Page 31 of Dr. Baby Daddy

His words are a punch to my gut. My stomach turns as I lean forward and brace my forearms on my knees. As I sit there, head hanging down, I don’t know how to come back from this.

Izzy is going to hate me for just taking off and not communicating with her. She’s going to think that I’m a horrible person.

“You’re right.” I take a ragged breath and sit up taller. “But this is new.”

Victor stands and shakes his head, grabbing my phone from the little table and tossing it to me. “Nope. You don’t get to make excuses. There isn’t one good enough to explain how you’ve treated Izzy in the past few days. Call her, grovel, and then make sure that it’s never going to happen again.”

“How can I promise her something that I know might not be true?”

Victor looks like he’s ready to wring my neck. “Don’t be an idiot. You promise not to disappear on her for days without calling. You promise that you’re going to tell her if something comes up at work, and then you just keep doing that. I know you’ve never been held accountable to anyone in your life, but it’s time that changes.”

He’s right, as much as I don’t want to admit it. My nanny only cared about me to the extent that was required by her contract. My parents were in and out of my life when the mood struck them.

I’ve been on my own for so long that I’ve become a jerk when it comes to dealing with other people.

And Izzy is willing to tolerate it. She puts up with my moods.

Hell, she turns them around and makes them better.

Victor stalks over to me and taps the phone. “You’re going to call her, and you’re going to go after what you want. And you know what? If you’re not sure about Izzy, let her go. Don’t hold her back because you can’t make up your mind. She doesn’t deserve that.”

I look down at the phone as he leaves the room. Though there aren’t any missed messages or calls from Izzy, I’m sure that my absence is on her mind. With how much she cares about other people, there’s no way she isn’t worried about me.

Knowing that only makes the guilt worse.

It’s time to figure out what I really want.

I’m tired of being alone. I want to come home to a house filled with warmth and laughter. I want to walk in the door and see Izzy sitting behind her piano, playing song after song.

It still scares the hell out of me, but I know I can’t let her go.

I shift the phone from one hand to the other. My pager starts shrieking, the code for an incoming trauma flashing across the screen.

There’s a lump in my throat as the phone rings and rings. As soon as it connects, I let out the breath that I’ve been holding.

“Hey.” I’m hesitant to say any more than that. I don’t know if she’s going to forgive me or tell me where to go.

There is a part of me that doesn’t want her to forgive me. I want her to be mad and give me hell for worrying her.

Izzy clears her throat, soft music playing in the background. “Hey. How’s work?”

I nearly choke on my words. “It’s fine. Look, I’m sorry about taking off on you like I did. I’ve just had a lot going on in my head.”

“Oliver, this isn’t the kind of thing we should discuss over the phone. Why don’t you come over and we can talk?”

The pager starts shrieking again. “Can’t. I have an incoming trauma. I can come by after, though. If you’re still awake by then.”

Izzy is quiet for so long that I think she’s hung up. “Yeah. Come over. I’ll order some food in.”

“Thank you.” I stand up and slip my pager into my pocket before making my way out of the on-call room. Pages are being called overhead as I jog toward the emergency room. “I do have to go now, but I really do want to talk to you later. If it gets too late, though, send me a message.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

She ends the call as I enter the emergency room. I stuff the phone into my pocket as the doors to the ambulance bay fly open. Paramedics rush in with people on stretchers, kicking off another chaotic night.

CHAPTER 14

IZZY

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