Page 57 of Auctioned to Dr. Daddy

Demi came to Mercy General because she was supposed to be learning from me, after all.

Watching her naturally handle a patient on her own is the best way to see what areas she needs to improve in. Demi wouldn’t be trying to do everything perfectly like she did when we were out on rounds together. It would be a much more natural occurrence.

And then the truth had come out.

The bombshell that she had dropped on Mrs. Greenhorn had spilled into the room, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

“You’re pregnant,” I say, a second time. The words seemed to weigh down on my tongue. My breath comes out in a heavy exhale. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I’m sorry,” says Demi, softly. There are tears pricking in her eyes, turning them glittering and glossy.

“That’s not— I didn’t ask that. Why didn’t you say anything to me? Up on the roof, you could have— I thought that the only thing going on was the farm!” I tell her, making a broad gesture with one hand. It strikes me that we’re just in the hallway of the cardiac ward, that anyone could come by.

The thought of having to share this moment with anyone else, even if it’s just the nurses, makes that pit in my chest open up even wider.

I grab her by the hand and tug, not hard, just enough to get her following me.

“We can’t do this here,” I hiss, through my teeth. The words come out sharper than I mean for them to. It’s just the shock of the situation that’s doing it. I’m struggling to wrap my head around it all. “We need to talk, just not here.”

“Okay, I’m coming. You’re right. We need to talk.” Demi tugs her hand away from me but keeps pace. She’s staring at the ground the whole time we walk, letting me lead the way down toward the elevator. I slam on the button, trying to make sense of the twisting in my chest. The doors slide open.

As soon as we step into them, I grab Demi by the hips, shove her against the wall, and kiss her with everything that I have. She makes a muffled sound of surprise against my lips, and then melts into the kiss, tangling her hands into the front of my dark blue scrub top.

Her breath comes out in a heavy exhale, and when I pull back, there’s the prettiest blush on her face. I reach behind her and hit the button for the ground floor, but I don’t move to let more space in between us. The elevator feels safe and closed in, and gives me a chance to lean against her and kiss her again.

“We’re going to have a kid?”

“You’re not mad?” Demi asks, softly.

“Did you think I would be?” I can’t keep the surprise from my voice.

Demi glances away, and then admits, “No, I knew you wouldn’t be. I was just scared. I didn’t… I didn’t want to be a mother. And I didn’t want anything to change between us. Plus, you’ve got this whole thing with Emma going on—”

I kiss her quiet but have to pull back when we hit the second floor. Then the first. The doors slide open again. I slip my arm into the crook of hers, leading her through the lobby of the hospital just like I once led her through the lobby of the hotel when we first met at the charity auction.

Someone calls my name, but I ignore them.

The moment that we get outside, I take a sharp left and lead her around to the back side of the building.

There’s a small patch of short-cut grass here, with a picnic table and a few stone benches. Further around in the back lot, there’s a second one—places for the doctors to go when they need to feel like they aren’t cooped up in the hospital.

I sit Demi down on one of the stone benches, just like that first night, and take up the space next to her. I shift so that our legs are pressed together, pulling her hand into my lap.

“Demi, I don’t care how much this pisses Emma off,” I tell her, bluntly. It’s obvious to me that’s what she was getting at. “I’m not with Emma anymore. And I’m never going to be together with her again. You’re the one that I’m in love with.”

She blinks fast, trying to keep the tears at bay. I run my thumb over her knuckles.

“I’ve already told you that I’ll handle Emma, and I meant it. I’ll make sure that she doesn’t harass you.”

I take one hand and cup it against her cheek, trying to use the action to express all of the warmth that’s building up inside of my chest. “And you can’t understand how happy this makes me.”

“You mean it?”

“Having a child with you? God, yes. I’ve always wanted a big family,” I admit, thinking back to the early days of my marriage.

Emma had only wanted the one girl. I brought up having more kids countless times but… Life works out the way it’s supposed to, in the end. I would have had an even more difficult time leaving her if there were more kids involved. It was hard enough making that call with just Tabitha in the picture.

To finally have a chance to get that, to have this connection with Demi, to have a child with her—it’s a dream come true.

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