Daddy To Go: A Secret Baby Medical Romance

by Adams, S. C.

  “I appreciate it,” I replied. “I’m not ready for that mom speech.”

  Melody didn’t say anything. I sipped my coffee, wanting to spill over with information but waited for her to ask the questions.

  Finally, she sighed and waved her hand.

  “Go ahead. It’s obvious you want to talk about it.”

  I smiled and began, leaving out the whole sex in the doctor’s office part. That was going to stay with me. After all, rules were broken and the fewer people who knew, the safer it would be.

  When I was done, my sister stared at me blankly for several moments.

  “So, you meet some hot shot doctor who travels, and you hook up with him? And why are you so smitten about this? He’ll be gone before you even learn his middle name.”

  My heart thumped in my chest, realizing that I hadn’t really considered that fully. I kind of pushed it to the back of my mind.

  “Yes, but when you meet someone, and it’s right, you work it out.”

  Melody rolled her eyes.

  “You would think that it would be you telling me this since you’re older. Abby. Look at my face. He is playing you.”

  I scoffed, starting to get defensive.

  “He is not. You have no idea the kind of connection we have.”

  She shook her head and put her hands on the top of her book.

  “I know we live in the middle of nowhere but there are men here. Sure, they’re not great. The ones here with any sort of good 9-5 job act like they are God’s gift to women. They know that they have the pick of the litter. Meanwhile, men like Dr. Rivington don’t belong in our town. He’s a fantasy.”

  I put my hand out and pursed my lips.

  “No. You’re wrong. Ryder is different from those guys. He has lived. He has seen the world, and experienced tragedy. He wants something better from life. He has a huge heart and, like I said, there is a connection between us that is unlike anything else.”

  “And how do you know that?” Melody asked with raised eyebrows. “You have sooo much experience with relationships, Abby. You know, they’re just lining up at the door. Get real, girl! Guys are sneaky and they know just what to say. This one, he’s got the life. He’s handsome, rich, successful, and he can literally make you fall in love with him and then get the hell out of Dodge. You need to be careful with him. Just think about his motivations and whether he seems like the kind of guy that would drop that amazing lifestyle just to sit here and rot in the middle of a cow pasture.”

  I gritted my teeth. Irritation had long passed and now I was pissed. It was like Melody was allergic to being happy for me.

  “Well, I think if he wanted to hit and quit it, he would have cut this off quickly. Instead, he’s invited me to go away with him for a weekend. Just the two of us, something romantic. Why would he do that if he knew he could just have me over to his place and be done with it?”

  Melody was speechless for a moment, but only a moment.

  “No. You cannot go away with him, Abs. Seriously, that’s only going to make it worse.”

  I rolled my eyes at her and brushed the crumbs off my hands. Standing, I walked over to the sink and put my plate down. I stood there for a minute stewing.

  “I don’t know why you can’t just be happy for me. I want to go away with Ryder. How often does anything like that happen to a girl in this town? It’s so different from our boring old existence.”

  “But it’s dangerous for your emotions,” Melody snapped, turning around in her chair.

  My eyes drifted off to the window, thinking about her words.

  “When someone here goes on a date, it’s either a group date with our friends from high school, or the guy takes us to some shitty burger joint. Why would I choose greasy hell when I could have filet mignon?”

  “Because filet mignon can make you sick,” Melody replied. “Sometimes it tastes gross and you end up wishing you had just grabbed a hamburger.”

  I shook my head, but she wasn’t going to get it.

  “Well, I want to take my chance on the filet. Ryder is, at this very moment, planning a wonderful weekend getaway at some place called Breaker Villa about three hours from here. It’s on the ocean, it’s nicer than anything you or I have ever been to, and it’s just for the two of us. I’m excited about it, and I won’t let your distaste for me, or men, or whatever is your problem, dim that excitement.”

  Melody turned back to her book, sniffing.

