Monday
At twelve o’clock sharp, a familiar set of faces greeted me in my office.
Not the ones I would have most liked to see, though. One is tucked deep down inside, so far down to ensure that I won’t think too hard about time spent with them Friday night. The other, tiny and cute and full of wonder, is always at the forefront of my mind.
Jannie and Steven Booth made themselves comfortable in the plush chairs across from my rolling one, the same one Sophie had tripped over as she’d tried to storm out. Stop.
Jannie had been a patient of mine for nearly a year. She’d done four rounds of IVF—one more than I’d recommended since it takes such a massive toll on the body and mind—but she was desperate, and I wanted to help her. Helping all of my patients achieve their dream of becoming parents is always the end goal.
“Alright, Jan,” I started, rolling my chair a little closer to her. “We’re going to do a pregnancy test today, and then another in two weeks. Are you okay with that?”
She nodded, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she held her husband’s palm clutched between them. “What do we do if they’re both negative?”
The one question I hated most. It was the worst part of treating prospective parents, and every single time, it made my heart just a little bit harder and wanting to break. I took a deep breath, forming my lips into a thin line as I met her worried gaze. “If they’re both negative, then we have to call it quits. Your body can’t handle another round of the drugs. I’ve already done one more than I should have with you. I’m so sorry. But let’s try and stay positive until we know for sure.”
Jan’s expression fell as she looked at her husband, her eyes going glassy. “It’s alright, honey,” he said, giving her hand a little squeeze. “We can adopt if it doesn’t work.”
Jannie blinked away the tears building as she nodded. “Right.”
“Okay, let’s get that pregnancy test done for you. We’ll also need to check your blood to make sure the drugs are active in your system,” I said, sliding my chair back in front of my screen. I shot a message to the nurse, asking her to retrieve Jan and Steven for her test, before turning back to them. I had to shut off my emotions. I couldn’t allow myself to feel what they were feeling, couldn’t think about what my life would be like if I hadn’t had the chance to have Jamey. “We’ll call you in a few days with the results. Until then, keep taking the medicine. If it’s negative, you can continue with it until your next test. If positive, stop taking it right away, okay?”
They nodded in unison. I watched with clenched teeth as a single tear slid down Jan’s cheek, carrying what I could only assume were her hopes and dreams along with it. I genuinely wished I could fix it, and I’d done everything in my power to but considering their track record, implantation was next to impossible.
————
The house was eerily quiet when I stepped through the door. From the entryway, I couldn’t see Sophie or Jamey in the kitchen or the dining room, and judging from the silence in the living room, I doubted they were in there.
Toeing off my shoes, I pulled my phone from the pocket of my scrubs and sent Sophie a text.
Why isn’t there any screaming or shouting going on in the house?
Somewhere, not too far away, I heard the soft buzz of a phone on silent and a very suspiciously quiet giggle.
Jamey’s napping.
You’ll have to find me.
Napping? Jamey wasn’t one to nap this late in the afternoon. I groaned as I realized that would mean he’d be up late tonight.
You’ve ruined my evening, Sophia.
Here I was hoping for a relaxing night in, a glass of wine…
Now I get to spend it finger painting and watching PAW Patrol.
Another giggle, louder this time. I followed the sound through the house, checking the living room, the laundry room, and double-checking the kitchen.
Where are you hiding, little voyeur?
Somewhere you can watch me undress?
Her answer of silence was heavy. No three little dots dancing across the bottom of my message indicating a reply, no giggles. I checked the closet where I’d found her before, holding a photo of my ex-wife and son in her hands, but came up empty. Not in the gym, not in the garage…
I pushed open the double doors that lead into my office. Sophie sat behind my oak desk, her feet propped up next to my laptop, a glass of wine in hand. Somehow, despite the impossibility of it, she looked more gorgeous than she had when I’d left this morning. Her cheeks were reddened, almost as maroon as the wine in the glass between her fingers, and her long brown hair was tied up in a messy bun. She smirked at me as my eyes drifted down her body, across the Harvard hoodie and the gray sweatpants.
Was she wearing my clothes?
“Before you freak out,” she started, putting her feet down as she sat upright in my leather chair, “Jamey spilled his grape juice all over my clothes. I didn’t bring anything else to wear, so…”
She was wearing my clothes. Sucking my teeth, I crossed the few steps between me and the desk, leaning on my palms as I bent over it. “You live next door,” I said slowly, watching as the blush in her cheeks deepened. “You could have grabbed something from home.”
“And leave Jamey all alone? I wouldn’t be a good nanny if I left a four-year-old alone in a house.”
I rolled my eyes, my grin becoming hard to hide as I stared down at her in the clothes I’d worn last night. She must’ve picked them up from where I’d left them on the bed.
Do they smell like me?
“You could have taken him with you.”
“I…” She bit her lip as she looked up at me, those goddamn blue eyes nearly making my heart melt. “I didn’t think of that.”
“No,” I cooed, lifting myself to my full height as I made my way around the desk. “You didn’t.”
“Hudson—”
I plucked the glass of wine from her hand, downing it in one fell swoop before setting it down on the desk. “You’re lucky you didn’t spill wine on my sweatshirt,” I teased, pressing my hands down on the arms of the chair as I leaned over her. “That’s one I would have made you replace.”
