Page 30 of Secret Baby for Dr. Grump

“Okay?”

I nod. “Okay.”

“That’s…that’s great.”

“But there are ground rules.”

This time, he eyes me warily. “What ground rules?”

“It needs to be scheduled. You can’t just show up anytime you want.”

At that, Luke looks offended. “Of course not. I was going to ask you about scheduling.”

“Okay, good.” I bite my lip, then flush when his gaze strays there. I clear my throat. “It’s just that she’s used to stability, even after we moved here. I don’t want to take that away from her.”

“I don’t, either. Anything else?”

“You can’t tell her you’re her father. Not yet.”

His eyes flash and his body stiffens, ready to argue with me. But I can see his gears turning, too, and he eventually realizes what I’m getting at. Luke tilts his head and gives me a considering look.

“You think it will affect her?”

“Yes. She’s only asked about her dad twice, and I never gave her a definite answer. All she knows is that he’s not a part of our lives. She’s still too young to find out you’re her dad after such a short time, so…”

“We ease it in. We only tell her after I spend more time with her.”

“And if she likes you.” At his look, I shrug. “That’s a factor. If she’s not comfortable, then I have to cut this off.”

His jaw clenches. I’m not going to lie, I can’t stop glancing at the hard lines. “Cutting it off is harsh.”

“Fine. Postpone, maybe. But her comfort is my priority.”

He nods, accepting that. “If all of this is supposed to discourage me…”

“I’m not trying to discourage you.” I sigh. “I’m trying to do the best for her. Riley…she’s your daughter, I know, but you have to understand that I was with her first. I know her inside out and I want only the best for her. That includes how she finds out about her father.”

“I want that, too.”

“Hmm.”

“And I’m not giving up or getting discouraged.”

He’s so stubborn. Strangely, I see some of that in Riley, too…and if I’m being honest with myself, I see a lot of Luke’s personality in Riley minus the broody, scowling persona. I can’t be too sentimental about it, though, not when I have to approach this with a clear head.

I nod. “Okay. Last thing.”

“What?”

“We have to return to our professional setup here.”

At that, he takes another step closer. “What has that got to do with anything?”

His nearness…it’s enough to take my breath away. Just last week, I was moaning his name and clinging to him while he was fucking me so thoroughly, the image embedded in my brain for nights on end. With how much I was starving for pleasure and how good he was giving it to me, I would probably have let him go on and take me in all kinds of positions, everything else be damned.

But that was before he found out my biggest secret.

“It’s everything. I don’t want whatever’s happening between us to affect this. It’s too important, Luke.” My voice softens. “She’s too important, so if we want to make this work…”

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