“Gail will get everything ready and she’ll help me, so it goes fast. She’s the best.”
“I am,” Gail agreed, moving around the room to get the supplies.
“I’ll be right back. I have to get something,” I informed them and hurried to my locker. I pulled out the koala bear that had taken up residence recently. Once I had gotten him home, I’d tossed him in the washer, cleaning him of the debris that had been dumped on him in the garbage can. I’d carried him with me for a few days in case I found the girls and could give him back, but finally, I’d tossed him inside the locker after giving up. He was fluffy and smelled clean, and I knew a little girl who needed him as much as he needed her. It would help distract her while I dug that nasty wood out of her little hand.
Back in the room, Gail had everything set up. Samantha was holding Chloe, and Chloe’s arm was on the table, a small draping set up so she wouldn’t have to see what I was doing. Chloe appeared anxious, and I could see she was shaking with fear. Samantha was trying to comfort her, smoothing her curls and talking quietly. I crouched beside them.
“Before I start, I have something I think you’re going to like, Chloe.”
“What?” She sniffled.
I pulled Stitch out from behind my back. “Look who I found after you left the park.”
Instantly, her countenance changed. She reached for her beloved koala, one word escaping from her mouth. “Stitch!”
I stood and watched her love on her little bear. She petted and hugged him. Showed him to Samantha. Talked and cooed to him like a real live being.
“His ear is fixed!” she exclaimed.
“He was brave and let me stitch it,” I explained, showing her the black thread.
“Did he get a milkshake?”
“Um, no. He got a bath instead.”
“Where did you find him?” Samantha asked softly.
I leaned down close to her ear. “The garbage can. The bath was necessary.”
She grimaced. “No doubt. Once again, Dr. Taylor, thank you.”
“Ian. My name is Ian.”
“Ian,” she repeated. “Thank you, Ian.”
I straightened and addressed Chloe. “You ready, Pumpkin?”
She clutched Stitch close. “Yes.”
“Okay, then.”
“All done.”
It had gone well. The worst part was the freezing, and Chloe handled it like a champ. Gail kept her talking, and she was so happy to have Stitch back, she grimaced but didn’t move. After that, I was able to swiftly remove the deep wood, irrigate and clean the wound, and add three small dissolving stitches.
While working, I made small talk, casually asked Gail about Marv, and she took care of my problem by telling Samantha about her husband of forty years and how he liked to irritate her. She tilted her head toward me.
“This one insists he’s waiting in the wings for me, but every time I try to take him up on the offer, he finds an excuse for me to stay with Marv. I’m beginning to think he’s nothing but a tease.”
I met Samantha’s wide gaze with a wink. “Marv’s a good guy. The only person you should run off to the Bahamas with is him. I’m actually boring.”
“I doubt that,” Samantha murmured.
Before I could stop myself, the words were out. “Maybe you can find out for yourself.”
If her hands weren’t full, I was sure Gail would have clapped in glee.
I wrapped Chloe’s hand in a bandage and used a small tensor on her wrist. I looked down at Samantha’s foot as I was wrapping it.
“How’s the ankle?”
“Much better.”
“Good. The stitches will dissolve, but the hand needs to be kept bandaged and clean.”
“I’ll make sure.”
Gail looked between us and cleared her throat. “Well, Dr. Ian, your shift is over, which works out well. You can take the girls for a milkshake with no worries. No time limit.”
“Isn’t that convenient.” I smirked, knowing I had an hour left on my shift.
“Yep. We’ll give Chloe a few minutes to relax while you finish the chart, then you’re free.” She winked. “All of you are free to enjoy a milkshake together.”
I followed Gail to the door. “I know what you’re doing,” I whispered.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she replied smugly. “I got it all set up for you. Don’t blow it. Your skills are lacking, you know.”
I rolled my eyes, then glanced toward the girls. Samantha was snuggling Chloe, her head bent over, holding her tight to her chest. I couldn’t tell where she ended and Chloe began, with their bright hair so similar.
