Page 38 of Silver Fox's Intern Dilemma

I leapt to my feet with joy and threw my arms around Dad's shoulders sobbing happy tears. "Oh, Daddy!" I kissed his face and squeezed him and he put his arms around me too. The paper in my hand got crinkled, and I knew he'd have to print a new one, but all of this had worked out so differently from what I expected. I'd have to thank Maylin for using all her "baby of the family" wiles on them.

"I love you,qian jin," he whispered.

"I love you too, baba," I told him, and then I raced into the living room, but when I realized I didn’t have a car, I returned. "Baba, can I use your car? I need to go to the hospital and get my purse and phone. I need to call Jack."

Dad scowled but handed me his keys, and I squealed again and hugged him one last time. Then I ran to his car and climbed in. Jack was never going to believe how this all worked out. And I prayed to God—if there was a God—that he'd had time to think about the baby and was as happy as I was.

I didn't know what to do if he wasn't. That prayer was my only hope.

30

JACK

Iheld the phone to my ear not even believing what I just heard. Howard's voice keeps rattling off the facts, but I'm stuck on the one that just made my life so much easier.

"Wait just a second," I tell him, halting his gibberish. "Go back and say that again."

Howard chuckles and repeats what I couldn't believe the first time. "Dana has dropped the suit, Jack. It's the truth. She said she can't take Leah away from her friends and family and she believes Leah's better off with you."

I still couldn't believe it. This wasn't like Dana at all. Normally, she would use any excuse to make me look bad or hurt me, and she never once thought of what was best for Leah. "So you think she just realized she was going to lose and gave up?" I asked, and he didn't even have to agree with me because my gut told me I was right. But he did.

"Honestly, yes. I put that countersuit forward and the judge told her to cough up details about the men she was with. I think it scared her off. The good news is, she gets one weekend a month and every other holiday, and she has to provide transportation." Howard scoffed. We both knew it wouldn't happen. She'd leave and never look back, and for once, I didn'tknow if that was a bad thing. Leah would be heartbroken, but she'd be better off.

"Look, I gotta run, Howard. Just let me know when to come by and sign the papers. There's someone I need to talk to."

It was like life switched directions in a split second and things had finally started going my way. I was so happy with this turn of events, I was ready to begin submitting my resume to other hospitals and surgical centers in the city, just to make sure Sophia and I could be together. I knew how things were with her family and I needed to honor that.

"Sure thing, Jack. I'll shoot you a text when my secretary has them all typed up. Have a good evening." Howard hung up, and I shoved my phone into my pocket. The only thing on my mind was figuring out where Sophia was so I could talk to her. I assumed based on the nurse from the ER's statement that Sophia was with her parents. It would be challenging, but I could look up her personnel file and her emergency contact, which was likely her mother, and go from there.

I grabbed my keys and my jacket and rushed for the door, but as I opened it to dash out to my car, Sophia was there, almost bumping into me. I stopped dead in my tracks and braced her by a firm grip on each elbow so she didn't fall over.

"My God!" she gasped, and then she smiled.

"I'm so sorry. I almost ran you over. I was just coming to find you." I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and kiss her until her breath was gone, but she looked somewhat giddy, which wasn't at all the expression I expected.

"Jack, my gosh. I have so much to tell you." It looked like she'd been crying, but I gathered based on her happiness and the tone of her voice that they had been happy tears.

"Me too." I grinned at her and gestured at the still-open door. "Want to come in?"

"Of course," she said, wiping her tears away.

I followed her inside, unable to contain my excitement. I sat on the couch so close to her, our thighs were touching. She still seemed breathless, and the excitement was so difficult to contain, so I went first.

"Dana dropped her suit. She's still moving away, but she gave me sole custody of Leah. Do you know what this means?" I asked her, and as I did, I watched her eyes. Sophia was happy for me. I could see it in her expression. But she had her own news to share and I was being selfish.

"Jack, that's so incredible. I know how much you love your daughter?—"

My hand shot out to her stomach and I said, "My children," cutting her off. The comment brought more tears to her eyes, which when she blinked went cascading down her cheeks.

"You’re happy?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"I couldn't be happier, Sophia." I shook my head and pulled her into my arms where she wept quietly for a moment. "It wasn't in my plans, but the idea of you having my baby sounds like the perfect way to celebrate this moment."

She sniffled and held me and then sat back on the couch. "Jack… I think we should go to HR together now because?—"

"Soph," I said, cutting her off. My chest tensed and I sighed. "If we go to HR, they're going to reassign you or even fire you. Mostly likely, you'll be terminated. We waited too long." I was talking, but it was like she wasn't listening. Her smile stayed plastered on her face and I was confused. "I'll have to apply to other places, or apply to move to a different department because… Why are you smiling?"

"Jack, I want to go to HR to resign my internship." She wrung her hands in her lap nervously, but the same plastic smile on her face remained.

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