Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“Noah?” I swipe at the tears on my cheeks and stand. “W-what are you doing here?”
“I’m Grant’s anesthesiologist tonight,” he says and closes the distance between us. “When I saw his name on the board, I made sure I was on his case. I’ll be in the OR with him the entire time.”
Something about his being with my baby gives me a small sense of relief. Maybe it’s knowing that the last face Grant will see before they put him to sleep is at least one he knows.
“How is he?”
“He’s doing well.” Noah places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I gave him something to calm him down a little, and it worked like a charm. The OR nurses even have his favorite Paw Patrol theme song playing through the speakers while they get him ready.”
“Did he ask for me?”
“Of course he did, Sammy. And I told him you were on your way.”
My bottom lip quivers, and I have to swallow hard against the ball of emotion in my throat. “God, I feel awful.”
“It’s okay. He’s okay.”
I’m hugging him before I even know it’s what I’m doing. My face is pressed into his chest and soft sobs rack my lungs. “I feel horrible, Noah. I wasn’t home when it happened, and I didn’t get to see him, didn’t get to tell him I love him before they took him back.”
“That kid knows you love him,” Noah whispers into my hair. “And he knows you were doing everything you could to get here.”
“I should’ve been here.”
“Sammy,” Noah whispers and hugs me tighter. “You’re here. That’s all that matters. Kids get hurt. And unfortunately for their loving moms, sometimes it happens at the most inconvenient of times.”
“This is very inconvenient, that’s for sure.” My breath is a half snort, half sob. “If my kids are going to break their arms, they should at least have the courtesy to do it while I’m there, right?”
Noah’s smile is soft. “You chose a nanny who loves and cares for your boys. A nanny who did everything she needed to do,” he says and places one gentle finger beneath my chin, guiding my face up to meet his eyes. “And now, I’m going to do what I have to do. I promise. I’ll be with him the whole time. Grant will be okay, Sammy.” A quiet cry makes my lips quiver. Noah rubs a barely there hint of his finger over them. “When we can’t do things ourselves, we have to choose the best people to do them for us. You’ve done that.”
“Thank you.” I search his eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you right now.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
I don’t know what it is about being in Noah’s arms or staring up into his eyes, but I feel like a blanket of warmth envelops my body. The solace and relief of his presence are overwhelming and, frankly, unexpected.
It’s nearly overpowering.
Noah reaches down to swipe a few rogue tears from my cheeks, and I find myself leaning into the tenderness of his touch.
“Sammy,” he whispers, and my heart beats erratically inside my chest.
I search his eyes, and for the briefest of moments, my gaze flits down to his full lips. I’m immediately consumed with inappropriate thoughts of kissing him right now and the comfort it would bring.
I swear, his eyes run the same circuit as mine, going from my gaze to my lips. And his embrace grows tighter around my body to the point that we are as close as two people can be while hugging.
“Sammy,” he says my name again, and I can feel my face and his move closer.
And closer.
And closer.
“Sammy!” I hear my name again, but it’s from someone else’s mouth, and the tone is altogether different.
Over Noah’s shoulder, I see Gavin rushing into the room.
Before I know it, I’m stepping away from Noah, breaking whatever it was that was happening between us, and Gavin is at my side.
“Sorry it took me so long. The parking garage was packed,” Gavin apologizes, pulling me into the crook of his arm consolingly.
Noah looks at me and then at Gavin, and I kind of wish I could melt into the floor. I’m not in a relationship with either of them, and yet…there’s an incredible amount of underlying tension in the air.
“Hello,” Gavin greets, holding out his hand toward Noah while keeping me tucked firmly into his body with the other. “I’m Gavin.”
I swear, Noah’s eyes stare at Gavin’s hand on my hip for a good five seconds before he eventually shakes his hand. “Dr. Philips.”
“And I’m Sammy,” I say, hoping to break up the rhythm of my pounding heart long enough to prevent an eventual upchuck. Both men have the good grace to at least chuckle.
My son’s headed into surgery for a severely broken arm, I’m already tapped out financially, and of the two men in the room with me right now, the one I tried to kiss is not, in fact, my date.