Page 50 of Double Daddies (Dirty Daddies Anthologies #8)

Chapter Three

Ben

The look that crosses her face isn’t what I’m expecting. Surprise is there, but it’s mingled with something else. The longer I watch, the more her expression changes right before my eyes. Is she… blushing?

“Ohmigosh. Why would you do that?” she moans. But then her eyes slide toward the window.

I freeze, watching as her flingers flutter nervously as she brings her hand to her mouth. She is. She’s… into him. She wants to see him again.

“Ben.” She whirls to face me, her eyes wide and brimming with emotion. “Explain. Now .”

I clear my throat and try to keep my feelings out of my voice. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“What…” Her eyes slide from my face back toward the window again. “What does that mean?”

Suddenly, I understand with perfect clarity what a suspect feels sitting in the interrogation room. It’s not comfortable, which is the point. I open my mouth to answer, but before I can, there’s a sharp knock at the door.

Cami’s head jerks as she spins toward the door, her hair flying behind her. When she looks at me again her eyes are wide. “Why would you invite him here” She groans.

I practically wince even before the words come out of my mouth. “Do you want me to get it?”

“No,” she hisses. Then she grabs both sides of her head, clearly frustrated. “Yes.”

I hesitate, feeling powerless. “Which is it, babe?”

She takes a deep breath then meets my eyes. “Yes. I think so. Yes.”

Still, I linger. I reach for her, brushing my fingers over the back of her hand. “Cami…”

“Just… get the door, Ben. We can talk later.”

We won’t have a choice.

I push the thought aside and walk to the door.

I look through the peephole, but whoever is at the door has turned around, so I’m staring at the back of a head.

Still, I don’t have to be promoted to detective to know who it is.

My hand stills on the doorknob, and I rack my brain to see if there’s anything I can say to prepare Cami.

But there isn’t because I have no idea what is about to happen.

So I do the last thing in the world I want to do, but the only thing I can do, and I open the door.

Ryle

My eyes find her instantly. She’s standing in the center of the room, her distinctively beautiful eyes filled with emotion. I walk through the open door toward her, almost without noticing the boyfriend holding it open.

“Cami…” Her name is a song on my lips. I reach for her hand, but her fingers ball into fists and then she puts them behind her back. The gesture is so innocent and childlike that even though she doesn’t give me her hand, I’m smiling.

“Hello, Ryle,” she answers softly.

I hear the door slam shut, and I spare the boyfriend a glance. He’s clearly pissed, and who can blame him? “Can we sit down? I think we need to talk.”

She glances at him, too, as he comes to stand beside her.

I’ve felt many things since learning of this man’s existence—annoyance when I realized he was following me, shock at what he had to tell me, but this…

the envy that rises up when I see him standing beside her, when his arm goes possessively around her slim shoulders, eclipses every emotion I’ve experienced up to this point.

“I-I can’t sit in situations like this.” She shakes off Boyfriend’s arm. “But you should. Both of you should. I feel like I can hardly breathe.”

I look around and move toward the couch and take a seat.

Boyfriend walks to the nearby table for two and sits as well.

Then I return my gaze to Cami. Her hands are on her hips, but I get the sense that it’s more a nervous gesture, like she doesn’t know where to put them.

I allow my eyes to scan her waist, but it’s just as slim as the last time I saw her.

I clear my throat, feeling certain everyone is uncomfortable and not sure how to start. I decide to do us all a favor and get to the matter at hand. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Cami.”

She flushes guiltily and looks away without saying anything.

“I could say I wish it was under better circumstances, but to be quite honest, I would be lying.”

This gets her attention. I can see by the way her eyes flash back to me, wide and startled. But her lips are parted and curved in a half-smile, so I don’t think my comment, though surprising, is unwelcome.

“Does he know?” I nod toward the boyfriend.

Again, Cami glances away, her cheeks growing pink in what I can only assume is shame.

“No.” The word is practically a whisper.

“Know what?” Boyfriend demands, looking alarmed.

I can’t blame him. I would too, in his shoes.

“Cami?” he asks.

Cami stays silent. But, of course, she has no other choice in this instance. This is my story to tell.

“The first time I met Cami was about a year ago.”

Boyfriend looks to her but says nothing as he waits for me to continue.

“I was her patient, for a brief time.”

He shifts his gaze between the two of us, then nods. “Go on.”

“Obviously, nothing happened between us while she was my nurse.”

