Knocked Up By The Doc Box Set (A Secret Baby Romance) Read online

  I sulked for the rest of the day, even though I knew I should be acting more mature than that. I couldn't help it, though, I was disappointed. I was beginning to think that the good doctor had just used me for sex. It seemed like now he had lost interest in me.

  I wondered if there might be someone else in the picture. Maybe he had used me as, like, training wheels for a relationship with Georgia. But I hadn't heard news around town that the two of them were dating, and I knew that if Georgia were finally involved with him, she wouldn't have kept it silent.

  Unless he made her promise to do so. I had a sick feeling in my gut, but it wasn't from the pregnancy this time.

  The pregnancy, which I still needed to mention to him.

  I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. I didn't want to think that he had been using me just for sex. After all, he was going to be my child's father. I wanted to think that he was a good man. He had certainly seemed like a good man. But I couldn't figure out why he was so intent on blowing me off now.

  There was a knock on the front door that evening after all the kids had left. I frowned, wondering who it could be. Maybe Eric had had a change of heart? Maybe he had found a sitter after all and was coming to tell me that he would, in fact, be able to attend the wedding on Friday. Whatever Helen's health issues were, they couldn't be too serious; I had just seen her at the grocery store over the weekend. Maybe she had been able to reschedule her appointment.

  When I answered the door, though, I was surprised to see that it was Buck Johanssen on the other side. “Hey,” I said, looking down at the box in his hands and then back to his eyes, my look questioning.

  “Hey Olivia,” Buck said, giving me a charming smile. “Jeannie sent me over with some of her raspberry preserves. She's been going crazy with the canning this year, and she doesn't have space for all of them.”

  I laughed. “A likely excuse, but I know how big my mom's pantry is!” I said. Then, I clapped a hand over my mouth, realizing I had just implied to him that there was an ulterior motive to the visit. Like the fact that my mom, of course, would want me to date a nice guy like him. She was trying to matchmake us.

  But Buck laughed as well. “Actually, there was an ulterior motive,” he admitted, carrying the box of jars into the kitchen and setting it down on the table. He turned to face me, his hands on his hips. “She told me that you probably needed someone to come by and mow your backyard.”

  I gaped at him. “How would she know that?” I asked.

  “Well, as I understand it, she didn't figure that you would want to do it on your own, and if you had hired someone in town, you would have hired me.” He winked, and I had to laugh.

  “You're right,” I sighed. “The backyard is looking pretty bad.” I led the way over to the screen door, gesturing out, and Buck looked appalled.

  “I don't mean any disrespect, but this is beyond 'pretty bad,'” he said seriously, but when he glanced over at me, he cracked a smile. “Don't worry. It's still light enough that I should be able to get it done for you right now if that's all right with you.”

  “Oh no, you don't have to do that, and especially not right now,” I protested. “I keep meaning to do that. It's just that I'm running after the kids all day, and by the time they go home, I'm exhausted. I haven't even been cooking healthy meals; I've just been having whatever I can whip up quickly.”

  “All the more reason for me to get out there and help you out,” Buck said. “Come on. I already work for your mother; no reason that I can't help you out as well. She's the highest paying person in town, you know.”

  I shook my head. “I should have done it over the weekend, though, I was just being lazy. You shouldn't have to do more work to make up for that. And I don't have any cash, so I couldn't pay you myself. Maybe some other time.”

  “It's only going to get worse, the longer you let it go on,” Buck pointed out. “Why don't I take care of it now, and you can buy me a drink sometime.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly. I really could use more friends around Tamlin; at the moment, it was still just me and my mother and Dr. Jones. But Eric didn't seem like he wanted to be friends with me, honestly. I missed my group in Chicago. I missed going out in the evenings and having fun. Maybe I needed to organize a weekend back there at some point soon.

  But for now, I'd take what I could get in terms of friends. In fact, I had an even better idea for how I could repay Buck with a drink.

