Page 27 of Sudden Summer

The tip of Beau’s ears turned red and he shifted his stance.

“She’s getting about five ounces every four hours, give or take,” I replied.

“Thank you, Birdie, but I like to hear directly from the patient’s parents when possible. They’re the ones there full time with the child, I’m sure you can understand.”

“She might,” Beau stepped over, keeping one hand on Juniper while placing his other on the small of my back. He then wrapped it around my hip, pulling me into his side. I hid the small wince from the pull in my side as best I could, though I can’t imagine he would have even noticed with the way his eyes were locked on Marissa. “But I don’t. Do we have a problem, Dr. DeLuca?”

Marissa’s eyes went wide. “No, of course not.”

“Good. Because Birdie has been with Juniper just as much as I have. In fact, more than I have, because of some ranch business I had to take care of. So, I trust her to give you accurate information about my daughter. And I expect you’ll be able to professionally take it. Just because you saw me out with Hayes and Denver six months ago and invited yourself to sit at our table, doesn’t mean there’s anything going on between us, or that I want anything to go on between us.”

Marissa looked stunned. “Birdie should know that as medical professionals, the best, most accurate information comes from our patients. When they are this little, it’s their parents that advocate best for them.”

“And in my mind, she is one of Juniper’s parents. Are you able to accept that, or should we find someone else to care for our daughter?”

Oh God. I was going to melt into a puddle. I didn’t dare let my heart hold onto those words, they would crush me if I did.

“Yes, of course. I understand.” She cleared her throat, and then he winked at me. Again. This man was actively trying to kill me. “I’m just going to go ahead and let the nurse know she can come in for Juniper’s vaccines. Don’t forget to stop at the window on your way out. We’ll want to see Juniper back for her six-month appointment.”

“What was this check-up for? What milestone?” Beau asked.

She turned toward the door. “This will count as her four-month checkup, since that wasn’t in her records. You can have the scheduler put you in for closer to seven months if you want to wait a bit. That’s fine.”

“Thank you, Dr. DeLuca,” I said, my focus completely on the look Beau was giving me. As soon as the door closed, he started laughing.

“What?” I asked.

“You should have seen your face when she touched my arm. I thought you were going to claw her face off.”

I felt my face heating. “I don’t know what you are talking about. She was being unprofessional, and I didn’t want that for you and Juniper.”

“Did you hear that, berry girl? Birdie wasn’t staking a claim on us. Could have fooled me with the way she growled at the doctor, though.”

“I did not growl.” I laughed. “And like you were any better. I know you didn’t mean it like that, but saying you think of me like her parent, too⁠—”

Beau’s entire body went still. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I know you just said it because you know I love her, too, and I’ll always protect her.”

“No. That’s not why I said it.”

“Oh…I don’t understand.”

“Birdie. I want—” A knock at the door silenced whatever Beau was about to say to me. He took a step back, his eyes going wide as one of the nurses in the office stepped into the room.

“Alright, Juniper. You’re going to have to show Daddy how brave you are. Think you can do that?” I held on to her wiggly little foot as the color drained from Beau’s face.

Beau

“Do you know you just got, like, fifteen packages out on your porch?” Birdie chirped as she walked back through the front door. I adjusted Juniper in my arms, because, yeah, I hadn’t been able to let her go since we got home. “I thought you were feeling good about having everything Juniper needs?”

“I am. I was up that first night, and I guess I got carried away. Those are for her party,” I said like I wasn’t completely crazy. “I’m gonna make some coffee. You want to split it with me? Or I have some of that girly tea you like up in the cupboard still.”

“Girly tea, please. Her party?” Birdie smiled as she walked toward the counter and set three boxes down. “What party is your daddy talking about, berry girl?”

“She’s going to be five months old soon.” I filled a small pot with water from the tap before setting it on the stove and turning on the burner. “It’s her first milestone that I’ll be able to celebrate with her.”

Birdie’s eyes met mine, a shimmer filling them almost immediately. “That is so sweet. What can I do? How can I help?”