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She nodded. “It’s okay, I understand. You’re such a good man. Always stepping up to help when people need you. That’s one of the things I—” Her lips snapped shut as her eyes went wide. She blinked up at him a few times, then smiled. “That’s one of the things I love about you.”
Of all the times she could’ve chosen to use that word toward him. He didn’t deserve her admission of feelings. Not while he was holding so much back.
Her smile faltered in the awkward silence. “Anyway, you should probably get to the hospital, where you’re needed.”
Moment—lost. Opportunity—gone. Not to mention the subtle burn of being told he wasn’t needed here. Fuck. What a mess.
“Leigh—”
She shut him down by shaking her head. “It’s okay.”
No, it wasn’t. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to fix it right now. All he could do was pray for a negative result at the hospital, then get back on track with the woman patiently waiting for him to leave.
“I’ll text you in a while,” he said, moving toward the front door. “Let you know how long I’ll be gone.”
“Do what you have to do and don’t rush. I’m not going anywhere.”
He hoped to hell that was true. He’d find out soon enough.
* * *
SAM
The childbirth unit.Not somewhere he’d expected to visit again, since his sister had completed her desire for a two-child family in one shot by having twins. Visiting the hospital that day had been happy and exciting. Being an uncle rocked. The world’s best “love them and leave them” scenario.
Standing outside the secured entrance, he rolled his neck to free up some of the tension. The other “love them and leave them” scenario had come back to bite him in the ass big time. He certainly never planned to be here as a parent.
Potential parent. This could still be a false alarm. Unfortunately, it was equally possible he could be walking out of this hospital as a father.
He picked up the security phone and waited to be connected. “Hi. Sam Jacobs, here to see Michelle Sato. She asked me to come in.”
Technology did its thing, unlocking the door remotely. The sound reminded him of a jail door buzzing opening in a movie. Kind of appropriate, since everything about this moment felt like a dramatization, not his actual real life.
The corridor beyond the door, getting instructions from the nurse at the desk, walking to the designated room—all surreal. He turned the corner and entered the specified birthing suite, bringing him face-to-face with a very large dose of reality.
“Push, Michelle, push. You’re doing great.” The nurse’s position between Michelle’s legs blocked his view of the action.
Thank God. He moved off to the side of the room, out of the way and out of the sightline. But not unnoticed. The instant the contraction passed, both sets of eyes were on him.
“Sam. You came.”
And that was the problem. He came. More than once, without a condom. The potential consequences of which loomed nine-months-large in front of him.
“You’re just in time, Daddy,” the nurse—or doctor—said, pulling his attention from Michelle’s mountainous belly and sweat-soaked head.
“I’m not—” Now wasn’t the time for arguing. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“Wash your hands and put on a gown if you’re staying in the room.”
Was he staying in the room? He hadn’t spoken with this girl since that weekend in Toronto. Seeing her naked during sex nine months ago didn’t mean she’d want him witnessing the birth of her baby.
“Make a decision, Daddy. Mama here is due for another contraction in about thirty seconds.”
He met Michelle’s gaze. “It’s your call.”
“Please stay. I don’t want to be alone.”
He nodded and moved to the sink. Scrubbed and put a gown over the t-shirt Leigh had rested her head against less than an hour ago. He was still tying the strings when a sound that could’ve come from a torture victim—or an epic porn star—filled the room.