  “Hey, I've got this wedding that I'm supposed to go to on Friday,” I told him slowly. “I know it's short notice, but I'm supposed to bring a plus-one, and the guy that I was planning on going with can't go. Any chance you'd be interested? There'll be an open bar and free food; plus, I hear weddings are a great place to meet the ladies.”

  Buck raised an eyebrow at me. “Are they now?” he asked, looking amused.

  “Well, you and I would just be going as friends, of course. Nothing personal, I just wouldn't take you to a wedding as a first date; that would be kind of weird.” I was babbling, I realized, but Buck just looked amused.

  “You're clever, aren't you?” he asked. “Get me to do one favor for you by agreeing to pay for it with another favor that I would do for you.”

  I blushed, realizing that that must be the way that it sounded. I hadn't meant it that way, but now that he said it, I felt horrible for even considering it a possibility. “Sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn't mean it that way. I'm perfectly happy to pay you to do the lawn, I just don't have cash on me at the moment, like I said. And when you mentioned that I could just buy you a drink...” I trailed off, feeling foolish.

  Buck grinned and shook his head. “I'm just teasing you,” he said. “I haven't been to a wedding in ages. I'm not even sure I have a suit still. But I'll figure something out.”

  “Only if you're sure,” I said quickly.

  “Now you're starting to sound like the person who's unsure,” Buck said, raising an eyebrow at me.

  “I just don't want you to feel pressured, that's all,” I said. “I'd enjoy your company, though.”

  “Good, then it's settled,” Buck said, nodding his head. “I'll pick you up; how does that sound? I know most women wear heels to weddings, and I can only imagine that driving in heels is a pain.”

  I laughed. “You have no idea,” I said. “I'd appreciate that.”

  “Good,” Buck said. “I'm going to go get started on your lawn before I lose the light.”

  “All right,” I said, watching as he went out to the shed and pulled out the old lawnmower.

  I felt surprisingly guilty about having asked him to take Eric's place, but that was silly. Eric had said he was going to be busy, and I had RSVP'd to have a plus-one. I knew it was a minor faux pas to RSVP for a plus-one and then show up single; I was just making sure that the bride stayed happy on her wedding day. Anyway, Buck and I were just going as friends, so it wasn't as though Eric had anything to complain about. If he wanted to be there, he should be there.

  It felt like I was making a mistake, though, for some unknown reason, and the longer I watched Buck out in the yard, the more I wished that I could take the whole thing back. There was no hope of this not getting back to Eric; it was a small town, and people were prone to gossip. The chances of no one noticing that Buck had picked me up and dropped me off would be slim to none. I couldn't exactly ask him not to mention the wedding to anyone. He would want to know why I felt the need to keep it a secret, and it wasn't as though I could tell him that I had originally asked Eric to go with me because Eric and I were sleeping together.

  Had been sleeping together, rather. It had been a while since we'd even exchanged more than the barest of greetings.

  I sighed and ran both my hands back through my hair. I just wanted the week to be over already. Unfortunately, it was only just beginning.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Eric

  I hated going into the office on Saturday mornings, but I didn't like the idea of sitting down and trying
to figure out the Nana situation from home. Anyway, Emma treated it like it was a special event, to come into my office and doodle on the whiteboard for a couple of hours. At least one of us was happy, I thought, looking over at her.

  I was upset to hear how bad Helen's condition really was. As a doctor, I knew that dementia was a gradual disease, and there wasn't much that could be done about it. Helen was certainly old enough that it wasn't as though she hadn't enjoyed a long, healthy, issue-free life already. And I knew that it would feel worse if it was my parent that I was dealing with.

  That said, Helen and I had become close since Emily's illness and death, so the idea of losing her as well hurt.

  I started by making arrangements for in-home care until I could set up a place for her in an assisted living facility. I didn't know how long it would be before I found the perfect place for her, but I was going to do everything I could to ensure that wherever it was, it would be comfortable, with friendly staff and as much independence as Helen could handle. I expected we were going to have to have a long conversation to convince her that she did need to move into a care facility, rather than living at home.

