  I took a step forward, deciding to wander around for a bit till I made up my mind. Obviously, my plan to go into work and do some paperwork was put on the backburner for now.

  I had way too much on my mind that not even mundane paperwork could make it stop whizzing. Anyway, it wasn’t like I was far behind. I was organized, and I liked to get my papers done on a weekly basis to stay ahead of things.

  So, one week wouldn’t hurt anybody.

  I looked up when I realized my feet weren’t taking me in the direction of the bar. Instead, they seemed to have developed a mind of their own and were heading towards Kaitlyn’s place.

  I paused as I stared up at her building wondering if she was there.

  She had to be.

  Where else would she be?

  After she’d taken off this morning, she had to come back eventually, and I was going to be waiting for her when she did.

  I knew that Kaitlyn wanted to push me away because she was scared and anxious, but I wasn’t going to let her anymore. I was going to make her understand and prove that I wasn’t going anywhere.

  It had to be better than this little cat and mouse we kept playing.

  Besides, her blowing me off was really starting to piss me off, and I didn’t want to be mad at her. I’d grown to care for Kaitlyn, and she was the mother of my unborn child.

  I strode forward determinedly as I waited for the elevator to take me up to her apartment. If she wasn’t home, I’d sit next to the door and wait.

  For as long as I needed to.

  For as long as it took to convince her that we could do this together.

  I didn’t just want to be there for our baby. I wanted to support her too.

  I’d said as much to the reverend although it probably wasn’t a good idea for me to blurt out that I was going to propose soon.

  In retrospect, I had no idea why I said that.

  He made me nervous, and he wasn’t a guy who took no for an answer easily, but it wasn’t like he pushed me to say the words.

  No, I said them of my own accord.

  I was about to get onto the elevator when my phone buzzed, and I fished it out of my pocket.

  It was one of my patients.

  “Dr. Bennett. Thank God, I know it’s a weekend, and I’m so sorry to disturb you, but my dog Daisy isn’t feeling well.”

  I frowned as I stepped outside onto the street and stood off to the side. “What happened?”

  “She looks quite pale, and she won’t touch her food.”

  “Has she eaten anything unusual lately, or come across any other animal that might have a contagious virus?” I asked. “I need you to think very carefully before you answer, Mrs. Meyers. It’s important.”

  She paused. “I don’t think she’s come into contact with another sick animal, no. But what if she did eat something, and I wasn’t looking? How will I know?”

  “I’m afraid you won’t until it passes.”

  “How will I know when it passes?” Mrs. Meyers sounds panicked, and slightly hysterical. “Please, Dr. Bennett. I don’t know what to do.”

  “First thing’s first,, calm down, Mrs. Meyers,” I instructed, calmly. “Panicking about this won’t help your dog at all.”

  She sighed, and I could hear it loud and clear as if she was standing right next to me.

  “Yes, I know, but I’m not an expert, so I’m not sure how to help her.”

  “The best thing to do right now is wait for her to pass it. Just make her comfortable, and it’ll come out on either side.”

  “Is there a way I can make my dog throw it up?”

  “Not at home, no. She must be given a very specific medication for that. Also, we don’t know when she ate this substance. If it’s been more than 2 hours, and she hasn’t vomited yet then we can talk about taking her to the emergency room.”

  “She hasn’t vomited, no,” Mrs. Meyers, responded. “Dr. Bennett, you’re not available at all today, are you?”

  “I can refer you to the nearest animal hospital if you would like,” I offered. “Do you want me to do that?”

  “Yes, please,” she said, relieved. “Better safe than sorry, right?”

  She gave me her address, and I rattled off the nearest emergency clinic making sure to give her specific instructions, and what she should expect when she got there. It wasn’t my clinic, so I didn’t have the ability to make them open it on a weekend, and it made me frustrated, but there was nothing else I could do for her.

  “Mrs. Meyers. I want you to listen to me carefully. They’re going to give your dog Apomorphine to induce vomit if they feel like she has to barf it back up, okay?”

  “Is it going to hurt her?”

  “She’s going to be just fine,” I assured her. “I want you to call me with an update when you can, okay?”

  “Okay, thank you so much, Dr. Bennett.”

