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

by Henley Maverick

  A Baby for the Vet

  Boys of Rockford Series

  Henely Maverick

  Contents

  1. Kaitlyn

  2. Dean

  3. Kaitlyn

  4. Dean

  5. Kaitlyn

  6. Dean

  7. Kaitlyn

  8. Dean

  9. Kaitlyn

  10. Dean

  11. Kaitlyn

  12. Dean

  13. Kaitlyn

  14. Dean

  15. Kaitlyn

  16. Dean

  17. Kaitlyn

  18. Dean

  19. Kaitlyn

  20. Dean

  21. Kaitlyn

  22. Dean

  23. Kaitlyn

  24. Dean

  25. Kaitlyn

  Epilogue

  What to know what happens next?

  Mailing List

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2018 by Henley Maverick

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  1

  Kaitlyn

  It was just another one of those days.

  And not in a good way.

  Waking up on the wrong side of the bed wasn’t enough to encompass how I felt. It was like I’d been hit over the head with a hammer repeatedly and someone had reached inside my ribcage and squeezed my heart out.

  Okay, maybe I was being slightly melodramatic, but I was entitled to it.

  It was practically encoded into my DNA at 25 years old. After my twenties, I could no longer be dramatic and blame it on age, so I intended to enjoy it while I could. Not that I took fun for granted…

  I was a fun person, or at least I was told I was.

  I sighed as I braced both hands on either side of the table and hung my head low. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Now of all times.

  Talk about shitty timing.

  As I stared down at the floor, I got a glimpse of my shoes and vaguely noted that they were pinching my toes. I should’ve gotten a size down, but I didn’t want my feet to look smaller than they already did.

  I was considered short even for my size, and there wasn’t much I could do about that except find the highest pair of heels I could get away with wearing. Outrageously long some would say, but I loved it.

  With my long, dark chocolate, brown hair, dark eyes and short stature, people said I resembled Rachel Bilson. The actress from the OC and Hart of Dixie. I personally found it very flattering, but I didn’t think they had the nose right.

  She has a small dainty nose whereas mine was, in my opinion, entirely too big for my face. Not that there was much I could do. I lifted my head up and grimaced at the reflection of the doe-like eyes staring back at me in dismay.

  Confused.

  That was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how I felt. I breathed deeply, in through the nose, out through the mouth, just like they taught us in yoga class.

  I could use some yoga right now. I needed to relax more than anything else. Maybe a shopping trip was in order. I envisioned a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes. No, gladiator sandals dangling in front of me right now.

  I immediately began to relax as I felt the tension leave my body. Slowly, my hands unclenched, and I sighed.

  It was called retail therapy after all.

  Now, I understood why.

  That was my kind of therapy. I ran my hands over the length of my V-neck dress with a slit thigh, taking the time to marvel over the smooth fabric. It was dark red, and it hugged my body in all the right places.

  I fluffed my hair, and my heart leapt in my chest when I caught sight of my sister in the mirror, decked out in white with her veil lifted haphazardly. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and an annoyed looked plastered on her face.

  She pushed her hair out of her face. “What’s up with you, grouchy pants?”

  “I’m not grouchy,” I responded, defensively. “I’m just in a strange mood, is all.”

  “Aww, is this because your little sister is getting married?” She grinned as she nudged her shoulder against mine. “I’m not moving far away.”

  “No,” I responded, instantly. “It’s about time actually. If Knight hadn’t finally proposed, I was going to do it myself just to get it over with.”

  “It didn’t take him that long,” Tenley insisted as a tender smile immediately lifted the corners of her mouth. It made her look softer, more vulnerable, and it gave her the same kind of glow I noticed all couples who were in love had.

  Like they were both in on some state secret.

  But better.

  “It definitely did,” I corrected. “After a few months together, and the long history they shared together, it was about damn time.”

  “Stop changing the subject,” Tenley scolded. “And tell me what’s up.”

  “I thought older sisters were supposed to be the bossy ones,” I pointed out as I raised in eyebrow in amusement. “Are we role playing now?”

  “Ew, no.” Tenley wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Let’s not go there.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that.” I smacked my hand against my forehead. “Jesus, Tenley. Get your head out of the gutter. I meant I’m the older sister here, not you. So, I’m the bossy one.”

  “You aren’t acting like it. You’re acting very fishy actually,” Tenley mused. “Are you okay? Is it that guy?”

  I waved her comment away and forced a smile on my face. “No, it’s nothing really.”

  “You looked miserable sitting on that table alone. It’s definitely not nothing,” Tenley said, gently. “Come on, I’m your sister. If you can’t tell me, who else will you tell?”

  “Ley, it’s your wedding. I’m not going to ruin it.”

  “Just tell me!”

  “No.”

  “Come on!”