I watched as her mouth worked, the words she wanted to say trying to come up but getting stopped in their tracks. She looked flustered, adorably so, as she lifted her knees to her chest, her bare feet resting against the leather of the chair. “At least this one probably wouldn’t have been expensive.”
“Not monetarily, no,” I laughed, leaning down just a little further, our faces too close for my own good. “But replacing the memories that go along with it? Immeasurable.”
Confusion flickered across her face. “Did you go to Harvard?”
“I did.” I took the strings of the hoodie in one hand, twisting them around my knuckles. “Lots of memories there. But I think seeing you wearing it might be my favorite.”
The noise she made was halfway between a squeak and a gasp. I couldn’t help but laugh at it. “Jamey will be up soon,” she whispered, her lips a mere centimeter from my own, her heart pounding beneath where my hand rested against her chest.
“You’re right.”
But I tugged her closer with the hoodie’s strings, closing the distance between us. My lips pressed against hers, the stress and upset from the day melting away as I tasted her again, felt her again. She kissed me back just as eagerly, her legs returning to the floor to let me in, her hands settling on the heat of my neck.
Already, I wanted more. It was risky with Jamey potentially awake in the house, but the thought went to the back of my mind, certain I’d be able to hear his quick little steps before we were caught.
Scooping one hand under the curve of Sophie’s ass, I lifted her from the chair. Her lips parted in a gasp, granting me further access to her mouth as I sat her down on the desk, her legs open and my hips between them. My cock came to life in my scrubs, pressing against the thin cotton fabric. I needed more. I needed to be inside of her again, her naked body below mine, her skin against my own. She was too perfect, too much for me to handle, and as my hands searched beneath the hoodie, I nearly groaned as I found no trace of a bra.
“Were you hoping for this, angel?” I asked her, my lips trailing the length of her jaw now, my hands grasping at her bare breasts.
“My… my bra got juice on it, too,” she breathed, a little laugh escaping her as I rolled her nipple between my thumb and middle finger.
“Did it?” I challenged, squeezing just a little harder, making her jump. “How about your panties? Those too?”
A breathy moan crawled up her throat as I playfully nipped at the skin there. “Yeah, those too.”
Not only was she wearing my clothes, but she was wearing them with nothing underneath. No barrier between her pussy and my sweatpants, nothing to stop me from touching her fully.
My other hand wandered without thought, down the plane of her belly to the waistband of the sweatpants. I didn’t waste a single second, placing my fingers beneath the hem, past the thin, sparse hairs of her mound and down between her already-soaked lips. Fuck. It was too much, how easily she folded for me.
Suddenly, her body stilled, frozen like a statue. “Hudson,” she whispered, her voice almost frantic as I found her clit, my fingers flitting across it. “Hudson, Jamey. Jamey’s coming.”
I retreated immediately, letting go of her and taking a step back, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. The bulge in my scrub pants was far too noticeable, but as long as I stayed where I was, Jamey wouldn’t see. A string of Sophie’s wetness dripped from my fingers, and as the little feet raced down the stairs, I popped them into my mouth, sucking them dry. Christ, she tasted so fucking good.
Sophie’s eyes went wide as she watched me, her mouth open just a bit, her hand up in her hair. Even as disheveled as she looked, I only wanted more of her.
Jamey appeared in the doorway, his eyes half closed and sleepy, his teddy bear clutched in one hand. Too close. We were way too close to getting caught. “Hi, Daddy.”
I took a deep breath to steady myself as I looked at my son, half asleep from his nap, and made myself switch into dad mode. “Hey, bud,” I smiled, pushing my hair back from where it had fallen in my face. “Sophie and I are just having a private chat. Why don’t you go watch something while we finish up, okay?”
He nodded as he rubbed his eyes. “Okay. I’m hungry.”
“I’ll make you something to eat in a few.”
“Okie dokie.”
I watched as he walked away, my ears trained on the sound of his steps until I could hear the television turning on. I took a step toward Sophie as I let out a sigh of relief, but her hands went up, a silent request to keep my distance.
“I don’t feel comfortable continuing that while he’s awake,” she whispered.
“Neither do I. Don’t worry,” I chuckled, plopping down into the leather chair. Even sitting down I was taller than her. “I just need a minute to uh, calm down.”
Sophie nodded, the blush on her cheeks not going away. “Actually, I do need to talk to you about something. My parents invited us over Friday night.” In her lap, she wrapped her fingers around the base of her wrist, wringing the skin there. “Can you make it?”
Friday night. I’d have to bring Jamey. The idea of it was appealing, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it would confuse him. Surely, he was too young to really understand, and if we kept him occupied with games or a show, he wouldn’t pay too much attention.
“Sure,” I nodded. “I’ll have to bring Jamey, though. My parents are still out of town and I don’t have a babysitter on call anymore.”
Her brows furrowed as she looked at me. “Okay. That, uh, that should be fine.”
“You know Jamey is part of the package with me. I can’t just pretend he doesn’t exist.”
“I know. I’d never ask you to do that. It’s fine. It’ll be fine.” She gave me a half-hearted smile as she hopped down from the desk. “I think it’s best I go home now. I’ll, um, wash your clothes and bring them back tomorrow.”
I almost wanted to ask her to stay, to have dinner with us again, to stick around until Jamey fell back asleep and I could have my way with her. Almost. I didn’t, though, and as I watched her leave in my sweatpants and hoodie, her makeup smudged and bun askew, I wished I had.
