I am Lauren Carroll. Dr. Lauren Carroll. I can handle this.
Almost as though she’s marking her territory—in a move that actually makes me smile—she goes straight to Garrett and shoves up under his arm until he puts it around her shoulders and pulls her into his armpit.
I hold out a hand, just like I did for Hayden. “Hi, Sarah. I’m Lauren. It’s nice to meet you.”
She looks at my hand hard, but after a squeeze from Garrett, she reaches out and takes it.
“Your dad has told me a little about both of you,” I venture gently, “but I’d really like to learn some things about you myself. Thanks for letting me spend the day with you.”
By the look on Sarah’s face, I imagine her mind is saying something along the lines of Like we had a choice. Her self-control, and maybe Garrett’s and his ex’s parenting, is impressive, though. Because for as much as she’s thinking it, she doesn’t say it aloud.
It’s weird, but something about the combination makes me want to smile.
“Come on,” Garrett says finally, breaking the strange tension with wide eyes and a small chuckle. “Let’s load up and get to the zoo.” Sarah rolls her eyes, as expected at this point, but Hayden zooms around the car and climbs into the back seat on the passenger side without pause.
Sarah moves more slowly, demurely, but she follows suit and climbs in on Garrett’s side.
Garrett’s smile is both wild and downright debilitating as he looks at me across the width of the hood. He’s so handsome, it’s crazy, and if I’m being honest, seeing him like this, with his kids, has only enhanced his hot factor.
“You okay?” he asks simply, and I nod.
“We should probably get in the car, though. I don’t think it’s going to help my score if we stand around here making moony eyes at each other while they wait.”
He laughs. “Good point.”
I move swiftly, jumping into the front seat while Garrett mirrors me on the other side. The kids are quiet as he starts the engine and backs out of the driveway, so I chance a glance at Sarah in the rearview mirror. Her eyes are already on me, so I smile, but it’s safe to say she doesn’t return it.
I have to stop myself from laughing. Garrett looks at me like I might have lost my mind, and hell, maybe I have.
I don’t know why Sarah’s disdain makes me so giddy, but it does. Maybe it’s because it feels so genuinely innocent. So free from actual malice.
Sarah is just a young girl with a strong mind, rigid will, and a deep, thoroughly seated love for her father.
I can’t fault her for any of it, and I don’t want to. In fact, it makes me all the more eager to know her on a personal level—to worm my way into the beautiful, brilliant heart of hers.
Hayden, on the other hand, is like the cutest puppy dog I’ve ever seen. So vibrant, so full of life, so willing to love.
Unaware or unbothered by the strained silence, he dives into the breach about ten minutes into our ride with a question for me that, believe it or not, catches me off guard.
“Do you have kids, Miss Lauren?”
Struggling mentally to put words together, I say the first thing that comes to mind. “I, um, have a fish.”
“So, no kids, then,” Sarah says with a laugh.
“Sarah,” Garrett warns, but I grab him by the elbow and raise my brows. This is a good thing. I’m ready to tango with her until she feels a little less like I’m an enemy combatant.
“No, she’s right. That’s definitely the kind of answer someone without kids gives.” I laugh, mocking, “I have a fish.”
Sarah cracks the first genuine smile since the moment I said hello. I see it for just a sliver of a second in the rearview mirror before she turns her head toward the window, and Hayden damn near busts a gut.
I shrug, trying to keep my voice steady as I go on. “I’ve been busy for the last decade or so with college and medical school and my residency. I didn’t really have the time to meet someone—and I guess when I did, I didn’t meet the right people. I like kids, though. My residency revolved around it. And my sisters, Shell and Cara, are both older than me, and they each have a couple.”
Hayden is excited immediately at the prospect of playmates. “That’s really cool! How old are they?”
Sarah hums.
“Well, let’s see…Shell’s three boys are five, seven, and nine. And Cara’s little fella is two and a half, and her little lady, my only niece, is three and a half.”
“Four boys. Great,” Sarah breathes. “More poop jokes.”
I laugh. “Boys do love poop, don’t they?”
Sarah sighs a beleaguered breath, and Hayden snickers, repeating, “Poop.”