  “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Dr. Rivington breezed into this town, money in his pockets, and he will breeze right back out the same way. He’s enjoying the fun part of a relationship, but he will never stay to see it through. He’ll leave before normal ever settles in because that’s what men like him do.”

  I stopped and stared at her for a minute, lowering my tone a bit.

  “Melody, Ryder isn’t going to do that. Not all men are like Dad.”

  I could see Melody’s shoulders stiffen and she stood up, almost knocking the chair over. Pointing her finger at me, her face twisted in anger.

  “Don’t. Don’t turn my commonsense warning into some psychobabble bullshit. I wasn’t talking about Dad. I was talking about your fake ass new boyfriend. I warned you, Abby. Don’t come crying to me when you’re left with nothing but a broken heart.”

  She huffed and stomped off. I stood there listening as she climbed the stairs and slammed the door behind her. Nothing she said was going to get to me. Melody has been a pessimist since the first moment she learned how to speak. She expects the worst from everyone, and I knew it was because our father left us. But having that mentality would keep us locked up in a mental prison forever, and I wasn’t going to let my father ruin anything else in my life.

  Besides, I wasn’t my mother and Ryder wasn’t my father. Our connection was something real and special. It was definitely meant to happen, and my sister just doesn’t get it because she’s an eternal Debbie Downer. Well, no matter how much I loved my sister, I wasn’t going to let her ruin my mood because now, I had a romantic weekend to look forward to.

  13

  Abby

  The week seemed to move at a glacial pace. I spent my days at work at the call center and my nights texting with Ryder. We met up for coffee a couple of times, but overall, he’d been busy. He wasn’t getting out of the office until six or seven each evening and then every other night he pulled duty at the Emergency Room to boot. It was hard, and he was exhausted.

  While I wanted to see him more, I knew that weekend we would be able to spend as much time together as possible. So, I hunkered down and just worked through it. At night I would read one of the hundreds of books I had on my shelves, trying to put my mind somewhere other than on him. I’d already devoured every book on that shelf, but I loved to read, especially fantasy with the damsels in distress, dragons, and deep emotional love affairs.

  It was Thursday and I was on the couch, a blanket up over me, and my comfy fleece pants and socks to keep me cozy. Sure, it was hot outside, but I liked to be warm. I leaned back and opened up the book, ready to pick-up at Chapter 7 when there was a knock on the door. I sighed and threw the blanket back.

  When I opened the door, I was greeted by my mother’s smiling face.

  “Hi sweetheart, I brought you a cookie. They gave them to us at work.”

  I stepped to the side, letting her in. “Thanks. I love to have visitors.”

  Belinda was still dressed in her work clothes, and she looked exhausted. Every time I saw her, she looked that way. I could remember very hazily a time when she looked rested but ever since my dad left, her face showed deep lines and wrinkles. She looked around and tapped her hands at her sides.

  I raised an eyebrow and moved the blanket so she could sit.

  “What’s up? You look like you have something on your mind.”

  My mom sat down on the couch, rubbing the fabric with her hand.

  “You did a nice job re-storing Grandma’s old couch. I remember laying on this when I was a
kid.”

  Plopping down next to her I grinned. My mom had given me the couch when I moved upstairs. It had been sitting in the basement since my grandmother had died. I re-upholstered it myself, and I was proud. “Thanks.”

  “So, Melody mentioned you’re going out of town this weekend,” she said nonchalantly.

  That bitch. I threw on the best irritated impression I could give.

  “Oh yeah. I was going to tell you about that.”

  Belinda shrugged.

  “No biggie. She didn’t say where or why, just that you had mentioned it in passing.”

  Ok, only half a bitch.

  “Yeah,” I replied uncaringly. “The call center has organized some sort of group training. They thought it would be best if we started working better as a team or some crap like that. And there’s some job training we have to do too.”

  Belinda nodded, with not a hint of suspicion in her tired eyes.

  “Ok. I’ve been to several team-building off-sites too. Actually, if you force yourself to interact, you can have a pretty good time. Where will you be staying?”

