The Doctor Who Has No Chance - Victoria Quinn Page 0,52

pick.”

Deacon smiled then turned toward the office. “Fine.”

Dex came out of his office a moment later. “I hope I don’t get arrested. You know, since you’re on the Most Wanted list and everything.”

Deacon’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, but he also looked amused. “You know what? Now I get to pick.”

“Okay, okay.” Dex raised his hands in defeat. “Let’s not go crazy here.”

Deacon turned to me. “Would you like to join us?”

“It’s okay,” I said. “You two have a good time—”

“Baby, get your ass up.” Dex leaned over the counter toward me. “Where I go, you go, right?”

My eyes softened when he echoed my own words back to me. “Okay.”

Dex turned back to his dad. “She’s crazy about me, isn’t she?”

Deacon chuckled. “She’s gotta be to put up with you.”

We went to a restaurant just a block away and sat together at a table. Deacon sat across from his son, his blue scrubs similar to the ones Dex wore at the hospital. The shirt had a deep cut in the front, showing that he was ripped just like Dex.

If that was how Dex would look when he was older, lucky me.

A black wedding ring was on his left hand, thick and bulky, like he wanted it to be as visible as possible.

He scanned the menu before he set it aside.

Dex had his arm over the back of my chair, showing affection like he was sitting across from a friend instead of his father. “I’m getting the pizza. What about you?”

“The Cobb salad.”

He nodded. “Then we’ll split the pizza.”

“Oh, I’m fine with the salad,” I said.

He looked at me and scrunched his eyebrows together. “Baby, how are you gonna stay so damn fine if you’re eating salads all the time?”

I couldn’t believe he said that in front of his father.

Deacon looked away, but instead of appearing uncomfortable, he had a slight smile on his lips, like it was actually amusing.

I didn’t want to discuss my curves in front of his father, so I just let it go. “Sure.”

He looked at his menu again. “The classic pepperoni good?”

“Yeah.”

He set the menu on the table, the waitress came over, and we ordered everything, and then we were left at the table, our stomachs rumbling.

Deacon looked decades younger than he really was, but he definitely had more of a brooding nature to him, like he was constantly angry about something. Or maybe he was just thinking about something all the time.

“So, what are you and Mom up to?” Dex asked.

“Babysitting this weekend.” Deacon regarded his son, one arm resting on the table while the other was over the back of the other chair.

“What the hell?” Dex asked. “Why’d they ask you instead of me?”

“You want to babysit three kids all weekend?” Deacon asked incredulously.

“Lizzie doesn’t really count…” Dex shook his head.

“You work on Saturdays,” Deacon reminded him.

“Oh yeah.” Dex turned to me and shrugged. “You see how much I’d forget without you?”

I chuckled. “No joke.”

“Come over and hang out,” Deacon offered.

Dex turned back to me. “You wanna hang out with my nephews? They’re really cute.”

I chuckled, loving how playful Dex was, like he wasn’t some hotshot heart surgeon. “That does sound fun.”

“Perfect.” He turned back to his dad. “We’ll tag-team it.”

Deacon stared at his son for a while. “When are you leaving for your trip?”

“Two weeks,” Dex answered. “My lady is coming with me.”

Deacon nodded. “Good. She keeps you in check.”

“You see?” Dex turned to me. “I’d be lost without you.” He smiled at me, like this was the happiest he’d ever been, having me at his side while spending time with his dad, like I fit into his life perfectly, fit better than anyone else ever could.

After lunch, we said goodbye on the sidewalk, Deacon’s private driver pulling up to take him back to the hospital, a blacked-out SUV.

After Dex hugged his father goodbye, he reached into his pocket and realized what he’d forgotten. “Damn, left my phone behind. I’ll be back. See you later, Dad.” He clapped him on the arm before he headed back inside.

I turned to Deacon. “See you later. And thank you for lunch.” He’d insisted on paying even when Dex tried to fight him over the tab.

“My pleasure.” He hugged me the way he hugged his son, wrapping his arms around me and giving me a squeeze before he stepped back. “Thank you for giving my son another chance. You have no idea how good it feels to see our son happy again, back to his old self, back