The Doctor's Fake Fiancee

by Victoria James

  Evan nodded, looking at the kid’s Spider-Man pants and shirt. “It’s late at night, and you’re sick.” He hesitated a moment and then extended his palm. His chest constricted when Christopher’s warm, small hand readily accepted his. They waited for Grace at the front door, Christopher not as chatty as his usual self.

  Minutes later he was helping Christopher into the backseat of the car while Grace locked the front door and followed them out.

  He didn’t know why, but this whole thing, helping Grace with Chris…the wedding…the kiss…this should not be something he liked. This should be making him want to run in the opposite direction. Except there was no place he’d rather be right now than with this woman and her son. He’d chalk it up to temporary insanity, get the dinosaur, and then pray things went back to normal inside his head before he got in too deep.

  …

  Fat, round drops of rain smattered against the windshield, the only sound besides the even purring of Evan’s BMW as they pulled into the parking lot of the pharmacy. Almost midnight, it was virtually deserted. Christopher had fallen asleep almost immediately, and she and Evan had talked quietly about the little things. It had felt so good to have an adult’s company. A man’s company. Evan’s.

  “I’ll run in and get the medication,” he said. A second later, she watched as he ran across the dark parking lot, the rain pelleting relentlessly. Grace turned in her seat to look at Christopher, a strange sense of comfort and insecurity at the same time entering her. How many times had she struggled, after sleepless nights and doctor’s appointments? And now, Evan was here, capable, strong, and so tender with her son? When Christopher had begged them to go, she saw the look on Evan’s handsome face. The strong lines in his perfect face had softened, and her heart had thumped painfully as she watched. And had foolishly imagined what it would be like to be Evan’s wife. She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Count to three, Grace and then remember why this will never be your reality. Evan had made it clear he was moving on to bigger and better things when his time at Chalmers’s clinic was over. And let’s face it, she was never anyone’s idea of bigger or better. Evan would be bored with her in five seconds flat. Sure, she looked better now, and for some reason they shared a mutual attraction. But that must have come from the fact that it’d been a while since he’d been with anyone, and the last woman had been a witch. She was safe for Evan. But then he’d leave and never look back. A single mom in a small town would never be enough for him.

  She jumped as the door opened, Evan sliding into the driver’s seat. He shook the rain off his hair and then looked at her, pulling out a bag. She bit her lower lip as emotion hit her, when he looked at her, shrugging as he handed her a few coloring books and a pack of markers.

  “While I was waiting for the prescription, I thought maybe Christopher would like these. I remember he likes coloring, but…” He shrugged, his voice gruff as it trailed off. Grace blinked rapidly, putting the coloring book and crayons back into the bag.

  Grace managed a wobbly smile. “He loves coloring, and he’s obsessed with cars.”

  Evan gave her a brief nod, and moments later, they were on their way to the on-ramp of the highway. He drove in silence, the only question about which exit to take. Exhaustion was slowly taking over, but she knew she wouldn’t fall asleep in the car. Ever since the accident, she had never been able to relax in a car, let alone relax enough to sleep.

  Grace sat tense in her seat as rain pummeled against the windshield, the rain making the dark road difficult to see. He reached across and captured her hand in his, its strength reassuring as it rested on the armrest between them. Evan’s competent, if not fast, driving reassured her, but she knew she wouldn’t feel completely calm until they were pulling into the parking lot of their apartment building. She breathed a sigh of relief as he exited the highway, and she quietly directed him to their apartment building. Moments later, he pulled into a parking spot of the small building. Christopher stirred in his seat, mumbling when the car stopped.

  “Christopher, honey. We’re home, okay?” she said. He gave them a sleepy smile and then just shut his eyes again.

  “I’ll get him,” Evan said softly, opening the car door.

  She followed, grabbing the bag from the pharmacy and her purse. By the time she’d climbed outside, Evan had Christopher in his arms. They hurried to the front door, Christopher’s head resting trustingly on Evan’s shoulder.