  I clicked my tongue. “Some corporate hotel. I don’t remember the name of it. It was one of the usual big ones.”

  My mother squinted, and I could tell I needed to give her a bit better detail then what I was. I wasn’t usually vague with her. She leaned back crossing her arms. “And what city did you say this training is taking place?”

  “I didn’t,” I chirped. “But it’s in downtown Philly.”

  She huffed slightly. “I don’t know if your car will get you there. The thing is coughing and hacking on the edge of life. You’ve taken care of her, but we all have our limitations.”

  I chuckled. “I won’t be driving. The center organized big tour buses to take us all there. I’ll have a nice relaxing ride in a comfy bus seat with air-conditioning. They took care of everything, actually. I don’t even have to worry about food.”

  I was relieved to see my mother’s shoulders lower and relax a bit. She was starting to let the suspicion fade but I had to watch what I said. I rarely ever lied to my mother, but this was one of those things that could easily start a battle. While Melody discouraged me from seeing from Ryder due to her own need to bring everyone down, my mother’s dismay would be based in fear. Fear for my heart and my reputation. Belinda didn’t know him, but I knew from the outside it seemed like a bad situation.

  That very familiar worry look started to creep onto her face. I had to act fast.

  “It’s going to be really boring, nothing to worry about at all. It’s just a bunch of training sessions, and then dinners with my co-workers. Most of the dinners are right there in the hotel too. I won’t even have to brave downtown Philadelphia. But yes, I will take my mace just in case.”

  There was a small sigh of relief.

  “Right. Good. I was going to suggest that. Cities can be dangerous. I do have to warn you though, usually these dinners offer alcohol. And when the dinner is over people always like to go out and see wherever they are staying. I don’t mind if you have a drink, but don’t go wild. Getting drunk like that can be a recipe for disaster. You work with these people, but you don’t know them, not really. People worked with Ted Bundy before he was found out.”

  I raised an eyebrow and my mother shook her finger at me. “Don’t give me that look Abby, bad things happen to girls who get drunk at corporate events.”

  Without thinking I laughed and then straightened my face.

  “Mom, you know I don’t drink, unless its wine with you on your birthday. Besides, I’m only twenty, so I can’t even get into a bar.”

  Belinda nodded and patted my leg.

  “I know you’re a good girl, Abby. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t bad people out there. And no matter what a company says about your free time, you are still under scrutiny. More than one woman has lost her job at a corporate training session because things got out of hand. I just don’t want to see you suffer the same fate. You know they are harder on women than men. A little youthful excitement could ruin everything you’ve been working so hard for, and you don’t deserve that. You deserve a good life.”

  I took a deep breath, thankful that I had a mother that loved me that much. She truly cared about my wellbeing. It actually kind of made me feel guilty for lying to her, but the conversation would have been totally different if she knew I was going away with a man. Any man, much less Dr. Ryder Rivington, who was only in town temporarily. That alone would cause her to stroke out, so keeping things to myself was the best option.

  “Don’t worry, Mom,” I said. “Everything is going to turn out great, and I’ll be home and safe before you know it. Please tell me that you have tomorrow off from work.”

  The change of subject was perfect timing. “I signed up for overtime. But only for four hours Sunday morning. Then I have the rest of the day off to catch up on laundry and cleaning.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Sounds exhilarating.”

  She stood up, letting out a deep breath. “It is. It’s a nice break from the hustle of putting food on the table.” She looked down for a minute, and I saw how old she was. But then Belinda looked up again. “Well, I need to get something to eat and make sure your sister isn’t up to no good. You know teenagers.”

  Standing I embraced my mother and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and walked out, leaving me with my guilt and a cookie. I was pretty sure, though, that things would be good with Ryder. I had something that could be really amazing, and I wasn’t going to let anything come in the way of my happiness. I’ve always prioritized everyone else, and it was time I started looking out for myself.

  I knew one person that would be happy for me, and that was Mary. My friend needed to hurry her ass up so I could tell her everything before the vacation started. She was supposed to be getting back home late tonight from her family camping trip, which meant she’d be free to talk soon. She was going to freak.

