#Babymaker (Baby Crazy 2)

Of course, the ads also featured portraits of Dr. Roman with his white lab coat on, and I couldn’t help but stare. Because Dr. Roman wasn’t some nerd with a receding hairline and stooped shoulders. Instead, Dr. Roman was incredibly handsome with piercing blue eyes, a head of coal-black hair and shoulders as broad as a tank. How someone so gorgeous was a doctor was beyond me, but I wasn’t going to question it.

But now, it was Thursday night and Ashley and I were at Sunset Medical for the information session. I’d tried to wear something nicer than usual so as to seem a well-to-do professional, but Ashley hadn’t even bothered. She was in jeans and sneakers, scanning the room as soon as we entered.

“Where are the cookies?” she asked in a loud voice. “Are there free drinks as well?”

“Shhh!” I hissed, frantically looking around. “Don’t be so obvious!”

Fortunately, no one heard and the other women in the room continued to stare down at their phones. From our right, a woman dressed in blue sheath with her hair tied in a smooth bun approached us.

“Hello, I’m Kathy Miles, Dr. Roman’s receptionist. Are you here for the information session on women’s reproduction?”

I nodded.

“Yes, I’m Connie and this is my friend Ashley.”

“Perfect,” she said with a welcoming smile. “If you could just sign-in, Dr. Roman will be coming out in a moment to speak.”

I took a pen and made to sit down, but Ashley wasn’t going to give up so easily.

“Um, excuse me, Kathy? Do you have any food and drink available? Soda maybe? Or crackers? I’d love some nourishment because it’s about seven, and we skipped dinner to be here,” she said meaningfully.

I blushed scarlet. Oh my god, Ashley was so embarrassing sometimes!

But Kathy took it all in a stride, her blonde head nodding.

“Of course. I was just about to bring a tray of hors d’oeuvres out, as well as some champagne. Please give me a moment,” she said, bldisappearing into the back.

“See?” said Ashley loudly, surveying the room. “You have to complain, otherwise you won’t get results.”

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t say anything. Instead, I signed both our names on the clipboard and sat down. My friend is just the way she is, and there’s no way to change her.

We nibbled on crackers and cheese, looking around the waiting room. The ladies there really ranged the spectrum. There were older ones who looked about fifty, with their hair shot through with silver strands. There were also younger girls like us, some of who appeared to be barely out of their teens.

But what everyone shared was a worried expression because medicine is so cruel and callous these days. There’s so much propaganda out there screaming at women to reproduce before it’s too late, making you feel like you’re a loser if you don’t have a baby by thirty. So I slunk down into my chair, hunching my shoulders and suddenly regretting my decision to come. It was depressing to assess my place in life and realize I was a big fat zero.

Ashley poked me in the shoulder.

“This food is good,” she said, taking a huge bite of her carrot with a big crunch. “Very nutritious and healthy.”

I was about to shush her when suddenly, the receptionist appeared again.

“Ladies,” she said with a professional smile. “My name is Kathy Miles, and I work at Sunset Medical. We’re just waiting for Dr. Roman to join us, and oh! Here he is.”

Because suddenly, the door leading from the medical office swung open, and a man stood there, so huge and imposing that he blocked out the light in back of him.

A collective gasp rose from the women in the crowd, our eyes growing wide. Because this man was absolutely gorgeous. Dressed in blue scrubs and a white lab coat, the loose clothes couldn’t hide the magnificence of his physique. Broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist, with legs thick as tree trunks beneath. His hands were large and capable-looking, with square, clean nails.

But it wasn’t just the Olympian body. This man had a face to die for as well. Piercing blue eyes surveyed the crowd within a tan, austerely handsome face with chiseled cheekbones and a strong jaw. A bit of dark scruff shadowed his chin but it only made him seem more authentic, like he’d just finished a long day at the hospital.

“Ladies,” came that low voice. “Welcome to Sunset Medical. I’m Dr. Chase Roman.”

I swear, a few of us swooned right then and there. This was the famed reproductive specialist with an MD, a PhD, and god knows how many other advanced diplomas? This was the guy who made millions helping women get pregnant?

But even as my heart began to race, face flushing, Ashley stepped in with perfect timing.

“Hi,” she said loudly. “I’m Ashley and this is my friend Connie. We’re here to learn more.”