Page 24 of Secret Baby for Dr. Grump

“Yes.”

Luke nods. “It’s fine. I came here to check on you, not to hound you about what’s happening between us.” A smile flits in. “Now that I know there’s no emergency, I overstayed my welcome.”

“That’s not…” Just agree. Please. “It’s late. You need to get some rest.”

“You, too. So…see you tomorrow?”

I nod, relieved at the direction this is going. We will probably revisit this conversation, but I hope it will be when I’m mentally more prepared—when my mind isn’t too jumbled, and I can make a clear, concise decision. Tentatively, I return his smile.

“Yes, of course. See you tomorrow.”

He holds out his hand, a twinkle in his eye that tells me he’s not yet done figuring me out. And I’m not going to lie, it turns me on.

Then Luke sucks in a breath, his expression freezing in the blink of an eye. I give him a puzzled look.

Then I hear the small voice behind me and am rendered frozen, too.

“Mom, who is that?”

Chapter 8

Luke

The little girl has green eyes that are the exact shade as Olivia’s.

It’s the first thing that catches my eye before I notice that she’s dressed in the cutest little pajama ensemble with sheep dotting it. Then I return to her gaze, which is locked on mine and openly curious.

I open my mouth, then close it. Before I can say anything, Olivia steps back inside her house, worry etched all over her features as she approaches the girl who looks like her and kneels to the girl’s height.

“Honey, are you feeling better? Do you feel dizzy?”

The hand on the girl’s forehead immediately clues me in on what might be wrong with her, but the girl shakes her head.

“I feel better, Mom. I was really hot earlier, but Nancy took care of me.”

Olivia’s shoulders sag in relief. “Oh, good. Do you want anything? Or do you want to go back to sleep?”

Instead of answering, the girl’s eyes flicker back to me. “Who is that, Mom?”

I watch as Olivia tenses and I wait for the excuses to come. Instead, she addresses the question softly.

“This is a guest, Riley. I work with him.”

“Oh.” Those eyes don’t waver. “What’s his name?”

“Luke. My name is Luke.”

It comes out on instinct, and I don’t even know why I’m answering on behalf of Olivia. But it’s too late to take it back. The girl named Riley nods.

“Hello, Luke. It’s nice to meet you.”

It’s so polite and sweet, with a touch of sleepiness. I nod back, my throat dry. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

I appear calm and collected, but inside, I’m reeling.

She has a daughter. Olivia has a daughter and never told me, and now a million questions run through my head. Since when did she have a daughter?

Was she married? Is she divorced? Is the father still in the picture?

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