  And the home. I didn't even know what to do about that. At some point, I would need to go through Helen's things and figure out what was still useful and what was just trash. Imagine, going through a person's whole life of stuff. I was sure there would be boxes of photographs of people I couldn't even identify since I had never met all of Emily's cousins and other relatives.

  I had already alerted the rest of the family to the situation, but they were content with leaving most of the logistics to me since Helen wasn't really close to the rest of the family.

  I sighed and put my head in my hands, beginning to feel a headache coming on. I knew that I should focus on one thing at a time, but unfortunately, all the different issues seemed to be tied up together, so that I couldn't just focus on one of them.

  “Daddy?” Emma asked, climbing up into my lap. She wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her face into my chest. “I'm hungry.”

  I glanced at the clock and saw, to my surprise, that it was already almost 1 o'clock. Emma had been drawing so patiently, so well-behaved, that I hadn't even noticed it was getting that late. I felt a stab of guilt as I stood up, keeping her in my arms.

  “Why don't we go to Ernie's?” I suggested. “I'm craving a burger, and I bet you could do with some pizza.”

  “Nuh huh,” Emma said, shaking her head. “I want mac 'n cheese.”

  I hummed in response. “Ernie does a great mac 'n cheese, doesn't he?”

  Emma nodded vigorously, and I had to smile.

  We headed over to the diner and took a seat at one of the empty tables. Ernie came over after a moment, carrying two glasses of water. “Hey Eric,” he said. From the sly look on his face, I had to wonder what he was up to. “Did Olivia already dump you?”

  I gaped at him. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Ernie shrugged nonchalantly. “It's just that Olivia was seen heading out of town with Buck yesterday morning, and they didn't come back until just a little while ago.”

  I felt a stab of hurt, but I tried not to let it show. “I know Olivia had a wedding to get to yesterday,” I said. “Maybe her car broke down.”

  “Maybe,” Ernie agreed, but he was still smirking. “Girl must get around. But then, you know those city girls.”

  I shrugged. “It's none of my business if she and Buck are together,” I told him. “She and I weren't dating or anything. Like I said, I was just over at her place that one night so that I could get Emma's dolly.”

  Ernie rolled his eyes. “That's not the only time you and Olivia hung out, though, is it?” he persisted.

  “Ernie, I suggest that you shut your mouth if you don't know what you're talking about,” I snapped. I gave a pointed look at Emma, who was looking back and forth between the two of us, looking upset. I knew I shouldn't bicker with Ernie, especially not in front of the young girl, but I couldn't help but be offended by what Ernie was saying.

  Ernie held up both hands. “All right, man,” he said. “Whatever you say.” He flipped open his notepad and pulled a pencil from behind his ear. “What can I get the two of you to eat?”

  I spent the rest of the day stewing, even though I knew I should let it go. Ernie didn't know what he was talking about; there was no point being upset with him. Even if Olivia was doing something with Buck, that was her decision. Anyway, I shouldn't be this upset about it; Georgia had already warned me that Olivia and Buck had kissed.

  But it bothered me, and I was angrier than I should have been. That night, I hired a high-schooler to come over and babysit Emma for a few hours. Then, I went over to Olivia's place, pounding on the front door until she answered. I knew I shouldn't be there, but I couldn't help myself.

  When she opened the door, she looked surprised. She was also mostly naked, clad only in an oversized T-shirt. There was nothing beneath the shirt, either, if the way her perky nipples showed through the fabric was any indication. I swallowed hard and dragged my eyes back up to hers. It wouldn't do to be caught ogling her now; I wanted to have a serious talk with her.

  “Hey, what's up?” she asked. “Is everything okay with Helen?”

  “Am I interrupting something?” I asked bitterly, wondering if Buck might be there in the house, even now.

  “No,” Olivia said, sounding surprised. “I was just baking some cookies. It's a new recipe, and I wanted to test it out before I try it with Emma next week. That is, if Emma is still going to be coming to daycare.”