  I hung up and called a friend of mine at the clinic she was headed to.

  The phone rang a few times before he finally picked up, sounding tired and bored.

  “Hey, Dean. Long time no see, buddy. How’s it going?”

  “Hey, Perry. It’s good. How about you? Listen, I have a patient coming in with her dog. A yellow lab who ingested something she shouldn’t have.”

  Perry immediately sounded professional. “How long ago?”

  “I don’t know, and neither does the owner unfortunately, but I think you might need to give the dog something to help her pass it along. The owner is a bit squeamish, and she’s sensitive, so she might end up crying.”

  “I’ve come across owners like that before. Don’t worry,” he assured me. “They’re both in good hands. I’ll tell you what happens, okay?”

  “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

  I hung up, ran my hands through my hair and glowered in the general direction of Kaitlyn’s floor.

  I had no idea why I was suddenly angry with her.

  I shoved my hands in my pockets and clenched my hands into fists.

  I needed to map out what I was going to say because there was a very real chance that once I saw her, all the words would go flying out the window, and I didn’t want that. I needed to focus because I needed to get through to her.

  I couldn’t get distracted by those doe like eyes, sexy laugh, or the way her smile lit up her entire face.

  Shit.

  Get it together, Dean I told myself. The stakes are higher this time. There’s a baby involved, and I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant for us. If she heard me out, does that mean I would have to move in and help?

  Or would this be a casual helping thing? She could call me at anytime of course, but wouldn’t it be easier if I was there with her?

  Of course, I barely knew Kaitlyn, so was it too soon to move in? I guess introducing a baby into the equation changed everything, and this was one of those times where I was genuinely stumped.

  I liked to think of myself as a logical person, able to solve problems once I set my mind to it. To get from point A to point B, you had to follow the simplest path.

  The simplest solution was usually the fastest, and the one staring us right in the face. We just ignored that because it seemed entirely too easy for us.

  Humans tended to overcomplicate things.

  Next thing I knew, I was standing in front of Kaitlyn’s door with no idea how I got up there so fast. I was breathing heavily as I held my hands above her front door, seconds away from knocking.

  What was I going to say again?

  Something about how I wanted to be there for her, and how I wasn’t going to abandon her nor the baby, but that didn’t mean anything romantic if she didn’t want it to.

  I cared about Kaitlyn, a lot, and there was a part of me that wanted to be with her, but this was one of those things that couldn’
t be one sided.

  If she wanted a strictly platonic relationship, I could do that.

  It would take a while, and a lot of will power on my part because I would need to actively begin the process of letting her go and moving on, but I could do it.

  I gave a start when the door swung open, and I nearly fell forward.

  “Dean,” she said, surprise lacing her tone.

  Her eyes were pinched together, and she had her phone clutched in her hand. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line.

  “Look, I know you don’t want to talk about this, but we have to—” I began as my hands fluttered anxiously.

  “Something is wrong with the baby,” she interrupted, her voice small and worried.

  19

  Kaitlyn

  Talk about good timing.

  I’d never been more relieved to see someone in my entire than I was in that single moment when I swung the door open, and Dean was on the other side.

  The relief that coursed through me was so palpable that I nearly staggered forward and threw myself in his arms, and I wasn’t the sentimental sort.

  “Do you have the keys to your car?” Dean’s voice was tight with barely concealed worry as he held out his hands expectantly.

  Wordlessly, I reached behind the door and picked up the keys. I dropped them into his hands, and he tightened his grip around them.

  “Let’s go.”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Okay.”

  I followed him into the elevator as we rode down the headed towards my car, and I had no idea what to say.

  I’d spent so much time wishing this baby didn’t exist that it never occurred to me I could actually lose it.

  Was this karma for bitching about it so much?

  I didn’t want to lose the baby, not really.

  I was just whining.

  I prayed to whoever was listening that this baby didn’t die because of my selfishness or carelessness, or whatever it was that caused this alarm.

  Dean’s knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, and he let out a colorful stream of expletives whenever someone tried to cut him off or got in his way.

  Not able to handle the tension, I placed my hand on his arm and squeezed. “Try to calm down.”