Boyfriend’s expression doesn’t ease in the slightest, but that’s not really my concern. I know what I have to say next won’t change that, so I shift my focus and give her my full attention.

“Cami, running into you at Smoke and Cellar was one of the happiest nights of my life. You didn’t know this, but I was at a really low point, and you helped lift my spirits.”

She smiles softly at my words.

“What you didn’t know is that I was moping. I was moping because the very next morning, I started radiation.”

She gasps. The tenderness in her expression gives way to horror—pity. “I am so sorry?—”

I raise a hand to stop her. God, the worst thing about having cancer isn’t having cancer.

It’s the pity. I can’t stand to see it. But telling her was necessary so she’ll really hear what I have to say next.

“Cami, I didn’t say that to frighten you, or make you feel sorry for me.

I just wanted you to understand: if you’re carrying my baby, it’s likely to be the only child I’ll ever have. ”

Cami

I can’t think. The world feels like it’s spinning under my feet, and I’m barely managing to hold on. Ryle… has cancer? I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut, which is ridiculous, because he is the one who’s been suffering.

Way to go and make a man’s cancer about you.

I wince. Between that and the way Ben is looking at me—I can’t see him with my back turned, but man, do I feel those heated looks he keeps sending my way—I feel like such a jerk.

“Cami. Why don’t you sit down?” Ryle’s speaking but before he’s finished, I can see Ben walking toward me out of the corner of my eye.

He takes me by the hand and guides me over to the table. He gently pushes me into a chair. Instantly, I bend at the waist and take deep, shuddering breaths.

“What’s happening? Is she okay?”

“She’ll be fine.”

Through the panic threatening to make me black out, I hear Ben. And then he’s there, kneeling between my knees.

“Sweetie? Listen to me. Are you listening, baby bunny?”

It’s our code name: baby bunny. Ben only uses it when I’m on the verge of a panic attack, and he uses it to remind me to focus on him, to allow him to take the reins. To remind me I can trust him to protect me.

“Baby…” His voice is sterner this time, authoritative, and somehow, it helps me to relax.

“Y-yes. I’m… listening.”

“Good. Good girl.”

I feel his hand on my back, rubbing in slow, comforting circles.

“That’s good, baby bunny. Do you need me to talk you through it?”

I take another shuddering breath, then shake my head. Another slow, deep breath, then I lift my head. Ryle’s perplexed face is looking back at me. In all the chaos, I’d almost forgotten he was here.

“Look at me,” Ben murmurs.

I do as he asks and lean forward, pressing my forehead against his.

“It’s going to be okay,” he promises, using the same phrase he always does to close out each time I’ve come back from the threat of an anxiety attack.

“It’s going to be okay,” I echo him, but I’m talking about more than my near black-out.

He lets out a sigh and gives me a grateful smile.

I sit back up and look at Ryle, who is glancing between Ben and me, clearly confused. “Sorry about that. Sometimes, I… well, anyway.” I force myself to smile at him, hoping to reassure him of confidence I don’t feel. “I guess we all have things to learn about each other. You were saying?”

He clears his throat, looking uncertain for the first time since he walked into our apartment. “I came here to ask if you’re keeping the baby. Ben explained that you’re unsure who the father is, and as I said, with my radiation treatment I’m not likely to have any more children.”

I square my shoulders, forcing myself to feel brave.

“I am keeping it. But I don’t want to do any paternity tests until the baby is born.

I know it’s rare, but those tests can cause issues in utero.

So, you’ll have to wait to know for sure who the father is.

” I glance between the two of them. “Are you okay with that?”

“Yes,” Ryle answers though he’s clearly less than thrilled with my pronouncement.

Ben squeezes my hand. “You know I’m with you, Cami. No matter what.”

I take another deep breath, finally feeling the last bit of panic fade. I glance at Ryle. I know how ridiculous I must look to him right now. Does he regret walking in here now? But to my surprise the only thing I see on his face is… jealousy? No, that can’t be right.

I blink a couple times to reset my vision, but there’s definitely discomfort as he looks at Ben holding my hand.

Hmm. Interesting.

Before I can think more on it, or even know what to say next, I hear the all-too familiar sound of my beeper. I swipe it off my pants and bring it to my eyes.

“Who is it?” Ben asks.

“Hospital. They need me.”

“Okay.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head. “Have a good shift. We’ll… we’ll talk more when you get home. Love you.”