Ben’s face falls when he looks at his phone. Then his  eyes  narrow  ever  so  slightly  with fear. “Sorry,” he says, and stands. “It’s my mother. I have to take this.” “Go ahead, honey,” Mom says, not catching the worry in Jim’s face like I do. My anger goes out the window, and I’m concerned for him now. He mentioned having a sick family member. What if they couldn’t fight their illness anymore? I set my fork down, reaching for my water, and peer into the kitchen, trying to get a read on Jim’s face. His back is to me, but his hand lands on his neck. Shit. Something is wrong. “Alyson?” Dad says in a tone that lets me know it wasn’t the first time he said my name. “Earth to Alyson.” “Yeah, sorry. What?” Everyone laughs. “I asked you how’s work going on the Batmobile.” He winks and Wes stifles a laugh. “Dad,” I scold. “I told you I can’t talk about it in front of others.” Mom shakes her head,

The bathroom door closes, and I’m still standing there, looking at the white paint until my vision goes blurry. After I reassured her everything will be okay, she smiled and said she  was going to take a shower. But I can’t move. Hell, I can hardly breathe. I’m trying to let it sink in, but my defenses are up and I can’t think past the fact she’s been feeling sick and it’s partly my fault. Or all my fault? I know it took both of us to create the baby, and it’s not like Alyson wasn’t willing. But…fuck. How could I let this happen? I’m a doctor. I know how the body works. And yet I had sex three times with Alyson within twenty- four hours and only used a condom once. Though it’s not like I brought any with me Friday night. I didn’t expect to hook up with anyone, and when it finally happened with Alyson, I wasn’t thinking straight. Rufus tips his head, listening to Mr. And Mrs. Langford move around the kitchen. Knowing it’s  time for breakfast, he lazi

The door shuts behind me and I turn around, prepared to tell Jim this is silly. But the second I see the look in his eyes, all the air is sucked out of my lungs. “Alyson,” he pants, voice heavy with desire. A shiver runs down my spine and his hands land on either side of my waist. “Are you sure you want this?” Parting my lips, I hook my arms around his neck. “Yes,” I breathe, telling the honest truth. I do want Jim, and I’m not just talking about sex. I want him to be with me during this pregnancy. I want him there when I give birth. I want him to raise this child with me. I want us. Together. He wastes no time in kissing me, and I slide my hands down his chest, going right to his belt. His hands go around my back and unhooks my bra. And then the door opens. “Motherfucker,” I blurt as Jim and I untangle. The dogs run in ahead of my parents, with Rufus at the rear, limping. “You should really consider going in and having

I missed a call from Alyson today, and I noticed it right before I went into surgery. I’ve never had a hard time clearing my head before, but today, as I wash my hands and have my surgical scrubs put on, it’s all I can think about. She hasn’t called me—ever. What if something is wrong? She didn’t leave a message, and she didn’t text either. I’m sure everything is fine with her and the baby. It has to be. As awful as I feel to admit it, there’s a small part of me that’s glad Alyson is pregnant. The timing couldn’t be worse. Jacob is going to hate us both. He’ll forgive Alyson eventually, but the light he holds her in will forever be dimmed. But now that she’s pregnant, we’re talking, and we have a chance. And if anyone was to be the mother of my child, no one is better than Alyson. Sam puts the patient under and we get started. As soon as I make the first cut, I’m back in the game, and the surgical team and I make small talk as we go about treating the patient

I wake up in Jim’s arms, and for the first time since I found out I’m pregnant, everything feels like it’s going to be okay. He made me dinner last night, and went out and got me more Sour  Patch Kids before we went to sleep. I carefully roll over, moving closer to him. It feels so good to have him next to me. Physically, his presence is comforting on its own. But having him here for  everything else is almost enough to  do me in. We jumped into a relationship and need to take things slow. He said he likes me but held off moving forward out of respect to Jacob, but things are bigger than their friendship now. We have less than a week before we drop the bomb on my family, and I’m fairly sure all four of my brothers are going to have a few choice words for Jim. Early morning sun filters through the large windows. I forgot to close the blinds last night, and the light is shining right in on Jim. I reach over and take my phone from the nightstand.