  “It’s just up two flights of stairs,” she said quietly as she led the way across the empty lobby and to the stairwell. The building didn’t have an elevator, and she’d never really minded until now. Evan looked around, and she wondered what he was thinking.

  Once inside the small two-bedroom apartment, she purposely turned on the dim hallway lamp instead of the brighter overhead lights. It was silly, but she didn’t want to reveal how little they had to Evan. “Christopher’s room is down here,” she said once they’d placed their jackets on the hooks beside the front door. Evan was still in his suit pants and shirt. He followed her silently down the hall, Christopher resting comfortably in his arms.

  She flicked on the car-shaped bedside lamp and turned down Christopher’s quilt. Evan slowly lowered the little boy onto the bed. “I want to give him a dose of penicillin before he goes to sleep for the night,” Evan whispered.

  “You got the banana one?” Chris asked, sitting up.

  Evan smiled, nodding as he poured the medication into the plastic measuring cup. He held it to Chris’s lips gently, waiting for him to swallow it all.

  “That was great, thanks,” he said, flopping back onto his pillows. “It feels good to be home. This is Charlie.” He handed Evan his green dinosaur.

  Evan turned it around, examining it. “This is a really cool dinosaur. I can see why you needed to come back and get him.”

  “Should I put that medication in the fridge?” Grace asked.

  Evan nodded, giving it to her.

  “I’ll be right back, Chris,” she said. “Do you want some water?”

  Christopher nodded. Evan sat on the edge of the bed beside Christopher and tucked him in. Once she had a glass of water filled, Grace approached Chris’s room quietly, not sure whether or not he was still awake.

  “Thanks for driving us home—Mom never would have brought me here tonight. I know the real reason my mom doesn’t drive on the highway anymore. I’m not supposed to know this, but sometimes I accidentally hear things I’m not supposed to. You know, like when adults are having a conversation, and I’m playing or something and then I just hear things they’re talking about?”

  Grace clasped her hand over her mouth. She wanted to die. How did he know all this stuff? If she walked in now, she would be humiliated. No, maybe she’d just linger in the hallway and die of mortification alone, in the dark.

  “I heard Mom talking to her friend, and she was saying that she knows she’s afraid to drive after the accident. And that she’ll work on finding the courage to drive again. Of course Mom would never tell me this. She tries to pretend she’s a superhero sometimes.” Chris shook his head.

  Tears pricked her eyes, and her sweaty hands cupped the glass of water.

  “I met a superhero once,” Chris said with a big yawn. Evan was smiling at him, and Grace’s heart squeezed at the man’s patience for her chattering son. The ibuprofen must have kicked in, because Chris’s face was looking less flushed. Evan reached out to smooth his hair, and tears pricked the back of her eyes.

  “So where did you meet this superhero?”

  “Well, when I was little, like three and a half years old, my mom was driving, and this giant truck crashed into us. And we were stuck in the car, and I was crying—because I was little and sometimes little kids do that. I couldn’t see anything; the car was filled with so much smoke. So then, all of a sudden a superhero came in and rescued us before we got all burned up. It was you! I didn’t know it then, though. But my mom said it wasn’t a superhero.” Christo
pher sat up, as though he were about to confide something huge.

  Grace held her breath.

  “Who did she say it was?”

  “She said an angel rescued us.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Grace stood in the doorway, feeling completely exposed. She didn’t dare make a sound. Evan’s back was to her, and she didn’t know whether or not he knew she stood there. Christopher’s eyes finally shut as he settled into his pillow. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, what Chris had revealed. Maybe Evan wouldn’t believe him; he’d just think it was a four-year-old’s overzealous imagination.

  “He looks a little better,” she whispered softly, still standing in the door, not wanting to approach Evan. He jumped slightly when she spoke and turned around to look at her. For the briefest, sweetest second, she saw the man that she could fall hopelessly in love with. But then he turned from her and stood, and all the reasons that could never happen infiltrated her mind again. She tread softly across the room and placed the glass of water on Christopher’s nightstand. She leaned down to kiss him lightly on the forehead, pleased that his skin felt much cooler. They walked out into the darkened corridor.

