The Doctor Who Has No Chance - Victoria Quinn Page 0,88

of us are still a family. Together or apart, that doesn’t change. You need to get with the twenty-first century. The fact that we’re not married doesn’t make Ryan a bastard. I know all you really want is another chance to make things work between us, and I understand that, because most of the last eighteen months were spent missing you. But life happens, things change, and even if Sicily left me, I wouldn’t come back. It’s weird to think that if your father hadn’t passed away or I hadn’t been the physician, we’d probably be together right now. It is mind-boggling. We can play that what-if game forever, but it’ll never change what did happen. I know it’s hard, but you have to let it go. And make no mistake, I will always love you, Catherine. When you love someone the way I loved you, you always do, in a way. I’ll always be here for you, I will always be your friend, I will always come to your side if you need help. But…that’s it. It’s over. It’s done. It’s final. I hope you can accept that.”

Catherine was quiet for a long time. “Yes, I can. I talked to your mom the other day, and…it sounds like I wouldn’t be welcome in the family anyway.”

I was uncomfortable that she’d gone around Dex like that, but in the end, it didn’t matter. His family wanted me for him, not her. They deemed me worthy of loving Dex.

Dex didn’t have anything to say to that.

“She told me a lot about Sicily,” she said quietly. “Made me realize I never stood a chance. If Sicily were someone else, maybe…”

“What did my mom say?” Dex asked.

“That Sicily is the most selfless person she’s ever met, that she takes care of you the way she’s always wanted a woman to take care of her son. That the two of you are basically the same person. That I don’t hold a candle to her. That if she could choose the ideal woman for you, it would be her.”

“Okay, Little Dude. Bath time is over.”

Ryan sat in the tub with his dinosaur toys, playing with them under the water. He ignored his father, like that would be enough to get his way.

“Little Dude…”

Being around Ryan made me see all the subtle aspects of his personality, how he silently defied his father, the little grins he would give to get his way. It was freakin’ adorable.

“Alright.” Dex hit the button so the drain would open.

Ryan immediately started crying.

“Come on, man.” Dex grabbed the towel and got ready to dry him off. “You’ll get a bath tomorrow.”

He just sobbed and sobbed, like we’d done something terrible to him.

I tried not to laugh because it was a little funny, seeing him bawl his eyes out because the water was going away.

Dex picked him up, and together we dried him off, while he continued to sob loudly and make his face turn red, the vein in his forehead emerging.

“He looks just like you when you get mad,” I teased.

Dex gave me a playful glare then carried Ryan into his room so we could get his diaper on and his pajamas. Since Dex was such a technical person, he could get that diaper on at lightning speed. Clothes were easy too, even socks. By the time Ryan was bundled and comfortable, he’d stopped crying, totally forgetting about the warm bath that was unfairly taken from him. Then he got sleepy.

“See?” Dex said. “You’re already over it.”

The three of us went to bed in the master bedroom, putting him between us on his back, and within minutes, he was dead asleep.

Dex was turned on his side, shirtless with his muscular arm on top of the sheets, and he had a tired look in his eyes as he looked at Ryan. Taking care of a baby was exhausting. But also rewarding.

I watched Ryan until I felt Dex’s gaze on my face. I met his eyes, a baby between us.

He whispered to me. “I like having a kid. It’s fun.”

“Yeah, it’s great.”

“Kinda makes me want to have more…”

My eyes steadied on his face, unsure what that meant, if it meant anything at all.

“So, are you interested in that, or…?”

“Am I interested in what, exactly?” I asked. “You know I want to grow a family with you.”

“But, like, you know…sooner rather than later.”

“Like, right now?” I asked incredulously.

“Not right this second,” he said with a chuckle. “But, you know, a couple months…a year. Something