Page 33 of Secret Baby for Dr. Grump

I frown. “Is that safe?”

Now Olivia looks even more amused. “I mean, it’s not like we leave her alone. She has Nancy when I’m not around and the girl’s very protective.”

She’s right. I’m probably overreacting, but I can’t help that, either. I also can’t help checking Olivia out of the corner of my eye.

She’s dressed casually, her cotton shorts and plain shirt indicating that she’s not leaving the house anytime soon. I bite back a groan when I notice her lack of footwear, her bare feet tempting me to pick them up and place them over my lap. Definitely not a good idea.

Her shirt’s loose at the top, showing off her slim shoulders and the curve of her collarbone. The urge to reach out and brush my hand over it is strong, but I tamp that down, too.

“Why are you sitting here, anyway?” Wanting to keep it light, I raise a brow. “Are you trying to be near me, by any chance?”

Her cheeks flush, a light pink color that I want to kiss badly until she turns pinker. She shakes her head. “No. I would sit on the other side, but I have a feeling I’ll just end up being too watchful of you two and…I want to give you this chance. To get close to her.”

My heart squeezes. I expected her to tease me or freeze me out, but her sincere words touch a chord inside me. I look at Riley again, who’s too engrossed in the show and no longer speaking.

Then I turn back to Olivia, who, despite the close whisper, still maintains a polite distance between us.

“Thank you, Liv.”

She softens. Then she blinks and looks away, deliberately breaking the moment. I take a deep breath and focus on the screen, too, then make sure to comment when Riley does.

When the movie’s done, we pop on another one until the popcorn bowl and lemonade glasses are empty. I can tell this one isn’t Riley’s favorite, as she keeps engaging me in conversation instead.

“What kind of doctor are you?”

“I’m a neurosurgeon. I operate on people’s brains.”

Her eyes are wide as saucers. “With your sharp tools?”

My lips quirk. “Yeah. But I do it carefully so I don’t hurt them. Riley, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“I want to be a firefighter!”

I blink. “A firefighter?”

She nods enthusiastically. “So I can help put out fires. And rescue cats from trees.”

I give her an incredulous look and don’t miss the way Olivia bites her lip to keep from laughing.

“That’s…nice.”

We talk some more, her chatter endless as she flies from one random topic to another. When we get to the topic of birds, I can’t help but notice that my nerves are gone. I had no idea it would be this easy bonding with my daughter, especially when I expected her to be as reserved as Olivia is.

The ease scares me a bit, afraid that something is bound to go wrong. But I fight that negative feeling and keep the conversation flowing until Riley yawns.

“Do you take naps on weekends?”

She nods. “Sometimes. When I wake up early. I woke up early today.”

“Why?”

She brightens. “Because it’s movie day!”

God, what a bundle of joy. I watch as Olivia cajoles her to nap. “I promise we can eat the cupcakes later. Now, thank Luke for them.”

Riley looks at me. “Thanks for the cupcakes, Luke. Will you come back for another movie day?”

I glance at Olivia, then at her. I smile. “Yes. If your mom’s okay with it.”

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