Page 38 of Dr. Baby Daddy

Oliver snorts and squeezes my hand. “There’s not a chance in hell. I’ve played basketball with you. You could barely dribble the damn thing down the court.”

I roll my eyes and give him a flat look. “Did you really think I was going to be good? Those kids may be fighting their way through chemo, but they kicked my ass at basketball.”

Oliver smiles as he pays the worker. “Those kids really love you. I swear, I visit them on quieter nights, and they go on and on about when I’m going to bring my pretty girlfriend back in.”

“They’re great kids. I would like to see them more often, but with the show coming up soon, I’m about to get busy.”

“Me too.” Oliver picks up his darts and aims at the first balloon. He tosses the dart and it collides with the balloon. “Looks like you’re going to lose.”

“Think again.” I pick up my own darts, throwing two and popping one balloon after the other. “You’re about to get busy at work?”

“A second batch of residents are coming in. The hospital thought we should be able to teach more than they already do, which means I’m going to have to pick up a couple more shifts to help train them.”

I nod as he throws his third dart. It misses a balloon and buries itself in the board. “Makes sense. Just try not to bite their heads off. You’re not the most patient person in the world, and they’re still trying to get their feet under them.”

He chuckles as I sink my last dart. “Looks like you beat me. And don’t worry, I’m not going to be awful. I hate training, but they need to be trained. I don’t want to have to work forever.”

The worker hands me down a large stuffed bear. I tuck it under one arm before we make our way over to one of the rides.

We go on one ride after the other, laughing and spinning around until we feel like we’re going to be sick. By the time we make it to the funnel cake booth, I don’t think I can spin anymore.

Oliver orders one of the strawberry funnel cakes, and we step to the side to wait. “I can’t remember the last time I had a funnel cake.”

My stomach growls as the scent of fried dough drifts on the warm breeze. “I don’t think I’ve ever had one. I didn’t get the chance to go to carnivals or fairs a lot as a kid. I had a lot of practices and recitals.”

Oliver grabs our funnel cake from the window and passes me one of the little wooden forks. “You have no clue what you’re missing out on. Me and Victor used to skip school just to come down here and have funnel cake sometimes.”

“I find it hard to picture you skipping school.” I pull off a piece of the funnel cake and pop it in my mouth. The cake melts on my tongue as I close my eyes. “This is the best thing ever!”

“I skipped a lot of high school. Not enough to not graduate, obviously, but enough that there was a worry if I was going to at one point. I didn’t want to be there, and I got my work done when I felt like it.”

I shake my head and take another bite of the funnel cake. “Nope. That still doesn’t make sense. You seem too rigid to skip school and run wild through New York.”

Oliver laughs and reaches out to swipe a bit of whipped cream from the corner of my mouth. “Believe it or not. The last place I wanted to be was school. All I wanted was to get through it and then move on with my life. If Victor didn’t force me to go with him some days, then I probably would have dropped out.”

“I used to love going to school. My parents were the kind who pushed me to follow my dreams instead of chasing the traditional route most people go down. It made going to school a little less terrible.”

“They sound like good people.”

“They are. They’ll be at the opening show, but they’re coming into town a couple days before then. You could meet them if you want.”

It feels like a massive question, one that opens a gaping chasm between the two of us. I don’t know if it’s too early to bring up meeting the parents or suggesting that we’ll still be together in a couple months.

Even though he said he did want a ticket to the opening show, it could have been something he said in passing.

Get it together, Izzy. You’ve never been the insecure girl who questions everything about her relationship.

Although, I’ve never felt quite this way about anyone else before.

Oliver smiles and tosses the paper plate from the funnel cake in the trash. “I’d like to meet them. Why don’t we go on a few more rides before heading back to that bar I brought you to?”

I lean into his side as he loops his arm around my shoulders. “Sounds great to me.”

We take off for another ride, all while my mind is spiraling.

The Brooklyn Bridge looks gorgeous against the dark sky and the bright skyline. I stretch out across the booth, glancing at the garden box filled with white roses. I lean into the cushions and sip my drink while Oliver snacks on a charcuterie plate.

“It’s a beautiful night out.” I take another sip of my drink and turn to face him. “Are you working in the morning?”

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