“I’ll be back,” I told them.
Samantha peeked over Chloe’s head. “We’ll be waiting.”
Those words made me smile.
I hoped I knew what I was doing too.
Samantha
Watching Chloe with Ian was fascinating. I had never seen her react to a man the way she had to him. The day we met him, when I had stumbled trying to catch up with her and had watched her run up to him, desperate to find her beloved Stitch, I was worried. He was a stranger, and she was alone with him. I had pushed through the bushes just as she flung herself into his arms. His facial expression and reaction calmed me. He was soft-spoken and kind, and I could hear every caring word he said. He wasn’t a danger to her. His reaction to my injured ankle proved that even more. His innate gentleness surrounded him.
He stood after bandaging my ankle and insisted on trying to locate Stitch. I couldn’t believe we had lost him—he had been Chloe’s constant companion since before she was two. I had bought him for her just after Alan had left us. She barely remembered her father, but Stitch was her world. I was so used to him locked on to her little backpack. His Velcro-covered paws must have given away and he got left behind. I wasn’t sure how Chloe would manage without him.
Ian questioned Chloe in a direct, calm manner. His hands were on his hips as he thought about her replies. He was tall—well over six feet—with sandy-colored hair and hazel eyes that twinkled when he laughed. An angular jaw covered in scruff set off full lips and a handsome face. His shoulders were wide, waist slim, and his smile was inviting and warm.
He seemed pretty perfect until I read that text and shut down. It hit too close to home, and once he returned with Chloe, empty-handed, I concentrated only on her. I’d already had my heart trampled on once; I wasn’t letting it happen again—and I wouldn’t allow my child to be hurt.
Except now, the teasing text explained and Ian sitting with Chloe on his lap, listening intently to her, and seeing how tender he had been with her earlier, my mind and heart were at war. When he had given her back her beloved friend, I almost wept. The rapturous joy on her face was a sight to behold. Since we’d sat down, Ian had peppered us both with questions, never rushing my answers, but obviously interested.
My mind told me not to get involved. My heart whispered this man was different.
Which one could I trust?
Ian
Over vanilla milkshakes, I had found out a lot about Samantha and Chloe.
Chloe was four. Her birthday was in the fall—only a week after her mommy’s, she informed me. Samantha preferred Sam—at least to friends. They had moved here to Grimsby last month from Toronto. “I wanted a smaller town for Chloe to grow up in,” she explained.
I was delighted to find out they lived in the same apartment complex as I did—four floors above me. Given my odd hours, it wasn’t surprising we had never encountered each other in the building.
I planned to change that.
Sam was a book editor for a publishing house. She made her own hours, and as I realized, they rivaled my own at times.
She informed me she was divorced from Chloe’s dad.
“Alan left us for a coworker,” she clarified quietly. “He told me in a text—on his way to the Caribbean with her. The divorce happened quickly, and from what I understand, so did the end of his relationship.”
/> I covered her hand on the table with mine. “No wonder Gail’s text spooked you.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I had no business being upset.”
“Is it wrong to tell you I’m glad you were? I was upset I didn’t get your number.”
She glanced at Chloe, now sitting beside me, busy coloring a picture for Stitch to show him all he had missed in the past week, talking to him in her sweet little voice.
“Are you certain of that, Ian? It’s not only me,” she asked.
I thought of how I’d felt when they walked away from me in the park. How joyful I was, despite the circumstances, that I found them today in my ER.
“I am. But maybe I should ask you the same thing. My hours here are crazy. I volunteer at the local youth shelter. I get called in at odd times. I’m paying off student loans, and I live pretty simply.” I held up my hand before she could respond. “Dating hasn’t gone well for me, to be honest. But as bad as all that sounds, I felt something in the park. Something again today when I saw you. Something that told me maybe it was time to find a new priority in my life. That maybe that priority was you and Chloe.”
