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I reach for her hand, and she doesn’t pull away this time, so I thread my fingers through hers and kiss her knuckles. Making a mental note to have Helen find the best obstetrician in the country, I silently promise to get her and our baby the best medical care money can buy. But I don’t tell her that right now because I’m not sure if she’ll view it as me overstepping, and I’m still on thin ice here. “You might have owed me a lot of things, Mel, but not that. And you can have kids, corazón. We’re having one,” I say instead.

She gives me a faint smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Chapter

Fifty-Five

NATHAN

Istep into the reception area of the veterinary office, and I’m immediately hit by the smell of wet dog. The receptionist eyes me suspiciously as I approach with a pink bakery box clutched in one hand and a takeout bag in the other. When I reach the desk, it becomes clear that she’s actually giving me the full-on stink eye. Her lip curls in a sneer. “Can I help you?”

I clear my throat. “I’m here to see Melanie.”

She rolls her eyes and calls over her shoulder, “Mel, honey, your douchebag husband is here to see you.”

Well, that explains the stink eye. A few moments later, Mel steps out of the doorway behind the receptionist, blowing her hair out of her eyes and wiping fur from her uniform. Her eyes bug out when she sees me. “Nathan. It’s you… I wasn’t…” She gapes at me.

I arch an eyebrow. “How many douchebag husbands do you have, Spitfire?”

The receptionist puts a hand over her mouth and stifles a snicker.

But Mel’s face lights up, and her smile is worth being called a douchebag in front of a room full of strangers. She sidles up to her colleague and whispers, “You can’t call him a douchebag, Cass. It’s unprofessional.”

Cass gives me once-over. “But he is though, right?”

Mel giggles, her bright green eyes fixed on mine. “Only very occasionally.”

I shake my head. This woman drives me wild, and I have fucking missed having her in my life. “Are you free for lunch any time soon, Mrs. James?”

She smirks. “Maybe in about twenty minutes. You can wait out here if you like.” She nods toward the seating area, which is full of wailing cats scratching to be removed from their boxes and dogs who either have ridiculous cones on their heads or they’re showing off that they don’t by licking their balls. All the human customers are gawking at me, the douchebag husband.

I blow out a breath. “Fine. I’ll wait.”

Mel bursts into a fit of giggles, but Cass opens the small half door that leads behind the desk. “Probably best you wait back here. Our clients adore Nurse Mel. One of them might just bite you on the ass if you sit out there.”

Glancing back at the waiting area, I’m unsure if she’s talking about the pets or their owners. I follow Mel down the hall, and she pops her head into an office. “Hey, Jake. That labradoodle came around just fine and is in recovery. Is it okay to grab my lunch now?”

“Whatever you want, Mel. Hey, I bought you some of that peppermint tea you asked for.”

She thanks him and leads me into what’s obviously their break room, stuffed with comfy chairs along with a small kitchen area. “Would you like coffee?” She examines a green box that’s sitting on the countertop. “Or peppermint tea?”

I place the bag and the box on the counter. “Whatever you’re having is fine.”

She holds up the box. “Well, we don’t have any decaf coffee in here, so I guess we’ll go with peppermint tea.” She fills an electric kettle, and I stuff my hands into my pockets because the urge to touch her whenever I’m anywhere near her is still too strong. “Did you bring us lunch?” She nods toward the bag.

“Yeah. Ham and swiss on rye.”

“That’s very sweet. Thank you.” She licks her lips and stares at the pink box. “And please tell me those are jelly donuts in there.”

“Not exactly, Spitfire.” I flip open the lid and reveal a dozen ginger cookies.

“Mmm, cookies.”

I take one out and hand it to her. “Not just any cookies. Cookies from the best bakery in all of New York.”

She takes it from me, and her fingertips brush mine, sending an electric current along my forearm. Bringing it close to her face, she inhales. “Ginger?”

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