Page 16 of Just a Little Promise

Brett, meanwhile, rubbed his fingers against his temple. “You both are making my head spin. I feel like I’m missing a crucial piece of this conversation.”

Hudson chuckled. “You’re not alone. When I left Tripp and Skye at the bar, there was no mention of knocking her up.”

Hudson was such a wise-ass, but at least the other man was able to interject some humor into the situation, and Tripp appreciated the levity.

Since their time was limited before patients started arriving, Tripp gave them a quick rundown of the conversation he’d had with Skye yesterday, along with some background about their past. And because he still had strong feelings for her, that as soon as she’d mentionedinsemination, there had been no doubt he wanted this to betheirbaby.

“Are you sure this isn’t just a way to get back into her good graces?” Hudson asked, his tone skeptical.

“Definitely not.” Tripp wasn’t surprised by the question considering his friend’s feelings on committed relationships after being burned by his ex-wife. Not that Hudson was painting Skye with that same brush, but no way would he understand Tripp’s sudden need to be the man to make Skye’s dream become a reality.

“So, what is this going to be... a business transaction?” Hudson asked as he braced his backside against the counter. “A wham, bam, thank you for your sperm, now let’s go live our separate lives while raising a child together?”

Tripp hated how impersonal that sounded, considering his feelings for Skye were anything but. “Honestly, that’s not my end goal. I want this baby, and I want Skye, too. There’s no one else I’d want to build a life and a family with. For me, they’d be a package deal.”

Not that he’d told Skye as much, because if she were aware of his intentions, he knew it would be a deal breaker. From what he’d noticed, and all she’d told him, she wasn’t mentally or emotionally ready for a committed relationship after her ex. And she would certainly have reservations about trusting the guy who’d walked away once before.

Those regrets would always haunt him, and there was nothing he could do to change the past, but he couldn’t convince her of that in the short window he had before she went through with the insemination. His only chance was to convince her he was her ideal baby daddy. Once she was pregnant, he’d have time to step up and prove he was the right man for her, too.

Brett took a drink of his coffee, considering everything Tripp had just said before replying. “I take it she’s not on board with your idea?”

“Not yet,” he admitted. “She’s been through some shit with her ex and is very guarded.”

Brett nodded. The more thoughtful of the trio, he would be the one to understand Skye’s reservations. He had married his high school sweetheart, and they’d been blissfully, happily married, until she’d died from ovarian cancer almost seven years ago, devastating him. He was raising his teenage daughter alone, had yet to date anyone seriously, and swore he’d never get married again.

The sounds of female chatter and laughter drifted from the reception area, telling Tripp the front end staff had arrived. It was time for them to get to work.

“Sounds like you have a lot to think about,” Brett said, as he refilled his coffee. “You know we’re here to listen.”Even if we can’t understand, went without saying.

“What he said.” Hudson shook his head and took his turn to refill his mug, then they all headed out of the break room.

Hudson was by his side as they started down the corridor toward their individual offices. “So, how is you being auctioned off at the charity event going to work? I mean, if this is something you really want with Skye, then dating another woman, even for an obligatory weekend, defeats your goal of being a stand-up guy.”

Yeah, Tripp had spent all Sunday afternoon wondering the same thing. “I can’t cancel. My sister-in-law would not be happy with me, which in turn would piss off my brother, Beck,” he said, stopping in front of his office. “So, I came up with an alternate plan.”

Now, he just had to hope he could persuade Skye to go along with his idea.

***

Skye was exhausted.It was Thursday afternoon, and with only two days left until the fundraiser gala, everything was coming down to the wire in terms of getting things coordinated with Future Fast Track, the charity event, and decorating and setting up the ballroom to their specifications. They also needed to make sure the Meridian did their share of marketing, as well. With Jade out on maternity leave, they’d been working long days, and even with assistants doing the grunt work, she and Lauren were still insanely busy.

But being inundated with work didn’t stop her from thinking about Tripp, his offer, or their night together. Even if she’d wanted to put those thoughts out of her head, he’d made certain to keep in touch. He’d texted her all week, all day and each night, but not once had he pressured her for any kind of answer. Instead, their messages had been light and fun and flirty. They’d discussed their days—which gave her insight into Tripp’s dedication to his job as a pediatric surgeon and showed her just how compassionate and caring he was when it came dealing with kids. They spent the time getting to know one another again, and what she learned about the man Tripp had become, she really liked... more than was wise.

When they weren’t texting, she was thinking of him, and would catch herself smiling like a schoolgirl with a crush... and that posed a problem. Because no matter how hard Skye tried to ignore her attraction to Tripp, or the flutters in her stomach that took flight every time her phone pinged with a text, it was getting increasingly harder to do. Tripp was just that charming.

“Knock, knock,” Lauren said, interrupting Skye’s distracted train of thought.

She shook her head. She should be working yet she couldn’t stop thinking about Tripp and her future. Glancing up, she smiled as her co-worker strolled into her small office carrying two iced coffee drinks.

“It’s time to take a break, and I think a shot of caffeine is in order to get us through the rest of the day. So, here you go.” Lauren set Skye’s favorite iced caramel macchiato on the desk. “Might as well enjoy that rush while you still can,” she said meaningfully.

Skye laughed, knowing her friend was alluding to her getting pregnant at some point and being deprived of caffeine. “Thank you. The adrenaline kick is much appreciated.”

She took a long sip of the cool drink, while Lauren plopped herself down in one of the chairs in front of Skye’s desk with a tired sigh. “So, have you made a decision about Tripp yet?”

Skye had told Lauren about her weekend almost as soon as she arrived at work Monday morning. After so much time alone, she felt lucky to have a girlfriend in her life again and Lauren was the one person she could really open up and talk to without feeling judged or having to hold anything back.

Though she’d gone to lunch with her brother at the beginning of the week and had been tempted to tell him about Tripp and his proposal, she hadn’t known how. Normally, she could tell Spencer anything, but her brother had never met Tripp while they’d dated. And considering how protective he was of her now, she didn’t need him hunting Tripp down and pummeling him for propositioning his baby sister.

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