Page 53 of Broken Boss Daddy

“And a lot of other things,” Grant mumbled, shifting in his seat. “But that got me thinking. The reason I wanted to be a doctor in the first place was to help people. My father only had a specific skill set, and as much as pediatrics would’ve been fulfilling, it wasn’t what was meant for me. So when the time came, I chose general surgery and have been saving people ever since.”

I took a moment to process that side of him he just revealed to me. Wondering if he knew he just broke my heart some more, I pushed down all the overwhelming emotions and asked, “So, what can this new residency do for you that can’t be done here.”

From his nervous look, I figured he knew I wasn’t going to like what he said.

“Getting into that residency program will open up more doors for my career. It’d fast track me to the top of my field without me having to sell an arm and a leg to do so.”

His career. That was what it was all about.

I felt betrayed, utterly gutted.

The three of us had become more of a family with each day that passed. Every moment Abby spent with Grant had her falling more and more in love with him. I knew my daughter and knew when she was infatuated with someone. Hell, he was even the first personIthought of when rushing to the ER again.

But what hurt the most was how deeply in love I had fallen.

Grant had me. He had my entire being, soul, and heart. There had been no doubt in my mind that we would be together, all of us.

Yet, that dream had shattered as quickly as a falling glass. Because I realized that was what we were—a fragile glass work.

Instead of telling him anything about how I truly felt, I asked, “Would you mind giving me some time alone with Abby?”

Grant opened his mouth to protest, then promptly shut it again. As he quietly pushed the chair back and stood up, I didn’t have the guts to look at him. I was afraid he would see the hurt and fear in my eyes, and there was no way I was going to influence whatever he was going to do next.

“Jessica,” he called.

“Please.” I nearly whimpered. “I promise you can have your time with her, but you need to leave now.”

Without another word, Grant made his way to the door. He trained his gaze on me. I could feel it. The minute he walked away, I grabbed Abby’s hand and squeezed my eyes shut.

Holding myself together, I spent an unhealthy amount of time wondering what life would’ve been like if Grant Adams hadn’t walked back into it.

“Mommy, look over there!” Abby shouted, pointing to a group of kids riding bikes down one street.

I wasn’t too familiar with the neighborhood as we spent little time there, except for one reason—one person.

Abby had been back to her normal self for the past couple of days. Three weeks had passed since that fateful day in the hospital, and I was grateful that her infection hadn’t turned into anything worse. Dr. Jillian was a crucial part of her recovery. I seriously considered sending her a bouquet for making sure my baby was healthy.

With her care being my main priority, I hadn’t had much time to focus on anything else. But that didn’t stop me from obsessively thinking about Grant and his unwanted news.

During the first few days of Abby being ill, I asked Grant to stay away while we got through the worst of the infection. The two of us didn’t speak a word about him leaving, all that mattered was our daughter. With the promise of daily phone calls and video chats, Grant hesitantly agreed to the distance.

What a horrible time without him it had been. That period without him was the longest we’d gone without being around each other since we met again. Not even the small time apart when he found out about Abby felt so long.

Though, if I was being honest with myself, the main reason for the separation was for me to avoid him. My feelings had been all up in the air, and they still were. I tried not to think about whether he had decided to leave yet. Although, I could only presume that a decision would have to be made pretty soon.

As much as I wanted to avoid it some more, I couldn’t. Abby was better, and she wanted to see Grant. There was very little I could deny my daughter, and her spending time with her father in case he left wasn’t one of them.

So there we were, walking around the block of Grant’s apartment because I was too chicken to see him just yet.

Abby bounced on the balls of her feet, and I knew we had to go to him soon before she got cranky. Walking up to his apartment building and finding his door, immediately my stomach felt sick with nerves.

Like an impending doom, Grant’s door grew bigger and closer with each step we took. My daughter was beside herself with excitement. I had to swallow my pride, and plaster a smile on my face for her amusement.

“Mommy, can I knock?” Abby asked, staring up at me with her puppy dog eyes.

“Sure,” I breathed out. “Go ahead.”

Excited, Abby knocked on the door and waited.

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