  “Fever’s down. When he wakes up, we can give him his next dose of penicillin,” he whispered. He wasn’t standing close to her, but the hallway felt small and consumed by him.

  Grace nodded.

  “I’ve got my hospital bag with a change of clothes in the car. I’m going to go grab that. I’ll sleep on the couch,” he said in a low voice.

  “Are you sure? It won’t be very comfortable. I don’t mind taking it.”

  “Grace, I’m not going to have you sleeping on the couch. I’ll be fine. Be right back.” He walked down the hallway, capable and sure. She wondered if Chris had scared him off. Who wouldn’t be scared? A single, broke woman with a kid. Chris had now painted her as a woman who had hang-ups and believed in angels.

  She didn’t move until she heard the front door close. Evan was spending the night. She quickly pulled out a spare blanket and pillow and walked into the living room. She frowned at the way the room looked. It was a clean but no-frills space. She decided not to turn on the big overhead light, opting to just let the lamp on the entryway table cast a dim glow in the room.

  The front door opened, followed by the clicking of the lock, and then Evan appeared in the doorway. She gingerly placed the pillow and blanket on the couch. Somehow it felt odd to fluff the pillow and spread out the blanket for him.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “No problem. Um, thank you for helping with Christopher and the medication—”

  “No need to thank me,” he said, his blue eyes steady on hers. She swallowed and gave a small nod. Why was everything so awkward? Oh, yeah, maybe it had something to do with the kiss. Or kisses.

  “Do you want anything? Water…?” Her voice trailed off as he shook his head. He’d turned his back and was unfolding the blanket. She wrapped her arms around herself, exhaustion finally setting in. His hair was disheveled and wet from the rain. He was standing in her living room, looking irresistibly male with five-o’clock shadow and a damp shirt that clung to him, reminding her how strong and powerful he’d felt when she’d been in his arms.

  “Good night,” she said softly walking out of the room, feeling stupid. The only time a man had been in their home, and she’d never felt more alone.

  “Grace?”

  She stopped and turned around. “Yes?”

  “Where is Chris’s father?”

  …

  He didn’t know why he should care. Well, yes, he did know, so that he could want her and have her without worrying that he was going after another man’s woman.

  “Long story,” she whispered, looking young and vulnerable. Chris’s words about Grace thinking he was an angel replayed over and over in his mind. And he didn’t know what the bigger problem was: that she still believed in angels or that she believed he was an angel. Yeah. An angel who wanted to be the CEO of private plastic-surgery clinics instead of staying in his hometown with his family.

  “How about a glass of wine? I find they go well with long stories.”

  She gave him a wobbly smile. “I think that’s a great idea. I believe I have my emergency bottle over the fridge cupboard.”

  He walked with her to the small kitchen. “Emergency, eh?”

  “You know those days where your nerves are shattered and you’re too tired to think?”

  “Hell, yes. I’ve had days like that. So my question elevates this to emergency status then?”

  She took two wineglasses out of the cupboard. “Uh, I’d say it’s pretty close. Can you get that bottle down for me?”

  “Sure.” Seconds later he was filling their glasses.

  “Thank you,” Grace said, taking a sip of wine. “Do you want to go into the other room?”

  Evan nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Grace settled on the couch beside him, a healthy dose of space between them. “So, um, Chris’s father. Where do I start?” She tried smoothing her hair down and he fought the urge to lean across the couch and tangle his fingers in it and kiss her until neither of them remembered why they weren’t a good idea.

  He waited for her to start speaking. Instead she tucked a leg under herself. Then looked into her wineglass. Then shifted again. “Grace?”

  She lifted her eyebrows innocently.

  “You stalling?”

  “You bet.”

  He laughed.

