Diagnosis: Daddy (Doctors in Training 1)

He looked that way himself. When the thought crossed his mind that he wouldn’t mind giving Mia a goodbye hug—or even better, a goodbye kiss—he decided it was definitely time for him to go. All this family stuff must be going to his head.

“See you,” he said to both of them, and turned a bit more quickly than necessary to make his escape.

Chapter Four

“Where have you been lately, Connor? We’ve all been worried about you.”

Connor responded to Haley’s question with a faint smile. “I’ve been pretty busy the past few days. My, uh, my daughter moved in with me yesterday. I needed to get things in order for her.”

His words were met with a moment of startled silence, as he had expected. The other four members of his study group looked at each other, then back at him. Again, it was Haley who spoke. “Did you say your daughter?”

He nodded. “Alexis. She’s six.”

“And she’s living with you now?”

“Yeah.”

“Dude,” Ron drawled, shaking his head slowly, “how are you going to handle that? I mean, I even had to give my dog to my brother because I didn’t have time to care of him.”

“Ron,” Haley chided him in a stage whisper. “A child is not a dog.”

Something about that struck Ron as funny. He started to laugh, but muffled it quickly when Haley gave him another fierce look.

Ignoring their habitual bickering, Anne searched Connor’s face with a frown. “I didn’t know you had a daughter. You’ve never mentioned her.”

He gave an awkward laugh, wondering exactly how much he should share. “I didn’t know I had a daughter either,” he said after a moment. “Her mother and I split up before she was born. Her mother died recently and left Alexis for me to raise.”

“Wow.” Haley shook her head in amazement. “You must be feeling gobsmacked.”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

Hosting again that day, James waved everyone to the table. “I just offered everyone coffee, but maybe you’d rather have a beer?” he asked Connor. “A double bourbon?”

Laughing more naturally now, Connor shook his head. “Thanks, but coffee will be fine.”

He piled his books and computer at his usual place at the table, which was already cluttered with everyone else’s study materials. And then he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the photo of Alexis. Weren’t dads supposed to share pictures of their kids? “This is my daughter.”

Haley snatched the photo out of his fingers. “Oh, she’s adorable. Look at that dimple in her chin. Connor, she looks just like you.”

Anne took the picture next. “She is pretty. Is she as sweet-natured as she looks?”

“She really is,” he admitted in near bemusement. “You’d be amazed at how easily she’s adapted to all of this.”

Ron studied the picture in turn. “Funny. She does look like you. But on her, it looks good.”

Connor chuckled. “Thanks a lot.”

Setting cups of coffee on the table, James glanced at the

photo. “Cute kid. Where is she now?”

Slipping the photo back into his pocket, Connor took his seat, as did the others, and picked up his coffee cup. “You remember me mentioning my friend, Mia?”

“The schoolteacher who helps you study sometimes?”

He nodded. “She moved in with us. She’s going to take care of Alexis while I’m studying.”

Ron grinned. “Always suspected there was more between you and Mia than you admitted. Something about the way you talked about her.”