Page 82 of Doctorshipped
Her face shines with concern.
“No, actually, my dad is my best friend.”
“And you aren’t excited to see him?”
“I am.”
She giggles again, because I am absurd. I know I am. How can I tell her I’m not exactly looking forward to having my dad confront me about the very subject I hope to outgrow—my feelings for her?
Fiona bursts through the door, saving me from the rest of our conversation.
“Miss Jayme! You’re here!”
And just like that, life is back to normal.
That night I’m tucking Fiona in bed, her soft, drowsy eyes look up to me like I’m her hero. I’ll never tire of the way she looks at me—maybe it’s selfish, but I also work hard to make myself worthy of Fiona’s adoration.
I’d work that hard for Jayme too, some unhelpful voice in my head says.
“Miss Jayme said she was proud of me today,” Fiona says on a yawn.
I lean over, tuck Fiona’s covers around her, and smile. “She said that, did she?”
“She’s always saying things like that. She says she sees me trying. She tells me to be proud of myself.”
Another yawn. And then in a drowsy voice she says, “Miss Jayme’s amazing.”
Before my mouth consults my brain, in an almost whisper, I say, “She is.”
Fiona just smiles up at me.
“Goodnight, bug.”
“Goodnight, Daddy. I’m sure glad Grandpa’s coming this week.”
“Me too.”
“I want him to meet Miss Jayme. And I want him to meet Brooks.”
Brooks.
“I’m sure he’ll meet plenty of people. His visit will be the biggest event since the absurd corn-themed Fourth of July celebration they have around here.”
Fiona giggles. “I like Bordeaux, Daddy. Even if you don’t always like it. I just wish they had hockey.”
“We’ll get on that,” I promise. “One thing at a time.”
I know I need to consider the logistics of helping Fiona find a hockey team. Realistically, it will mean commuting to Columbus or Dayton. I’ve been putting it off while we settled in, but I know I can’t postpone it forever.
“I want Miss Jayme to see me play.”
“I’m sure she’d love that.”
I turn the light off and walk into the hallway, marveling at the fact that Jayme has seamlessly become the second most important person in my daughter’s life and heart over a matter of six or seven short weeks. And, if I’m honest, she’s taken that same rank in mine.
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GRANT
