Page 12 of Cocky M.D.
“Right there.” He pointed, and right then, my charge showed up. He nodded at his son and said, “Bradley, I have to go now. Can you show Olivia around so that she knows the house before you get her to do something fun? And the keys to the car are in front of the door to the garage.”
Bradley felt like the only constant I had at the moment. My voice cracked as I asked, “Car?”
Johnny kissed Bradley goodbye then waved from the front door as he said, “Whichever one you choose is fine, in case you two want to go out. Bye.”
Once the door closed, my mind started to work. Bradley headed to the dining room with me, and slowly, the morning replayed in my mind like it was someone else’s life. Doctors made good money, but the house and multiple cars were next level. Maybe Bradley could explain where all of the money came from. My sisters had married well above how we’d grown up, but that hadn’t been my plan. I wouldn’t be comfortable living there. Johnny and I were absolutely not meant to be.
In real life, teachers were not beauty queens that rich guys married, and while my sisters had married well, I wasn’t blessed like them.
Chapter Four
Johnny
When the patientswere taken care of, I finally circled back to my office to start on paperwork.
I closed the door to be alone, but my gaze instantly went to the pieces of paper in my trash can that had Olivia Steel’s name on them. One had hearts. One was a rudimentary drawing of a family with Bradley, Olivia, and me.
The day before, I’d misjudged Bradley. It wasn’t just a crush on his teacher. He must have been seriously missing having a mom. No wonder I’d never had a bad parent–teacher conference since I’d put him in that school. He’d attached himself to her more strongly than I’d thought at first glance, and I’d offered hope that he would get the family he wanted.
I put the picture into my pocket as my phone rang. I glanced at the number. My parents must have just finished their breakfasts in Southern California, as it was only nine where they were. I answered and said, “Mom. Dad. How are you?”
My mother answered, “We heard from Ms. Sullivan.”
That was the last nanny. I squared my shoulders and sat up. “I don’t care. She wasn’t good to Bradley.”
“She has stellar references and convinced us that public school you’d put our only grandson in was acceptable.”
At least it wasn’t a business call, as my father normally lectured, but I sat back and said, “He was kicked out of three private schools in kindergarten, and he thrived in that school.”
She let out a small sigh like she was disappointed in me, then my father said, “We both feel you need to settle down, son, so you aren’t always so boring and out of touch.”
Settle down?That meant marriage. My father had someone in mind. I took a deep breath and shook my head. “Not this.”
My dad said, “We sent Brittney Wolfe to your house. We feel she’ll be an excellent wife.”
Once again, my wedded state was to be for the good of the billion-dollar business and not my happiness. At the hospital, no one used my family connection to build a wing. I was respected as a doctor, and people listened to my opinion. I swallowed and ignored the tension building in my neck. What Bradley had told me about Olivia floated in my mind, and I said, “Mom. Dad. What do you know about the Kingdom of Norden?”
My father said, “Excellent trading.”
My mother added, “That’s the country where the American blogger married the prince.”
Good.There were connections for business. Olivia had a reason to be acceptable in my parents’ world. I ignored the adrenaline in my bloodstream and sat up. “Yes. The new princess.”
Mom coughed, though I could imagine her squeezing my father’s hand. “I suppose they’re happy. Why?”
No beating around the bush.They intended to send a woman to me, and I hoped to cut off their plan. My heart raced. “Because I’m interested in marrying her sister Olivia.”
My mother’s voice rose. “The upstart has a sister? Is that right?”
The drawing Bradley had done crinkled in my pocket. I grabbed one of my water bottles from a drawer and said, “Yes. Olivia’s her name. Bradley adores her.”
For a moment, no one said anything, then my father broke the silence. “It would be good for business if there is a familial relationship to a trading country.”
“Right.” I massaged the back of my head as I thought, then I scooted forward in my chair. “Yes. I’m sure you and my brothers can figure out how to profit off another marriage for me that way.”
My mother asked, “So you’re serious?”
I heard someone at my office door, so I covered my mouth to say quietly, “I’ll call you with news soon once the engagement is official.”
