Page 61 of Daddy to Go
I reached out and took her hand while shaking my head.
“I know, sweetheart. It’s because I’m an expert at disappearing. I’ve done it multiple times before, and to my shame, it’s usually because I was trying not to be found. But now that’s all changed. I want to be found by you. I want to stay here, and be with you and our son because you put our son before anything else, and that’s how I know you’re a wonderful mother. You’re the one who’s amazing, sweetheart.”
I felt so happy that I thought I was going to cry.
“But I have to ask, Ryder,” I said in an agonized whisper. “Have you been with other women since you were away? Because you know I haven’t been with anyone. I’ve been pregnant, so it was kind of impossible.”
He took my hands, those blue eyes fierce.
“No, sweetheart. I haven’t touched another woman since you, because I’ve been thinkingonlyof you. Like I said, life had no meaning without you in it. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at another woman, much less go out with one.”
My heart fluttered wildly, and then everything came crashing down. Every emotion that I’d been holding back suddenly burst forth like a waterfall, and I let out a sob while throwing my arms around his neck.
“I love you, Ryder,” was my heartfelt cry. “And I want us to be a family together. I want us to find love again, and to celebrate our son. I don’t want any more pain.”
He pulled me close, stroking my hair before speaking in a choked voice.
“That’s what I want too, Abs, and I know we can have that together. After all, you’ve already given me so much. You’ve given me my son. How could we ever top that?”
I drew back for a moment with tears in my eyes.
“With another baby?”
That made him shout with laughter, looking so handsome that my heart raced.
“I think I’d like that,” he rumbled, pulling me against his chest once more. “You, as the mommy, and me as the dad. Why don’t we give Mattie a few siblings? How many are you thinking? Four? Five?”
But I had a surprise for him up my sleeve.
“I was thinking nine or ten,” I whispered against his bronzed throat. “What do you think?”
Ryder pulled back for a moment, stunned. But then he pressed a heartfelt kiss to my lips, and the passion sizzled between us.
“I think I can make that happen,” he growled, his blue eyes lighting with fire. “As long as we get started sooner rather than later, I think that a dozen children is definitely in the cards.”
With that, our lips joined and our hearts melded into one. After all, the handsome doctor was never supposed to be mine. He was a traveling physician, out to see the world with nary a care in the world. But little did he know, but a sassy, spunky girl from the little town of Farmington would capture his heart.
And who says that people can’t change? Ryder has already changed his lifestyle, his goals, his hopes, and his outlook, all for me. Even more, he’s embracing the role of father, even though it was one he never anticipated and wasn’t even sure he wanted. But Mattie means everything to us, and with more babies in the works, I know our lives will be blissful and filled to the brim with joy.
Epilogue
Ryder
It’s crazy what’s happened over the course of one year. After all, my life had been somewhat predictable before. I’d been traveling all over the United States, going from place to place, repeating the same things over and over again. It was okay. I’m happy that I was able to see patients and maybe even save some lives, but when I finally stopped and settled in Farmington, I was shocked at the contentment and joy that filled my heart.
After all, I have Abby and Mattie now, and they mean the world to me. So much so, that it was worth the hassle of finding a new career. Initially, my plans were to open my own practice, which would also serve as a clinic for the needier citizens of Farmington. But I was overwhelmed with administrative requirements: there were licenses, insurance, attorneys, boatloads of money, equipment, and a million regulations that threatened to swamp my plans. I was up for it, but then one day, Colleen McNamara asked me to join her practice.
It was almost a no brainer kind of deal. I joined McNamara Health Professionals the next week, purchasing part of the company, and opened up a second location with a health and fitness center inside, and an adjoining wellness clinic devoted to nutrition and maternal fetal medicine.
Not only that, but I even started educating myself about natural remedies like tinctures and homeopathic medicine. I’m still not sure what I think about these practices yet, but they help me bond with those patients looking for holistic remedies.
But what’s even more amazing is my family life. Within two months of settling here, Abby and I bought a five bedroom house on the outskirts of the town. It’s an older house, but Abby and I rolled up our sleeves and did some major renovations to the place to make it ours. She’s demonstrated absolute genius managing the contractors, and has made this place a home for me and Matthew.
Plus, I’ve encouraged her to enroll at our local community college part-time, while also taking care of Matthew. The call center job is long gone, but I know Abby still keeps in contact with some of her co-workers because they were like a second family to her.
Speaking of family, one day we were at dinner when the subject of her sister came up. Abby passed me the potatoes and sighed a little.
“I talked to my mom today, and Belinda’s doing well. But my sister is a different story. Apparently, Melody is now working as a full-fledged stripper at that strip club on the other end of town. Moving on up, I guess. Obviously, we’re not happy about that, but I don’t talk to her anymore so she’s welcome to it.”