Sweet Destiny

“We’ll talk later. But it will have to be after the football games.”

“Okay.” Turning away, she retrieved her tote. Searching in the cavernous leather bag, she found the key chain and handed it to Kenyon. “The key is magnetic, so you have to put them in the right grooves for the lock to disengage.”

Kenyon extended his hand, and he wasn’t disappointed when Mia placed her smooth palm on his. Tightening his grip, he led her out of the bedroom and down the staircase to the front door. He stopped, sat on a low bench and slipped into his boots.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked Mia when she reached for her boots.

“I’m going out with you.”

“No, you’re not.” Standing, he reached for his jacket on the coatrack. “This will go a lot faster if I go by myself. What good would you be to your patients if you’re laid up after a bad fall?”

Her eyes narrowed. “What if you fall?”

Leaning down, Kenyon brushed his mouth over her parted lips. He winked at her shocked expression. “Maybe I’ll fall on purpose just to see how good a doctor you are. It will be the first time we’ll have a doctor in the family.”

Her jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”

“My cousin married your cousin, and in my book that makes us cousins.”

“Where I come from cousins don’t kiss cousins.”

Kenyon smiled. “And where I come from they do. Besides, that really wasn’t a kiss.”

Mia didn’t want to debate him. “Whatever,” she drawled.

She waited on the porch, trying to see beyond the curtain of white as Kenyon made his way gingerly down the steps and around the house to the carport. Leaning over, she noticed that the carport had been constructed to accommodate at least half a dozen vehicles and that snow had accumulated only around the tires. Thankfully her Volvo was the last one parked beside Kenyon’s black Yukon. It took all of three minutes for him to retrieve her bag and make it back to the house.

“Nice bag,” he said, handing it to her.

“Thank you.” Her parents had given her the more feminine version of the medical bag in brown crocodile with her monogram in gold as a gift when she passed the examination to earn her medical degree. A combination lock had replaced the regular key-type lock.

She headed for the kitchen, walking in and finding Selena sitting on a stool while her mother and grandmother were basting a large, fresh ham. Mia motioned to Selena to follow her.

“I’m going to give you a small paper cup. Void in the cup and then leave it on the vanity in the bathroom. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Selena held up the cup. “It’s so small.”

“I only need a few drops.”

“We’ll use the bathroom off the family room.”

Mia followed Selena into the family room. She sat down to wait on a leather sectional arranged in front of a large flat-screen television. There were club chairs with matching ottomans, floor and table lamps and a commercial popcorn machine. She glanced around the room, looking for a refrigerator that would be stocked with beer. The space wasn’t as much a family room as a man cave. Ashes in the fireplace were evidence of a recent fire.

Selena had mentioned her great-grandfather and grand father had built the house, and she wondered how many years it had taken them to complete the three-story, multi room farmhouse. There was no doubt they’d taken meticulous care in selecting the wood for the floors, staircase, banister and newel posts. They weren’t carpenters or furniture makers, but artisans. “It’s done.”

She turned to find Selena standing only a few feet away. The expectant look on her face spoke volumes. Selena wanted to be pregnant.

“I’ll be back with the results in a few minutes,” Mia said. She removed a pair of gloves from her bag and a box with a wand. She walked into the bathroom. The space contained a free-standing shower, commode, sink and vanity. Slipping on the gloves, she removed the wand, dipping it into the cup. By the time she’d emptied the remaining liquid into the toilet then rinsed and discarded the cup in a plastic-lined wastebasket, the results of the test were visible.

“Selena,” she called. “Come and look.”

With wide eyes, the pastry chef walked tentatively into the bathroom. The readout on the wand indicated she was pregnant. “I can’t believe it,” she chanted over and over. “I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly.”

Mia smiled as she placed the wand in the box, leaving it and the gloves in the basket. Together, they left the bathroom. “Do you want to know your due date?” With tears streaming down her cheeks, Selena nodded. “I need to know the first date of your last period.”

Selena mentally calculated. “November twenty-third.”

Mia reached into her bag again, this time taking out a round object that spun like a pinwheel. “November twenty-third,” she said under her breath, “would make your due date August thirtieth.” She wasn’t given time to react when Selena threw her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Selena took off running, while Mia closed her bag.

“It looks as if you’ve made someone very, very happy.”

Mia looked up to find Kenyon leaning against the carved oak door, powerful arms crossed over his chest. “It was the news she was hoping for.”

“What about you, Mia?”

“What about me?” she asked.

“Do you want children?”

An uncomfortable silence followed his query. It was the first time any man had asked whether she wanted children.

Jayden had asked her to marry him even though they’d never talked about whether either of them wanted children.

“I suppose I’d like a couple.”

“You suppose?”

“If I met someone and loved him enough to marry him, then of course I’d want to have his children.”

“Why do you make marriage sound like it’s a gift wrapped up in a neat little bow?”

“Why are you so cynical, Kenyon? Please don’t tell me you don’t believe in marriage?”

His lids lowered, the gesture hiding his innermost feelings. “I believe in marriage. In fact I tried it once.”

“What happened?”

“We weren’t as compatible as we thought we were.”

“Was she a local girl?”

Kenyon shook his head. Closing the distance between them, Mia patted his shoulder. “That’s where you went wrong. Next time you should look for someone who is geographically compatible.”

“I’ll try and remember that the next time I date a woman,” Kenyon said over his shoulder when Mia walked past him, the subtle scent of her perfume trailing in her wake.

He nodded, thinking about her response. Maybe Mia was right. If his ex-wife had been a local woman, beyond a doubt they would’ve remained married. But he was never one to dwell on the past and what wouldn’t or couldn’t be. He’d dated a number of women since his divorce, yet none were able to touch that part of him that made him want to commit. When he thought about them he was forced to admit that none were like Dr. Mia Eaton—sexy and totally unforgettable.