One Moment Please (Wait With Me #3)(33)

He stares at me with a smoldering expression, and I’m annoyed that it gives me butterflies. Walking in here today, I thought I wanted nothing to do with him. I thought we’d say our goodbyes, and I’d never give him another thought.

But now, seeing him standing there barefoot, confused, and so utterly human, I can’t help but wonder what if? What if I said yes? What if I let him into my life? What if we could be a family?

However, the second he let me walk out his door, I realized without a doubt that Josh Richardson doesn’t want to be the father of this child.





Josh: Can I get the address to your current residence?

Lynsey: Um…sure? Are you sending me some legal documents for Valentine’s Day or something?

I pause.

Crap. It is fucking Valentine’s Day. I guess that explains the flowers in the nurses’ station.

Josh: Address please.

Lynsey sends me the address, and I confirm that she’ll be home later this afternoon before I head to the locker room to change out of my scrubs. It’s been three days since Lynsey left my house, and I’ve been on double rotations in the ER all week.

But even with the mania of everything going on at the hospital, there wasn’t an hour that passed when I didn’t think of Lynsey and this baby. Not being involved in this kid’s life isn’t an option. I may not have the best bedside manner, and I may never get a Father of the Year award, but I’m not a deadbeat.

I take care of my responsibilities. And right now, Lynsey is my responsibility. Which means I need to do whatever it takes to make sure she’s okay through all of this. That the baby is good. And she’s not a big fan of mine at this point, so I need to change that quickly if there’s any chance of talking her into moving in with me.

I hop into my SUV and use my GPS to route me to her location. Twenty minutes later, I pull up to a street of several matching townhouses. Something tells me this isn’t Lynsey’s parents’ neighborhood, which most likely means she’s moved in with Dean already. Grumbling under my breath, I locate the correct cookie-cutter home and pull into the driveway.

“Don’t you have a job?” I ask when Dean answers the door.

Dean smiles and straightens his glasses while looking me up and down.

“I can do my job from anywhere.” He props himself on the doorframe, crossing his arms. “Like a hospital cafeteria. Which means I’m readily available to be there for my friends when they need me to save them from assholes.”

How the fuck does Max work with this douchebag? “Is Lynsey here?”

“Is she expecting you?” Dean asks flippantly.

“I’m here,” Lynsey says. She appears from behind Dean, dressed in a pair of denim overalls with a blue turtleneck sweater underneath. She has two brown braids draped over her shoulders, and instantly, a flash of a little girl version of Lynsey pops into my mind.

My chest swells with an ache.

“Josh…what’s up?” Her voice tears me out of my thoughts.

I press my hand to my sternum and force the words out of my mouth. “I wanted to take you out.”

“Out where?” She hooks her thumbs into the open sides of the overalls, and I swear a small bump is forming on her stomach already. “I didn’t take you for the Valentine’s Day type.”

“I’m not.” I flinch as I refocus on Lynsey’s face. “I have something scheduled.”

“What kind of something?”

I exhale heavily and cut an annoyed look at Dean who still stands in the fucking doorway like he’s her watchdog or something. He gets the memo and steps back, finally giving Lynsey and me some privacy.

“Something that can help you get to know a person.”

Lynsey frowns up at me like she doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

“That was one of your issues with moving in with me. You don’t know me. This is me trying to change that.” I peek at my watch. “Can you just put some shoes on and grab your coat? We’re going to be late.”

Thankfully, she does as I ask, and I make my way toward our destination. While driving, I pass the paper from the dashboard to her. “You can fill this out on the drive.”

Lynsey stares at the sheet in her hand. “Um, what is this?”

“It’s a medical history document.”

“I can see that, Josh. Why are you giving it to me?”

“So we can get to know each other.” I glance over at her because surely she’s seen one of these before. “Mine’s already filled out and up there if you want to look at it.”

“Why would I want to know your medical history?”

“Well, considering the fetus you’re carrying inside you has half of my DNA, I thought you might want to be informed.” Not to mention, I need to know her family history so if any potential problems exist, I can be ahead of the game.

“Would you stop calling it a fetus?” Lynsey snaps, touching her belly for a moment before grabbing my sheet. She pauses to look at it for a moment. “Your grandfather had diabetes?”

“Adult onset,” I state by way of explanation.

“All of your grandparents are still alive?” she asks, turning curious eyes to me. “How old are you?”

“I’m thirty-four,” I reply like I’m in the middle of a job interview even though that would be a completely unacceptable interview question. “My parents had me young.”