Page 39 of Doctor Daddy

I worked my way out from under her. I tried to get her upright. She was out cold. There was no getting her up. She didn’t need to be out driving if she was this tired. I tucked the blanket that covered her legs over her body and cleared away our mess from dinner.

She was still not waking up when I tried a little later.

“Okay, beautiful. Time for bed.”

I slid my arms around her and lifted her from the couch. She leaned heavily against me. I guided her to the bedroom and got her in bed. I pulled her jeans off and tucked her in. I wasn’t about to slap her awake and make her drive home.

I watched the news and thought about her sleeping in my bed. I had only ever had her spend the night once before. She had been warm and wonderful to wake up next to. I turned the television off and headed for bed.

When I climbed into bed next to Brooke, she snuggled in against me. She sought me out even in her sleep. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. This felt too right, too perfect. This is where she belonged when she was too tired to do anything. She needed to be in my arms where I could protect her.

With the right words, and the right actions this could be how we end up. Only I didn’t know what that magic combination was. Not while she still lived at home. Not until I could tell my friend I was dating his daughter.

18

BROOKE

Irolled out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. I managed myself in spite of being sick but didn’t wake up Mark. It took me a few minutes to realize that I was in his house, sleeping in his bed.

Shit. I was going to be in so much trouble.

The last thing I remembered was watching our show. I must have fallen asleep on the couch. I had been so tired I wasn’t surprised. Why had he put me in bed instead of sending me home?

Without waking him I found my pants and my shoes and left. Maybe if I could sneak in, Mom wouldn’t know that I had come home late. I knew it was a lot of maybes, but I had to have hope. I had spent the night away without letting my parents know. Dad would be disappointed, but it was Mom who would make my life miserable.

Mom sat just inside the living room, in the dark. The second I was inside and closed the door. She said, “You’re home.” She got up and walked upstairs without saying anything else.

I thought about going to my room and going to bed, but I was already awake for the day. I made coffee but couldn’t drink it. The smell churned my stomach.

About an hour after I got home Mark texted me. “You left without waking me up.”

“Why didn’t you wake me last night? You let me sleep.” I texted back.

“I tried, but you would not wake up. Is everything okay at home?”

“Mom is pissed, but she went to bed. I won’t know how bad it is until later.”

“Let me know if you need anything.”

“A time machine!”

No longer interested in coffee and feeling icky from having slept in my clothes again, I headed upstairs and took a shower. Clean and dressed I grabbed a book and headed out to the deck. I didn’t dare leave the house again, not until I knew the reparations Mom would demand.

“If anyone asks, I fell asleep on your couch.” I texted Angela.

“Oh, did you have a little too much of a good time last night?”

“Hardly. I fell asleep on his couch, and apparently, he couldn’t wake me up. I accidentally spent the night.”

“Oh fuck.”

“Tell me about it. I think it’s time to step up my job hunt so I can afford an apartment. You want to be my roomie?”

“Have you seen what apartments cost? You need to get your MBA with me so we can afford to be roommates.”

“I’ll think about it.”

That hadn’t been the first time Angela mentioned getting an MBA. I started looking up the kinds of businesses that required an MBA, and what average salaries looked like. The numbers were much better than what I would be making if my job was full-time. But the hospital would never make my position a full-time one, not when they could get away with hiring part-time workers.

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