Page 17 of Healed Hearts

Holden’s nose scrunches up, and he turns back to Wren. “Couldn’t talk me into eating broccoli even if you covered it in chocolate.” He ends his sentence with a wink at her, and she lights up, her giggle filling the room.

After asking me about five hundred questions about our daily lives, any strange things I’ve noticed with her or her health, and all our food and drink habits, Holden turns to me. “We’re going to run some more tests. Right now, I think their focus is on autoimmune disorders and vitamin deficiencies. These types of results are pretty common with B12 and folate deficiencies.”

“What would that mean?” I ask. “That she’s not getting what she needs? Like I’m not providing for her properly?” Holden’s shaking his head before I’m even done speaking, but it doesn’t do much to stem the guilt trying to build inside me.

“No. That can be the case, but judging by the way you’re telling me she eats, that’s not likely to be the issue. We’ll know more once we get some additional blood work done.” He hesitates, looking at me for a second before asking, “Are you going to be okay today to hold her? Or do you want me to hold her and get someone else in here to do the blood draw?”

There’s no judgement in his voice. He’s simply asking a genuine question, but I feel heat creeping up my cheeks anyway. Having a panic attack in front of him was definitely not the precedent I wanted to set, but some things can’t be helped. “If you had asked me after I got done looking at—what did you call it? Doctor Google? I would have definitely been freaking out.”A soft smile spreads across his face, and my breath catches in my throat. My god, he is breathtaking. “But,” I force myself to continue. “You’ve made me feel a lot better, so I think I can handle it.”

He nods. “Okay, perfect,” he says. His face turns more serious before he drops his voice. “It’s not a bad thing if you can’t handle it. I’d imagine it would be difficult to see your daughter being poked and prodded after everything else you’ve been through.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate you saying that. As odd as it sounds, it’s actually helped to have you be the one to take care of her. I don’t know why, but…” My voice trails off.

He grins. “Well, good. Then you won’t have any problems having my back if anyone asks if you specifically requested I handle Wren’s care.”

I blink at him. “What do you mean?”

Holden chuckles softly, sounding a little embarrassed. “I may have panicked a bit when I heard you were here and told my boss that you specifically requested me to take care of Wren.”

What?Why would he do that? I stare at him, trying to figure out why he would go out of his way and lie about something like that. Truth be told, though, if I had thought about it, Iwouldhave requested him. I clear my throat. “I’m happy to keep your secret.”

He winks at me, and it damn near stops my heart. He holds his hands out to Wren, and I smile when she doesn’t even hesitate to reach for him and let him pick her up. “Let’s give you to Daddy and get you all taken care of so we can get you home. How’s that sound?” he asks her.

“More stickers?” she questions, her face serious and her eyes locked onto his.

“Yes, ma’am. More stickers, for sure.” She grins at that, clearly pleased with the prize she knows she’s about to get. He closes thedistance between us and passes Wren to me. Our hands brush as he makes the transfer, and it feels like a live wire under my skin.

His eyes flash, like he felt it too, but he steps back and says, “I’m gonna go grab the stuff I need. You all get comfortable, and I’ll be right back.”

I follow him with my eyes as he walks out of the room. Wren pats me on the chest to get my attention, and I look down at her. “I like Holden, Daddy.”

You and me both, baby girl. You and me both.

Wren is napping on my chest when I get a call from the hospital. Anxiety spikes, but I answer quickly. “Hello. This is Julian Foster.”

“Hi, Julian.”Holden.

I feel my entire body relax. “I wanted to call and let you know that Wren has a folate deficiency. I wasn’t really expecting that because of how well she eats, but I wanted to call and let you know you didn’t need to worry. Dr. Mays is sending a prescription for a supplement to the pharmacy for you. And we want you back in a week to test her levels. We want to be sure they’re rising like they should be.”

“Will you be there?” I ask, cringing immediately.

Holden giggles. Full-on fuckinggiggles. Holy fuck. My stomach swoops right as he says, “Yes, of course. Can’t let my favorite little patient go without me.” He may as well have dumped ice water on my head. Of course he doesn’t want to take care of Wren because ofme. She’s his patient. I’m a complete moron. One shared night does not make a connection—no matter how amazing it was in the moment.

“Right, of course.” I hope my voice sounds unaffected, but I’m not sure I manage.

“This is good news, Julian,” he says softly. “We’ll get her on this medication and she’ll start to feel better. You’ll have to bring her to see me when she’s back to feeling good. I’ll miss seeing you guys, otherwise.” And just like that, my stomach is flipping again. He probably doesn’t mean anything by it, though.

“Thank you so much for all your help. You’ve been wonderful with her.” And me, but I leave that part out.

“Absolutely. That’s what I’m here for. And remember, no Doctor Google. If you have questions, reach out to me.”

“Thank you,” I say again. Honestly, I sound a bit like a broken record, but I can’t help that this man scrambles my brain.

“Okay, so, I’ll let you go, and we’ll see you back next week.”

“Perfect,” I say, smiling to myself. “See you then.”

As soon as I hang up the phone with him, I call Ruby.

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