Page 136 of Aching for His Discretion

“Good morning, Dr. Amante. Hello, little baby!” she said happily, and I smiled. She was also highly respectful and courteous, and even though I told her to drop the formalities, she never did.

Handing her Silas, I grabbed my scrubs as Grayson sauntered over and purred as he rubbed her ankle with his head.

“Good morning, Katie. Milk’s in the fridge, extra is in the freezer, and Grayson has already had breakfast,” I said, and expectantly, we heard a small hiss as I had ratted out the fact that he wasn’t hungry.

As we laughed him off, I bid her goodbye as I got ready. With my hair in a ponytail, bags in hand, and a smile on my face, I headed for my car and over to the clinic.

Upon entering, I greeted the receptionist and saw Dr. Woods talking to a pregnant patient a few feet away. There was a stark contrast seeing his dark, tall exterior with light pink scrubs. It was absolutely adorable. He glanced over at me, and I smiled at the woman as I approached them.

“Good morning, Dr. Amante. I was just telling our new patient here about the privacy and safety precautions we take with high-risk patients.”

I nodded in understanding as the woman seemed a bit frightened and exposed. Whatever situation she was in, I wanted to assure her we’d be there for her.

“Of course. Please try and make yourself comfortable. I know it can be overwhelming, but we’re here for you. You can trust that our facility can provide you with an informative, compassionate, and calm atmosphere—” I began and was cut off as the front door swung open, holding Abbie as she held up her oversized water bottle before shouting as she pushed her sunglasses over her forehead into her hair.

“Rise and shine! Who’s ready to see some vaginas!?” she yelled.

The entire lobby was in utter shock.

She winced slightly as she noticed a few patients staring at her with wide eyes, and Dr. Woods muttered, shaking his head, “An informative, compassionate, and calm atmosphere… in addition to Dr. Abigail.”

Seeing the frightened woman’s shoulders loosen up as a smile came to her face, I laughed as Abbie placed her sunglasses back on and tiptoed through the lobby as the other patients giggled at her antics. Emma walked in after her as she shook her head in disappointment.

God, what would I do without them?

Waking in the middle of the night, I heard a bit of whining on the baby monitor. I let Levi lay back down as he was eager to go and assist, but I wanted to get Silas fed as he hadn’t eaten in some time. Upon reaching the room, I opened it slowly and found the nursery bathed in the soft glow of the nightlight.

To my horror, however, my baby wasn’t lying in his crib. No, his silent whimpers were being emitted from the other side of the room, and as I turned on the light with my heart racing, I was face to face with a man… who looked oddly familiar. As he was sitting in the rocking chair, I watched him caress Silas’s face as he tried to lull him back to sleep.

“To think… you all would at least have the decency to let me see my grandson. He is my only one, you know,”he said.

My head felt like spinning.No… it couldn’t be.

“Oh, where are my manners? You are my daughter-in-law, and other than the little scare I gave you a few years back with thecat, we haven’t quite met yet. My name isAntonio Amante… and since we are practicallyfamigliaat this point, you can call me Dad.”

Chapter fifty-nine

Teegan

Silas whined in the arms of Antonio, and I felt my throat close up slightly as he cradled my baby in his arms.I felt frozen. I couldn’t move. Time had essentially stood still, and my hands were growing clammy by the second.

“Don’t cry, little one… it’ll be over soon,” he whispered, and I could feel my blood pumping as my eyes stayed trained on him.

“W-whatever you want, we’ll give it to you,” I said, my voice pleading helplessly.

He shook his head. “My daughter-in-law, I’m simply here to visit my son and his family—”

“Please,” I cut him off as tears came to my eyes, and his eyes darkened slightly. I was absolutely petrified. If I’d previously thought Levi was terrifying, I would admit that his father struck a different kind of fear within me, especially as he held my baby in a tender caress—yet his eyes were absolutely murderous.

“I told you… you weren’t cut out for a lifestyle such as this. You decided to stay… you stuck it through and now you bear the consequences. You made him go soft. You made himweak. Youmade him change.You made him kill me,”he muttered, and my eyes widened slightly, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

“That is why you are so afraid, isn’t it? What, you didn’t know? While you two were on your sorry excuse of a break years ago, his therapist pushed him to get rid of what made him the way he was…to get rid of me. He was almost successful and it was amusing to let him think it for a while. But if you’re going to set a bomb in someone’s car,make sure that they’re the one that’s going to drive it—otherwise the situation will get messy for everyone involved.” He chuckled humorlessly.

I cleared my throat softly. “H-how did you find us?” I whispered.

He shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t hard, sweetheart. I will say, getting this close to you was a challenge with Levi’s security measures to ensure you’re kept safe... but I found aweakness,one that put me right inside the walls of your home,” he muttered, and I gulped softly as he stood with my baby and walked over to the closet door. Upon opening it, I gasped in horror as a body fell out and was surrounded by diapers and baby clothes that were now covered in his blood.

Looking at the man, I could barely even breathe or speak. The closer I looked, however, the more I began to hyperventilate.

---