“You alright?” she asked.
I tucked the phone back into my lab coat. “Fine. Just something I needed to do that I’d forgotten about. Anyway, regarding your question about when you will be able to leave. There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that for you, I’m thinking another day should be all we need. For the girls, on the other hand, while they’re looking healthy, the fact of the matter is that they’re still very premature. I’m going to recommend that they stay here another few days at least so we can monitor them.”
“I guess it’s not so bad if they’re going to be here with their dad.” She smiled and took my hand once more. “And… you’re probably going to want to do the paternity test soon, right?”
I shook my head. “I think we can skip that.”
She cocked her head to the side, curious. “Really? Why’s that?”
“Because of the way you reacted when I asked you to take one. There was no doubt in your voice that the kids were mine.”
Georgia smiled. “Trust me, around the time when you and I met, guys were the last thing I had time for between my writing and finishing up my Masters. Not to mention, just look at those girls. Granted, they’re less than a day old, but can’t you tell by looking at them that they’re yours?”
I thought back to those faces, how I’d felt something looking at them that I’d never felt before. In fact, it was almost too much to bear.
As I stood there, Georgia moved her hand up my arm, teasing the contours of my forearm with her fingertips.
“And there’s still the matter of us.”
My cock noticed her words, shifting a bit down below.
“You’re right. We’ve got a lot to talk about, a lot of getting to know one another.”
She smiled up at me, pleased with my words. As I gazed down at her, I couldn’t resist leaning in, planting a kiss on her cheek. She turned her head to let me do it, the softness of her skin and the scent of her hair so intense that my heart thudded in my chest.
“It’s good to see you again,” she said as I took my lips from her cheek.
“You too.”
The moment between us didn’t last for very long. My phone buzzed again, and this time I quickly reached into my coat pocket to silence it.
“You can answer,” she said. “Don’t put off your calls on my behalf.”
Wanting to change the subject, I backed up and took a seat in the lounge chair. “So, what I want to know is how I can help right now. Do you have everything for the girls? I noticed you were dropped off by your friend Haley. Just so you know, it’s clinic policy that we don’t let newborns leave unless they’ve got approved car seats.”
She nodded. “We’ve got that taken care of. But I know there’s stuff that fell through the cracks when it came to getting things ready for the girls. Maybe diapers and all that.”
I leaned forward in the chair and took her hand. “Whatever you need, just let me know. Put together a list and I can pick it all up when I’m off work. And what about lunch? We do some decent food here, but I’d be happy to grab something for you from town.”
Georgia smiled. “Thank you but Mom and Dad are going to get me something.”
Tension undid itself in my belly as it began to dawn on me that she had family and friends taking care of her. I didn’t get too much of a chance to think about it, however, before my phone buzzed in my pocket once again.
There was no putting it off. I needed to read those texts.
“I have to go,” I said. My tone came off brusque, but I had other matters to worry about. “I’ll check in with you in a bit.”
“Yeah. Sure.” The look on her face made it clear that she could tell something was wrong. No way in hell I was going to tell her about Nico and what I’d left behind in New York.
Moments later, I was in my office. By the time I sat down behind my desk, my phone was practically burning a hole in my pocket. I took a deep breath, then pulled it out. A few texts were on the screen.
Yo, kid. This is N.
Need to talk to you. Get in touch ASAP.
Not sure what the hell crawled up your ass to make you leave NYC, but I need you back right now. The family needs your help, and I didn’t put you through med school so you could drop off the face of the fucking earth whenever you please.
I had no idea what to make of the texts. When I’d left New York, I’d been sure that Nico had put it together that I’d been the one that had called the cops. But the texts gave no indication that was the case. He was asking me to come back to the city as if I’d simply popped out for a day or two to get some fresh air.