finger. It caught the sunlight that poured into the room, making me just a tinge jealous. Hated to admit it, put part of me wished I was getting married too.
“Well done,” Andrew complimented, stepping in and giving me a hug.
“Thanks,” I said, pride flowing through me.
I stepped through the crowd, the patients in attendance shaking my hand and telling me how much they enjoyed my performance. Mom and Dad were beaming, as always. Bethany was there with Parker and Dean, a tiny bump on her stomach where her next pregnancy was finally starting to show. Even Sarah, Duncan’s biological mother who he’d finally met, was there.
“Oh, I can’t believe my little girl is so damn talented,” Mom cried, giving me a hug. “Where on Earth did you get that from?”
“Amazing, sweetheart,” Dad beamed, giving me a hug of his own. “Couldn’t be prouder of you.”
“That was…I don’t even know what to say,” said Bethany. “I knew you were good, but I didn’t know you were that good.”
It was almost too much. Since taking over as head music director for Pitt Medical, I’d done only a little playing here and there – a few dozen performances total over the last few months. Most of my work was in overseeing the other musicians. As much as I loved to play, that took up plenty of my time.
This performance had been his idea – a way for everyone to come into town and see what I could do, what I’d been spending my time on. But I’d been nervous as hell about it. Not only because of the performance, but because there was something I needed to tell Duncan.
Something I’d been hiding.
I chatted a little more with my friends and family, Duncan making his way over with Oliver. Our little boy giggled and smiled as he laid eyes on me, his eyes still a bright blue, his chubby little arms reaching out for his Mom.
“There’s my little man,” I said, taking him into my arms and holding him close.
“Believe it not,” Duncan said, “but he was actually clapping.”
I laughed, gazing down into my beautiful boy’s sweet little face.
Being a mom was…there were no words to describe how incredible it’d been. I never thought I’d be able to love someone the way I loved little Oliver. And it didn’t hurt that he looked more and more like his handsome father with each passing day.
Oliver made the rounds, all of our friends and family doting over him as they usually did.
“Alright, guys,” I said, taking him back into my arms from Gia. “You’re all going to spoil him with attention.”
Gia grinned. “Yeah, and after that performance I think you’ve earned a little.”
I laughed. “Believe me, I didn’t get into this for attention.”
Duncan cleared his throat and spoke up. “Any chance I could steal her from you for a moment? I have something I want to talk about with my lovely girlfriend.”
Girlfriend. Sure, I loved hearing him say that. But as long as we’d been together – not to mention the fact that we were parents – I couldn’t help but wish we were something more.
I made sure never to pressure him. Pitt Medical was having its biggest year ever, opening clinics in nearly every state west of the Mississippi, with plans to open even more. I was sure the last thing he needed was his girlfriend pestering him about getting married. Not to mention with Oliver and my new job, I was pretty damn busy on my own.
But still, a girl could dream, right?
“Of course,” Andrew said, smiling. “We’ll watch the little dude. Good to get in as much practice as we can, right?”
Gia smiled at this comment, standing on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on Andrew’s cheek. Damn, was I happy they’d found each other.
Once Oliver was passed off to my doting family, Duncan took my hand and led me through the patient room to the elevator. As soon as the doors were shut, he was all over me. My eyes widened as he put his hands on my hips, pressing his lips to mine and giving me a deep, passionate kiss. I fell into it – no way could I resist Duncan when those lips were on mine.
Whatever I was thinking about before, it was blasted out of my head the second he made his move.
“Someone’s feeling frisky,” I said through the kiss.
“Couldn’t resist,” he said. “You with that violin…it’s as sexy as it gets.”
He kissed me along my neck, a big