  “Look, I understand if you've decided not to pursue a relationship with me, but I'd appreciate a little discretion in your future affairs. The whole town is talking right now.”

  Olivia blinked, looking confused. “What the heck are you talking about?” she asked.

  “I know that you took Buck to the wedding yesterday and that you spent the night together.”

  Olivia narrowed her eyes at me, looking frustrated. And hurt, my mind pointed out, but I didn't want to deal with the hurt right now. “If I did choose to stay with Buck last night, that's my prerogative,” she said icily. “We are both consenting adults, you realize.”

  I rolled my eyes. “We live in a small town, Olivia. I know that you and I were never anything, really, but you realize that everyone in town had leaped to conclusions after seeing my car parked in your driveway. Now, they all think that you've dumped me to move on to Buck.”

  “We were never anything?” Olivia asked, her anger faltering.

  “If we were something, you have a funny way of showing it,” I bit out. “I think I would have at least deserved the courtesy of being told that our affair was over. But instead, I had to find out from Ernie that you spent the night with Buck.”

  Olivia shook her head. “We stayed in a hotel,” she said, her tone incredulous like she couldn't believe I was upset.

  “I don't care where you stayed,” I said exasperatedly. “I still heard about it!”

  Olivia shook her head. “Buck drank at the wedding,” she said. “Open bar. He wasn't in fit shape to drive home last night, and I couldn't drive his truck since it's a manual and I've only ever driven automatic cars before. So our options were either take an expensive cab ride home or else stay in a hotel and wait until he sobered up. We chose to stay in a hotel. But nothing happened. We were in separate rooms, for crying out loud!”

  “You expect me to believe that?” I asked bitterly. “I'm upset enough about this without you lying about it.”

  “Without me lying about it?” Olivia asked, sounding incensed now. “I'm not lying. What do you want me to do? Provide the credit card receipts from the hotel? Should I call Buck and ask him to come over here and clarify things?”

  “Of course that's your answer,” I sneered. “Call Buck, see what his solution is.”

  “That's not what I'm saying!” Olivia cried. “Look, I don't know why you don't believe me, but this lack of trust is an even bett
er sign that our relationship, whatever it was, is over. If you can't even trust me with something like this, how could you trust me with anything really important?”

  I scowled at her. “We were never in a relationship,” I reminded her. “You made that very clear. What we were doing was just casual. You didn't even bother to stay exclusive.”

  “What are you talking about?” Olivia asked.

  “Georgia Witherspoon told me Harlan saw you kissing Buck right here in the daycare,” I snapped, folding my arms over my chest.

  To my surprise, Olivia folded her arms over her chest. “Oh, Georgia Witherspoon told you that, did she? Was that when she came over to your place? You weren't exclusive either, were you?”

  I snarled wordlessly. “I have zero interest in Georgia,” I spat. “She told me about what Harlan said over at Ernie's one evening. You can ask Ernie himself; I'm sure he overheard.”

  “Right, the whole town is on your side,” Olivia said, sounding surprisingly bitter. For a moment, I wondered if she was about to cry. But she took a deep breath, folding her arms over her chest and composing herself. “The only person that I've ever kissed at this house is you. Out in the backyard, the kiss that you initiated. If you don't believe that, you can go fuck yourself.”

  I stared at her, realizing suddenly that I was intensely aroused by her angry passion. Before I could help myself, I backed her into her hallway, cupping her check in my palm, tilting her head up, and kissing her soundly. The anger played in our favor, making the kiss steamy. Our teeth clashed, and our tongues fought for dominance. It was nothing like the tame kisses that we had shared in the past; this was something else entirely. And it shook me right to the core.

  I pulled back, staring heatedly at Olivia, daring her to say something. My hand was still cupping her cheek, and my eyes darted toward her lips as she licked them. I leaned back in, kissing her again, this time gentler but more insistent.