She looked contemplative, then spoke low so only I could hear.
“My ex was wealthy and ignored us. Everything else came ahead of us. He walked away without a warning and blamed me for focusing on Chloe instead of him. She was then and is now my priority. She always will be. I don’t need money and a fancy place. I need the person to be present, if that makes any sense.”
“Understood.” I took a chance and leaned forward, covering her hands on the table with mine again and squeezing her fingers. “But what if we agreed to carve out a little time for us and see where that takes us? If maybe we could be present for each other?”
She glanced at Chloe.
“We can take it slow,” I insisted. “Friends.”
“Friends?” she repeated.
“Well, friends who date.” I grinned.
“Tell me, Ian,” she murmured, bending low over the table. “Does this ‘friends who date’ thing include kissing?”
I dropped my gaze to her full mouth, unconsciously licking my lips. “Lord, I hope so. I mean, if you want it to.”
“Yeah, I want,” she breathed out, bending closer. “You’re so sexy. Who wouldn’t want to kiss you?”
I grinned. She thought I was sexy. She wanted to kiss me. Date me.
What a great day.
I moved closer over the table, caught in her spell, wanting to taste her lips.
Then Chloe piped up. Loudly.
“Mommy, are you kissing Dr. Ian? Is he your boyfriend now?”
We both pulled back. I was shocked how close we had been to each other. Chloe was watching us with wide eyes. I met the curious gaze of a few colleagues. Sam blushed as she picked up her coffee cup.
“We’ll talk about it at home, Chloe,” she said.
Chloe shrugged. “It’s okay. I like him,” she replied. “So does Stitch.”
I met Sam’s embarrassed gaze with a wink. “There you have it. Approved by the koala. Guess I’m your boyfriend.”
“Oh, hush,” she responded.
But she smiled. Dimples and all.
And it was a glorious thing to see.
Chapter 3
Ian
I was nervous as I tugged on my jacket, fiddling with my shirtsleeves. I hadn’t been on a date in a long time—my schedule rarely permitted it, and I hadn’t met anyone I was remotely interested in enough to try to change it. But there was something about Samantha that made me want to change things. She captivated me. Her gentle nature and intelligence. Her laugh and sense of humor. The loving way she was with Chloe.
That was another thing on my mind. I liked kids a lot—it was one of the reasons I chose to become a pediatrician. But somehow, I had never thought of having kids of my own or being involved with someone who did. But Chloe was special. She had wormed her way into my heart as quickly as her mother did.
I only hoped I wouldn’t let them down.
I fidgeted all the way up in the elevator and had to pause before knocking on the door. I was surprised how much this evening meant to me. It felt like more than a simple date. It felt as if I was starting something important and significant in my life.
I gave my head a shake and lifted my hand to knock. I had barely lowered my arm when the door swung open and the sweetest little face peered up at me.
“Hi, Dr. Ian!”
I grinned down at her, unable to stop the surge of happiness seeing her brought me. Her wild curls bobbed around her face, and her dark eyes danced with mischievousness.
“Hello, Pumpkin. How’s the hand?”
She fluttered her fingers. “Good.” I captured her palm in mine and was pleased to see the fresh bandage over her wound. Her palm was cool and dry, and it looked as if it was healing well under the dressing.
“You’re taking Mommy on a date,” she stated as I stood.
“I am.”
“Did you bring her flowers?”
Before I could respond, Sam appeared, looking gorgeous and upset. Her hair was swept away from her face, showing off her long neck. She wore a pretty blue dress that swirled around her knees and showed off her shapely calves.
“Chloe! How many times have I told you not to open the door without Mommy there? And you never ask someone questions like that!” she scolded.
Chloe sighed with all the attitude only a four-year-old could muster and looked at her mother. “I knew it was Dr. Ian. I heard you say you could hardly wait to see him, so I waited by the door, Mommy. I was helping.”
