To Have the Doctor's Baby

“Not for me. I can handle him.”

Ryleigh didn’t doubt that. She might look small, blonde, fragile and defenseless, but Avery was not an airhead, didn’t take any crap and could handle pretty much anything.

She pulled two paper plates out of the pantry and scooped a piece of pepperoni pizza onto each one. Then she carried the food into the adjacent family room and set it on the glass-topped table sitting between the green and coral floral sofa and the fireplace with wall-mounted flat-screen TV above.

“Well, I like your new look. It’s adorable and becoming. Fresh and new since I last saw you.”

“Barely four months ago when I visited you in Baltimore.”

“I know that tone.” Ryleigh followed her and sat on the couch. “You’re annoyed.”

“Yes, I am.” After filling two glasses with red wine, Avery sat beside her.

“Why?”

“Let me count the ways.” Avery held up her index finger. “First, you moved away.”

Ryleigh finished chewing a bite of pizza, but it tasted like cardboard. She knew where this conversation was headed. “You know why I had to leave.”

“I know you believed it would save your marriage, but I think we can all see how well that turned out.”

“Sounds stupid when you say it like that, but distance seemed like a good idea at the time.” She sipped her wine, but it didn’t dull the memory of how much it had hurt to leave Nick. “I know now that I was hoping he would beg me not to go. Even after I’d started the job, I had a fantasy that he’d come after me, bring me back. It was immature and naive.”

“Nope. I completely get it.” There was sympathy in her friend’s blue eyes. “I just didn’t like it.”

“That’s why I love you.”

“Really?” The annoyed tone was back. “If that were true, you’d have said something about moving back to Las Vegas. No?”

“No. When you visited, I’d just applied for the job and you know how that goes. Contact followed by weeks of waiting. An interview and more waiting. Another interview, then the field is narrowed to two and you’re on pins and needles while they try to decide, even though we all know they’re probably going to flip a coin. Heads it’s John Doe, tails it’s Ryleigh Evans.”

“I know how it works, but best friends tell each other everything.”

Ryleigh wanted to remind her that there was a big chunk of her life that Avery wouldn’t talk about, but decided not to go there. There must be a damn good reason why she didn’t talk about it, and the best friend bond respected that.

“And sometimes,” Ryleigh said, “a friend tries to spare her best friend pain. I didn’t want to get your hopes up and then have it all fall apart.”

“Okay. Totally understandable. Because my hopes would have gone stratosphere high. And I remember how hard it was to let you go. I still haven’t forgiven you for leaving.”

“You just said you understood.”

“I did and I do. But that’s different from letting you off the hook for abandoning me.”

“Well, I’m back now.”

“Yes, you are and about darn time. But why is that?” Annoyance was gone, replaced by curiosity.

“Because I’m the regional coordinator for Children’s Medical Charities.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s a really good job.”

“Totally,” Avery agreed.

“And very important.”

“You’ll get no argument from me.”

“Doesn’t feel that way,” Ryleigh pointed out. “I’m raising money for programs and equipment to help kids.”

“I know what the charity does. You’ll do a fantastic job because you’re motivated. No one loves kids more than you.” Avery finished her pizza, then tapped her lip thoughtfully. “As I recall, you were determined to have a baby before the big 3-0. How’s that going?”

This is where the best-friend bond got awkward. Confessing everything would result in Avery’s honest opinion. And most of the time Ryleigh valued that. Now? Well, no one wanted to be told they were an idiot. Or worse, crazy.

Ryleigh rolled up her empty paper plate. “Oh, you know.”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked. What’s going on? And don’t tell me nothing. This is me and I know better.”

“Power down, O’Neill. You’re right.” She sighed. “I actively looked for a job in Las Vegas after coming to the realization that Nick is the best man I know and I want him to father my baby.”

Avery blinked and stared, speechless for several moments. “The desert heat has cooked your brain cells.”

“It’s October and not hot. I think you just called me crazy.”

“No. I’d never say that. But, Ryleigh—” She shook her head. “What are you thinking?”

“That my biological clock is ticking. I don’t want to take my chances at a sperm bank, and men who are good father material don’t grow on trees. The ones I was meeting just didn’t measure up and I’m not getting any younger.”

“But Nick is your ex.”

“So? That doesn’t mean he isn’t good looking. Or smart. He’s a doctor and treats kids with breathing problems. Doesn’t get any better than that.”

“He is a tough act to follow, I’ll grant you that. But your ex?” Avery said again.

“Not being able to love me isn’t a deal-breaking biological flaw.”

Avery put her empty paper plate on the coffee table and grabbed her wineglass. “Does Nick know any of this?”

“All of it.”

“And after he requested a psych evaluation?”

“Stop calling me crazy.” But Ryleigh understood this was coming from a place of sincerity and caring.

“Did I say the ‘c’ word? It did not come out of my mouth. And don’t keep me in suspense. What was his reaction?”

In for a penny, in for a pound. “He asked me to move in with him. To make the logistics more—logistical. During my fertile time.” When her friend was quiet, she begged, “Say something, Avery.”