  “Stop it.”

  “Please!”

  “I’m pregnant,” I blurted out, and my eyes widened in surprise as I clamped my hands over my mouth.

  I watched Tenley’s eyes go as wide as saucers as she swallowed thickly. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and her mouth pressed into a thin line.

  “You’re pregnant? How the hell are you pregnant?!”

  I glanced around me in horror as I felt a flush steal across my cheeks. “Jeez, could you possibly keep your voice down, Tenley? I don’t want people to know.”

  “It’s a little late for that,” Tenley said, annoyance creeping into her tone. “And on my wedding day, no less.”

  I straightened my spine. “I told you not to push me.”

  With that, I spun on my heel and ran out of the room as fast as I could with heels on. Eventually, I took them off, and my bare feet slapped against the pavement as I inhaled a huge lungful of air.

  Why did Tenley have to stick her nose where it didn’t belong anyway?

  She always had a habit of doing that and growing older hadn’t changed a thing. If anything, it made it worse. She was constantly meddling and trying to butt in.

  Part of me understood that she had my best interest at heart, and it came from a place of love, but the other part wanted to slam the door in her face and lock it for good measure, just like I used to when we were younger.

  It wasn’t the mature thing to do, and I couldn’t get away with it as an adult, but when I was a teenager, I got a grim smug sort of satisfaction from it.

  Such a shame that I cou
ldn’t do it right now.

  Instead, I opted for running.

  I was all for fun and partying, but just right now, it was hitting me how bad of an idea this really was. Not only had I run out of my sister’s wedding, but I also hadn’t the faintest clue where I was going.

  I was just sulking outside, grumbling under my breath as I lightly jogged, my brain scrambling to catch up with my hormones.

  What the hell was I doing anyway?

  “Kait!”

  I froze and wondered which family member had been tasked with lecturing me about trying to ruin Tenley’s big day. They had the unfortunate task of facing me while I was in this mood, and there was a part of me that pitied them.

  Not wanting to be subjected to this, I took off at a sprint, and I heard the person who was sent after me huff as they tried to catch up. I grinned as my hair whipped wildly around me, and I picked up the pace.

  Suddenly, I heard the person’s footsteps gain momentum until they were right beside me. I refused to look until it was absolutely necessary, so I just kept my eyes trained ahead. I pretended that I could see the finish line, and the prize was getting away from whoever it was that was chasing me.

  Unable to bear the curiosity any longer, I turned my head to the side, and my heart sputtered in my chest when I caught sight of him.

  Dean Bennett.

  He was tall and built like a model with a chiseled physique, defined jawline, and the most piercing blue eyes I’d ever come across. I tended to forget how intense they were until I was looking directly into them.

  His blond hair was tousled to the side, looking like he’d just gotten out of the shower. I gritted my teeth and stared straight ahead as I came to a complete stop.

  We stood opposite each other panting heavily, refusing to take our eyes off each other. I eyed him carefully, wondering how my night could possibly get worse.

  Thank you, karma.

  You just decided to kick me where it hurts the most today, and I mumbled something about bad luck under my breath.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, coldly.

  “I’m looking for you,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “Well, you found me, but in case it wasn’t obvious, I don’t want to talk to you,” I responded, ice coating my every word.

  Dean flinched before he shoved his hands in his pockets and flicked his hair out of his face. “We need to talk, Kait.”

  “Stop calling me that,” I snapped. “You don’t have the right to call me that anymore. Only my friends and family can do that.”

  “Why?” His mouth turned down into a frown, and he looked genuinely puzzled.

  “You know why,” I spat back. “Look, I’m having a crappy night, and the last thing I need is for you to be here.”

  “I’ve been trying to call you,” he said, as if I hadn’t said a thing. We must’ve looked like quite the pair standing there, me with my heels dangling out of my hands. Him in his sweatpants and shirt.

  Sun and Ice.

  Fire and water.

  Complete opposites in every way.

  What was that cliché about opposites? How they attract or whatever other bullshit that sounds like it came out of a Chinese fortune cookie.

  I lifted my chin up. “I’m aware of that.”

  “Then why haven’t you been answering my calls?” Dean asked, frustration leaking into his voice. He ran his hands through his hair causing it to stick out in wild tufts.

  “You can’t seriously be asking me that.”

  My eyes narrowed dangerously as I crossed my arms over my chest and leveled him with a look that would’ve turned stone into ashes. He didn’t back down nor tear his gaze away. To his credit, he maintained eye contact.

  “I am.”

  “How dare you?!” I exploded. “You have no right to do that. We haven’t spoken in three months, and I thought that made it clear how I felt about you.”

  “How am I supposed to know if you won’t pick up the phone?”