  “So…Christopher’s father…” She took a deep breath and he counted to ten. He wasn’t going to rush her. “I didn’t really have a lot of friends in high school. I didn’t really have time for that. I was always working after school to help my mother with the bills. Brian and I had a few classes together and clicked. His mom was a single mother as well, and he knew exactly everything I’d been through. I didn’t have to be embarrassed around him. He and his mom had even slept at the same shelter as we had.” She shot him a cheery smile that he knew was fake as hell. And it made him hurt for her.

  “He was always saying how he was going to make something of himself, how one day he’d make enough money to help his mom, and he’d raise a family. We shared all our dreams and in my first year of art school, I became pregnant with Chris. Neither of us could ask our parents for financial help. I dropped out of school, worked full time…and so did he. Supposedly.” Her smile was gone and he picked up the bottle of wine and refilled her glass, when he realized she was reaching for it. This Brian guy was shaping up to be a world-class ass.

  “He totally had me fooled. We shared the same values, goals, beliefs. Every Saturday morning we’d work at the youth shelter on Gerrard. Hey, you must know it. It’s so close to Toronto General.”

  Evan swallowed past the lump of inadequacy in his throat. “I, uh, am usually in a rush when I get to work, and after I’m too tired to notice anything.”

  She didn’t say anything for a second and then that light was back in her eyes. “Of course. No, I mean, you’re a doctor; of course you must be so busy. You even took the time to save us!”

  Evan realized that look, that admiring light in her eyes. And somewhere along the way, she had gotten the impression that he was a stand-up guy. Hell, maybe she looked at his brothers and thought he was the same as them. And she couldn’t have been further from the truth. He shifted on the couch.

  “So he was happy about the baby?”

  She nodded, rubbing her hands on the front of her jeans. “He was. There was no way he’d walk out on us; I was sure of that. His own father had, just like mine, so he was determined to be a good dad.”

  She took a long sip of wine before speaking again. “He’d come home every night and when we’d lie in bed at night, he’d rest his head against my stomach and talk to Christopher. He’d tell him how much he loved him, how special he was, and all the things he wanted to teach him.”

  Jeezus. Who was this guy? She stopped speaking abruptly and stood. “Grace,” he whispered, surprised b
y how hoarse his voice sounded.

  She shook her head, her back still to him. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I always cry at this point, when I remember.”

  “Because he’s gone?”

  “No. Because this is where my mother dies. And then he walked out a month later. We were months behind on our rent, and he confessed to not having a job. He actually left every day before I did and pretended to work. I had nothing. Nothing, Evan. And then Chris was born two months after that.” She hastily swiped her eyes, and he realized she was crying.

  He cursed softly. He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his legs. This was more than he expected. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five or twenty-six. Had she actually done all this alone at such a young age? With no one? He’d sensed she had an inner strength. But he hadn’t expected this. Or the undeniable respect for her that pummeled through him.

  “Yeah, I said something along those lines, too.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “Pretty pathetic right? I mean, how could I have fallen for that act? I should have known.”

  “How could you know something like that? He’s an ass. He had responsibilities. To you and his son.”

  She shot him a sad look. “I know.”

  “Does he keep in touch?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I guess all that professed love for the baby inside my stomach didn’t translate to any sort of obligation or sense of duty on his part.”

  The jerk probably wasn’t even paying a dime. “So that was it? He just left you two alone?”

  She nodded. “Yup. I was twenty-one and scared out of my mind.”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered roughly.

  “He was the first and only. And I promised myself that if I ever got involved with a man again, he would be a real man. One who had principles, one who would put us first.”

  Shit. He kept his head down and forced his features to remain calm. But he was getting in way too deep and he saw no way out. Her douche-bag ex had been her first and only. He didn’t want to know that. He didn’t want to acknowledge what that meant. Even though he suspected it before, it was now confirmed that whatever he and Grace had between them was more than just lust for her. What the hell was he going to do? How was he better than Brian? He should leave them now.