  The cookie was pretty damn delicious, and I ignored the crumbs cascading down over my clothes. I took a huge bite of the thing and my cheeks puffed out as I chewed. Of course, that was the precise moment that my phone started to buzz. I grabbed it and turned on the speaker phone.

  “Hero?” I said with a full mouth.

  “What have I told you?” Mary sighed. “If you are going to suck dick, you shouldn’t answer the phone. And if you do answer the phone, fucking swallow first.”

  I smiled, gulping down the cookie. “I missed you.”

  Mary laughed. “I missed you too, bitch.”

  “Was it torture like last year?” I asked, sitting down on the couch.

  “No, not so bad,” she replied. “Mostly because I managed to sexually coerce one of the hot hippy park rangers. Every night we went frolicking naked through the land of granola and kale.”

  Giggles were erupting from my stomach. “That sounds healthy.”

  “Oh girl, he was definitely healthy,” she snarked. “So, what’s up with you and the good doctor?”

  I let out a deep breath. “Well, I went to the appointment and he asked me out on a date that night. So, we went to Vincent’s, ate, danced, and then went back to his place.”

  “Uh-huh,” she snickered, breaking out into song. “Booty time. Yeah, it’s booty time.”

  My cheeks were burning. “I stayed the night. And then, he invited me to go away with him this weekend to Breaker Villa.”

  “Whaaaat?” she squealed. “See? I told you to go to that appointment. I am a genius. If you get married, I am the maid of honor and I get my pick of the doctor groomsmen.”

  “Slow down,” I laughed. “It’s a weekend away, not a proposal. Besides, you were the first one to tell me to be careful.”

  “First?” she questioned. “Who else did you tell?”

  “Melody,” I said, scrunching my forehead.

  “Oh, good grief,” she groaned. “What did that little evil bitch say?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Basically, that Ryder’s playi
ng me and I am stupid for ever getting involved. But she didn’t tell my mother.”

  Mary chuckled. “Good old Belinda. She would do anything to keep you from going out with him. But you’re an adult now so it’s your choice. And I, for one, am all about this little tryst. Even if it isn’t forever, it’s good for you. It’s freeing.”

  “Freeing for everyone else, anxiety for me,” I replied. “What if he wants me to put a bathing suit on?”

  “Then you break out that bikini and flaunt those curves,” she replied. “He’s seen you nude on a table at the office already. I’m sure a bathing suit won’t shock and appall him.”

  “I don’t own a bikini.” My head was starting to hurt.

  Mary giggled loudly. “Oh yeah, that’s me. Sorry.”

  Shaking my head, I turned and put my feet up.

  “I guess you’re right. Ryder finds me sexy naked and clothed. I should feel free to be who I am around him. I guess I still have a nervous tendency since its all new to me. And because he has muscles for days and not an ounce of excess fat on his body.”

  “Good, he’ll need you to keep him warm in the winter,” she cracked. “And you need to shut up with all this body dysmorphia shit. You are sexy as hell with those thighs and that big booty. Thick is in girl. Thick. Is. In.”

  I smiled and leaned my head against the arm of the couch. “I missed you. You can’t leave me alone again.”

  “YOU? I was the one stuck singing songs by a fire trying to ignore my uncle’s incessant need to wear socks with sandals and bathe in insect repellent,” she scoffed. “I seriously contemplated tossing him in the bonfire and seeing just how flammable he is.”

  “You really need to stop going to these things,” I replied, rubbing my forehead. “You are becoming homicidal. It used to be suicidal.”

  “Well, I’m too amazing to die,” Mary said with a yawn. “Besides, I think my uncle is leaving his stamp collection to me. That’s like three trips to Tahiti girl. Might as well just off him now and get it over with.”

  Shaking my head, I picked up my book. “You are losing it. I’m going to go and finish this book I’m reading. I’ll text you when I leave tomorrow.”