  “When are you going to get it through your thick head that I don’t want to talk to you?! What’s it going to take?” I yelled, my voice growing higher and higher with each word until I was practically screaming at him.

  He didn’t back down when I was in front of him, chest to chest as I bristled with rage. He just regarded me calmly, and kept his mouth shut as he waited for me to finish.

  A smart choice, if you asked me.

  I glared. “Well?”

  “Well what?” he asked, dumbly.

  “What’s it going to take?” I enunciated each word separately infusing as much acid as I could into the question.

  “You have to talk me, for starters,” he responded, calmly. “Second, it’s my baby too, or have you forgotten?”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” I said, annoyance leaking into my tone.

  Of course, I hadn’t.

  “Anyways, it doesn’t matter because that won’t hold in a court of law,” I said, flippantly as I threw one last hateful look his way before I took off again leaving him in my wake.

  2

  Dean

  I swear to God, that woman drove me to insanity.

  Not in a good way.

  Not right now, in any case.

  She was the single most infuriating person I’d ever met, and I made a habit of meeting plenty. Especially in my line of work. Being a vet meant that often, I came across people who thought they knew more than I did, and who constantly questioned my methods.

  That was the problem with the internet generation.

  They thought they knew everything which made me want to sigh in exasperation and roll my eyes half the time. The other half, I just listened politely and nodded until they finished. Once they were done, I watched the smug satisfaction fade from their faces as they sobered up.

  I loved being a vet. I’d loved animals since I was little and used to find stray birds, cats and dogs to take care of. My mom used to encourage me to nurse them back to health until finally it grew into a passion, and from there, it became my job.

  But I was getting distracted.

  I was talking about Kaitlyn Alexander.

  I didn’t think it was possible for her to become even more exasperating than Charity, and she was the one who introduced us.

  I remembered that day like it was yesterday. The way Kaitlyn looked. How she felt pressed up against me, and the strange curiosity she piqued within me.

  “What took you so long?” Charity complained when I finally answered the video call, panting as I bent down to lace up my shoes.

  “What are you, my mom?” I called out as I raised an eyebrow and accidentally bumped my head against the table. I cursed as I ran my hands across the sore bump atop my head, then finally lifted it.

  My roommate, Charity was a small blonde who was more like one of the guys than an actual woman. At least, that’s how I thought of her. We had a pact where we looked out for each other and gave each other advice when it came to the opposite sex.

  It was the perfect agreement really, because I was getting insight into the inner psyche of women’s minds, and it was educational, to say the least. Charity worked as a bartender at a local bar called Spit that was a few blocks from where we lived.

  She always complained about it, but she said the pay was pretty good, so for now, she was staying.

  I squinted as I tried to focus on the image in front of me. It looked incredibly grainy with weird splotches along the sides, and I sighed as I leaned back in the chair and waited for the camera to adjust. Charity accidentally tilted the camera so that I was looking at a curvaceous brunette swaying to the music with her hair plastered to her forehead.

  I loved it when Charity played wing woman, and the brunette I was watching was exactly my type, so I decided to go down.

  “So, when are you coming?” Charity asked, raising her voice slightly, to be heard over the din of music.

  “I’ll be right down,” I promised as I shut down the laptop
and raced around the room to get dressed. I patted my jeans for my wallet, checked to make sure I had condoms then grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

  My feet hit the warm pavement, and I breathed a lungful of air as I inhaled deeply, shoving my hands in my pockets as I strolled forward towards my station.

  When I finally got there, I pushed the double doors open, and the smell immediately hit my nostrils. The place reeked of alcohol and stale sweat, but I pushed it away and tried to ignore the loud thump of music.

  I weaved in and out of the throngs of people, scanning the crowd for Charity’s familiar crown of blonde hair. I frowned as I lifted my head up, but realized she was nowhere to be found. Next thing I knew, a warm body was pressed against mine from the back, and she ran her hands across the front of my shirt.

  Awkwardly, I craned my neck and stared into a pair of unfamiliar blue eyes that were completely glazed over.

  “You are so hot,” she slurred. “Do you want to dance?”

  “Maybe some other time,” I suggested, kindly as I tried to disentangle myself from her grasp. She wouldn’t budge though, so I had to turn around and face her.

  She pouted as she gazed at me through lowered lashes. “Why not? Are you here with someone?”

  “No,” I responded. “Not exactly.”

  “Then come on,” she pleaded as she tugged on my hand, dragging me towards the dance floor. I shrugged as I decided that one little dance wouldn’t hurt anyone. I let her head lead the way, and I began to move around to the beat keeping my eyes out for Charity.

  I couldn’t see her anywhere, and what started out as something fun was quickly turning into something incredibly uncomfortable. The woman who was dancing with me was getting incredibly handsy, and she was growing bolder and bolder by the minute.