Sam’s cheeks flushed at her words, and I grinned, knowing she was as anxious to see me as I was to see her.
“And you love flowers,” Chloe protested. “I was just asking.”
I pulled out a bouquet from behind my back. “And I was just about to give these to you.” I extended the flowers to Sam with a wink, then dropped to my knee in front of Chloe. “And these, little one, are for you.”
Her eyes widened, and she took the small bouquet from my hands, staring at it. I had seen the bunch of sweetheart roses in the shop when I went in to get flowers for Sam and couldn’t resist getting it for Chloe. She traced the edges of the little roses with her fingertip and lifted her gaze to mine.
“I never gots flowers of my own,” she whispered, looking awed.
I glanced up at Sam, who was watching us, her eyes glossy. “What a lovely gesture.” She held my gaze. “Let’s go put them in water.”
I followed them into the apartment, looking around the space. I lived in a bachelor apartment. One large room with a small bath and kitchen. It suited me since I was rarely home. Sam’s place was one of the larger apartments in the building.
“Look around,” she called. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
I took her up on the invitation, checking out the large living area. It was warm and homey, and they had a great view of the park across the street. The furniture was arranged nicely with comfortable sofas and a huge chair that looked as if it was well used. A table beside it held a pile of books, and a laptop sat on top of them. I assumed the hall to the right led to the bedrooms. I wandered into the kitchen, smiling as Chloe turned, holding out her vase.
“Look, Dr. Ian. Pretty!”
“They are,” I agreed.
“Thank you,” she said. “I love them.”
“You are welcome.” I bent and tapped her nose playfully. “You be good tonight, okay?”
She nodded her head so fast, her curls lifted. “I will.” She turned to Sam. “Can I put these in my room, Mommy?”
Sam smiled indulgently. “It’s ‘May I,’” she corrected, gently. “And yes, sweetheart, you may.”
Chloe went past me, carrying her flowers. Sam slid hers into a vase with a low sigh. She glided her finger over the petals of a lily, the same expression on her face as Chloe had had earlier.
“It’s been a long time since I got flowers, too,” she murmured. “Thank yo
u, Ian.”
I stepped closer, unable to stop myself from running a finger down her soft cheek. “You deserve pretty flowers all the time.”
Our eyes locked and held. The same feeling I had sitting across from her the other day filled my chest. The want to get closer, to feel her mouth underneath mine, grew.
“I wonder if we should reverse the order of this date,” I murmured.
She frowned. “Reverse it?”
“Maybe I could kiss you now instead of waiting until the end. Get that out of the way so we can enjoy the night, instead of sitting across from you feeling torn.”
“Torn?” she repeated.
“Torn between the fact that I don’t want the night to end, yet wishing it was over so I could know how your mouth feels with mine.”
“Oh,” she breathed, her gaze dropping to my mouth, then back up. “That would be…good.”
“I thought so.” I stepped closer, settling my hand on her hip. “Can I kiss you?”
Her lips quirked. “It’s ‘May I.’”
“Of course you may,” I said and covered her mouth with mine, teasing and light, dragging my tongue along her bottom lip. “You gonna open up for me, sweet Sammy?” I whispered against her lips.
With a soft whimper, she did, and I slid my tongue along hers for the first time. Her warm breath filled my mouth, her taste overwhelming my senses. Sweet, minty, and Sam. Addictive. And somehow, right there, I knew—I would never get enough of her. Seconds later, she was pressed against the counter of her kitchen, one leg wrapped around my hips. It was only Chloe’s voice calling for her mom that broke us apart. It let common sense seep back into my brain, pushing out the lust and desire that had swamped me.
I set her back on her feet and kissed her full mouth.
“Duty calls.”
She stared at me, her eyes wide with desire, her hand still clutching my shirt collar. I smiled at her. “It’s just the start, Sam. I promise.”
Happily Ever After Collection Page 11