Page 50 of Doctor's Surprise Twins

I’m sure I don’t look the best. I’m wearing baggy sweatpants and a T-shirt. I’m covered in sweat, and I didn’t shave this morning, so a dark scruff is growing across my jaw. “I’m not sick,” I tell her, uncapping the bottle. “You want a drink?” I ask, moving the bottle to my lips and chugging down a large portion.

She shakes her head. “I’m fine. Ethan, what’s going on?”

“Sit down.” I motion toward the table as I walk around it, pulling out a chair and sitting.

She takes a deep breath like she’s tired of me putting off answering her questions, but she sits next to me at the table, turning her chair so she’s facing me while we talk.

I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table. I run my hands over my face, hoping to ease the stress. It doesn’t work, not that I expected it to. “I’m sorry to leave you hanging, it’s just that I finally started making a little headway here, and I didn’t want to stop or allow myself to get distracted.”

“It’s fine. I wanted to give you some time,” she says, reaching over to take my hand.

I look at our clasped hands. If I closed my eyes, this would feel right, but I never spent much time seeing how we look together. We’re complete opposites. My hand is tanned and old, with lines formed on my skin. Her hand is young and soft, and her skin is smooth and doesn’t have a single line marring it. Her thumb gently rubs my skin soothingly. She’s only looking at my face. She’s not analyzing everything or thinking about how silly we must look together.

“From the minute you told me you were pregnant, I couldn’t think of anything but the past. I heard you say those words, but all I saw was the moment whenshesaid them, and I was filled with dread all over again.”

Her brows pull together. “Is that what this is about? You think you’ll lose me like you lost her?” She squeezes my hand a little tighter. “That’s not going to happen, Ethan. I’m young and healthy. I have no worries about having a baby. I mean, not those kinds of worries.”

That’s when I realize the mistake I’ve made. Not for myself, but for her. She opened up to me, told me how she was raised, and that her one dream in life was to not become her mother. By getting her pregnant, that’s what I’ve forced her into. “Fuck, I’msorry.” I pull my hand from hers, letting my hands rest in my lap. “I’m sorry for coming along and fucking up your life. This is all my fault. You were doing just fine until you met me.”

“I know how hard this must be for you. You have a lot of baggage because of your past. Me coming into your office like that set you off. Now you’ve just been here, spiraling with nobody to stop it, but I’m here now. We can handle this.”

“You might be younger than me, but you’re obviously more mature.”

She smiles. “Why do you say that?”

“You should be pissed. You should hate me. You should be crying, screaming, and hitting me. I took your life and played with it. I derailed your dreams and turned you into the one person you didn’t want to be.”

Her smile falls away. “The only way I turn into my mom is if I have this baby and have to raise it alone, if I’m struggling to care for it and myself. Is that what you’re trying to tell me? That you’re not going to step up and be a father?”

I see the panic flare in her eyes, but she’s hit the nail on the head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t,” I breathe.

“What do you mean, you can’t?” Her eyes widen as she looks at me. “Yes, you can.” She nods. “I’m not doing this alone. I didn’t sign up for that.”

Guilt thickens my throat. “I know, and I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry and tell me you’re going to man up and be here for me and this baby.”

I take a deep breath. “I would not leave you like your mother was left.”

She breathes a sigh of relief.

“I would never let you struggle with this. That’s why I didn’t go to the hospital today. I’ve been here, preparing.”

“Preparing? How?”

“I’ve been packing. I’m signing the house over to you, and I’m going to set up a joint bank account that I’ll deposit money into weekly for you to use however you need. The house is paid off, but you’ll need to keep up with insurance, property taxes, and utilities. Plus, you’ll have a child to raise and all the stuff that comes along with that. I’ll make sure I deposit enough to cover it all. You won’t have to work if you don’t want to.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t understand.”

“I told you, Ally. I can’t do this. I can’t be a father. I can’t be the man you need, but I’ll never let you turn into your mother. You might be a single mom, but you and this baby will want for nothing. I’ll make sure you are financially taken care of until the day I die. I just need a couple more hours to finish packing, and I’ll be out of here, and the place will be yours.” I stand and grab the bottle of water. “I’m sorry for everything,” I whisper, bending slightly to press a kiss to the top of her head before I walk away.

I walk through the entryway and down the hall. I stop and look into the room that’s been closed for six years. The nursery is just as my wife left it. Once I came back from the hospital without either of them, I couldn’t stand to look at this room. I closed the door that day, and it’s stayed closed ever since. Until now. This room will finally have a child to live in it.

I turn away from the room and continue down the hallway to my bedroom. My suitcase is open on the footboard bench, half packed with the clothes I’ll need for my trip. I will have everything else shipped later. I move into the bathroom and grab my shaving kit. When I turn around, I find Ally standing in the doorway, taking in the vanity that’s been emptied.

“Where’d everything go?”

“I got rid of it. It was time,” I reply, stepping past her to move into the bedroom.

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