Page 45 of Baby for Dr. Damaged

Dad sinks into his favorite armchair with a sigh, and leans forward, resting a hand around his mug of coffee. “Jackson and Bonnie are going to stay for dinner. I thought that we could celebrate.”

“I don’t want to impose,” says Jackson. The fact that he’s staying for dinner is clearly news to him, which is amusing.

That’s just how Dad is about things.

Mom shakes her head. “I’ve been in the kitchen all day. Trust me, it’s going to be a relief to know that there will be someone to help us eat all of this. The lasagna shouldn’t take too long to finish. Does Bonnie eat lasagna?”

“Bonnie is bottomless,” says Jackson. “If it’s food, she’ll eat it.”

I add, “Bonus points if it’s got cheese.”

“I can add extra cheese to half of it,” says Mom. “I already added olives to Amanda’s.”

Jackson shoots me a look. “Olives in your lasagna?”

I laugh. The sound bubbles out of me, relieved and happy, and everything that the world should be right now. “What can I say? I know what I like.”

“It’s disgusting,” Dad says, earnestly.

I insist, “You should try some of it while you’re here. You might like it.”

Jackson makes a face, but I know for a fact that he can’t resist my batted eyelashes. The man will be trying my olive lasagna combo whether he thinks it sounds good or not. He vanishes outside to check on Bonnie and let her know what’s going on, leaving the three of us alone in the living room for a while.

Dad says, “You two seem close.”

“We are,” I say. “Jackson’s the only reason this happened. We’ve spent so much overtime at the hospital, I’m surprised that they haven’t just given us beds with our names on them.”

It’s easier to deflect things onto how much time we’ve spent together at work, at least for now. Jackson is such good friends with my father, and I don’t want to ruin that. I doubt their friendship will stay strong after Dad realizes that we’re a couple.

Dad buys it for now, nodding and saying, “I’m glad that you’ll be able to breathe a little bit more.”

Mom is quick to agree, “You need to start resting some and taking care of yourself, Amanda, before your body makes that decision for you.”

“There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done,” I say, with a shake of my head. “These are just the first steps in a long, long marathon.”

But the first steps are the most important.

My gaze catches on Jackson through the glass of the sliding door, watching him talk to Bonnie. I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.

That’s the other crucial thing: the fact that I’m not making this run on my own. Jackson’s going to be there with me for each step yet to come.

Chapter twenty-one

Jackson

Itakeabreakfrom the celebrations to go and check on Harris, rapping my knuckles against the door. The room itself is kept neat, at least on the floor, to ensure that there’s plenty of space for the wheelchair to maneuver. The walls, on the other hand, are covered in band and movie posters.

Harris calls out, “It’s open.”

“Hey, kiddo,” I say, stepping into the room. Perks of having known the family so long is that I get to call Harris affectionate nicknames, even though he hates them.

As expected, Harris makes a face. “Come on, man. Do you really have to call me that?”

“Yes,” I say, with a smile. There’s a stack of folded clothing sitting on the top of the dresser. It looks like it’s been there a while. “I do.” And then, “Still sending out the good news?”

Harris holds up his phone. “Just finished with it. How about you? When areyougoing to spill the beans?”

That catches me off guard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not—”

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