Page 41 of Guarding Colton’s Witness

Ryan stepped back. “The doctor will reschedule your next treatment, Miss Colton. When there are no outside distractions.” He winked, then picked up Sam as he ran into the kitchen. “Did you brush your teeth this morning, Sam my man?”

“No.”

“Then let’s go do that.”

Matti smiled at their backs. Ryan was going to make a great father someday. Her smile fell at the thought of him kissing some faceless woman and having her babies.

Chapter 18

Ryan had a week of personal days due him, and he took three of them. It would put a burden on emergency room staff to have a doctor out, and he was sorry for that, but Matti’s and Sam’s safety was more important than his job. That was something he never expected to think, but there it was.

“I guess you need to go to work,” Matti said after breakfast.

“No, I called the administrator this morning. I’m off for three days. I’m staying here, but I need to pick up some clothes from my apartment.” Hopefully the police would have the men looking for Sam behind bars by the time he had to return to the hospital.

She put the last plate in the dishwasher, then turned and leaned back against the counter. “Are you sure? I don’t want us to interfere with your job.”

“You’re not. I had some time coming. What’s the plan for today?” Not sure what she wanted to do with it, he handed her the dishcloth he’d used to wipe down the counter.

“Sam and I are having lunch with my mother. She’s taken a liking to him. Said if none of us are going to give her a grandchild, she’ll just assign one to herself, and that appears to be Sam.”

His parents didn’t care either way if he had children or not. He’d never given that much thought since he didn’t see children in his near future, but now, looking at Matti with her sexy, messy hair and that beautiful smile on her face, he was imagining what their child would look like… If they had one. Which they weren’t, so it was ridiculous to be even picturing a little girl with blue eyes and messy hair.

“She was going to pick us up since that would be safer, but I’ll call her and tell her we’ll meet her at the restaurant. We can swing by your place either on the way to lunch or after.”

“Oh, so I’m invited?” he teased.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, silly boy.”

“Boy?” He put his mouth next to her ear. “I’m going to enjoy showing you how much of a boy I am not.”

“Promises, promises,” she said, smirking as she left him standing in the kitchen, thinking of all the ways he could show her just how much of a man he was.

He shook his head to clear the erotic movie playing in it, then gathered up his clothes from yesterday, closed himself in the bathroom, and changed.

“I’d like to make the stop at my apartment first,” he said after they were in his car. “I’d rather not be wearing yesterday’s clothes when we meet your mom for lunch.”

“Do you need new clothes?” Sam asked. “I got new clothes.”

“I know, buddy, but I don’t need any new ones.” They’d moved Sam’s car seat from Matti’s SUV to his. Maybe he should buy a car seat so they wouldn’t have to keep switching it back and forth. Not that Sam would be with them long enough to need another one. And that thought ruined his mood.

Because they made the trip to his place first, they were a few minutes late meeting Matti’s mother. Emily had chosen The Eatery for their lunch, a place he’d never been to. Actually, he’d not been to many restaurants in Red Grove since his life was long hours at the hospital, eat, sleep, rinse, repeat.

He hadn’t thought he was missing out on anything, but the time he was spending with Matti and Sam had him reconsidering; maybe there was life outside the walls of the hospital and his apartment. Maybe he wanted more. He didn’t have to spend as many hours as he did at the hospital; he just did it because he had nothing else to do. Now that he’d met Matti, he wanted to spend more time with her.

The Eatery was a quaint, upscale diner. There were deep red leather barstools at a long counter, something you’d expect in a diner. The booths were the same red leather. The floor was black-and-white marble, and the tabletops were some kind of shiny black metal. One unique feature was all the hanging plants that made one feel like they’d walked into a greenhouse. It was a pretty cool place.

“Oooooh,” Sam breathed, his little feet taking him straight to the glass-enclosed dessert case. He pressed his nose against it. “Can we get some?”

Ryan eyed the oversize cakes and the assorted pies, some of them piled high with whipped cream. He wanted some, too.

“We’ll see,” Matti said, taking his hand. “Let’s go say hi to my mom.”

Emily was already seated at a booth, and Ryan followed Matti and Sam to the table. He was surprised to see the mayor sitting across from her. Was he joining them for lunch?

“Teddy,” Matti said, leaning down and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “This is a lovely surprise. Are you having lunch with us?”

“I invited him, but our Ted is a busy, busy man and doesn’t have time for us.” Emily smiled at Ryan. “It’s nice to see you again, Ryan.”