The Match
It took Ava’s dad a while to accept the outspoken Chief of Surgery as his son-in-law, and even though we almost never see eye to eye, he’s welcomed me into their family with open arms ever since the wedding. I married Ava in the hotel where we met, which had no meaning to anyone but us. It was the perfect location for our big day.
“Why don’t we celebrate over dinner tonight? We can go to that wine bar you like and get a nice bottle of red to go with our steak.”
“I can’t,” she says.
“Why not? Your shift ends in an hour. I’ll be done by six.”
“There’s something else I have to tell you,” she confesses. Ava slips her fingers between mine and peeks up at me with those big, blue eyes that make me forget everything around us.
“You’d rather celebrate in the on-call room?” I wiggle my eyebrows at her, and she laughs.
“Yes, but that’s not what I wanted to tell you.” Ava takes my hand and holds it over her stomach. “I had Stacey run my labs at lunch. You’re going to be a father, Sloan.”
My mouth widens in shock. Even though we still have sex as much as when we first met, I wasn’t expecting Ava to drop this bomb on me. At first, I’m not sure how I feel about it until I allow myself to absorb everything. “You’re pregnant.”
She nods.
“I’m going to be a father,” I say, repeating her words, still stunned by the news.
“Can you believe it? Everything is coming together all at once.”
I bend down to kiss her on the lips, holding her tight against my chest. As much as I want to cry on the inside, I push back my happy tears. I was an only child, left parentless after my mother’s death. I had never given children much thought because of my upbringing. But I want kids, something I never realized until Ava told me I am about to become a father.
“We’re going to have another doctor in the family,” I choke out. “I know just the medical set to get our baby. The same one my mom got me.”
She hugs me again and rests her head on my chest. “Another Dr. Hart. I like the sound of that.”
“I love it,” I admit. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Sloan.”
Lowering my voice to a whisper, I guide Ava to the opposite side of the hallway, closer to our favorite spot in the building. “Paging Dr. Hart! You’re wanted in the on-call room.”
She peeks up at me, the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile. “Our kid better not even think about doing this.”
“Are you joking? Our kid will never be allowed out of the house. No way would I want my daughter to go sneaking around with a doctor to have sex in the on-call room.”
“You know, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree in the Roberts family.”
“You’re a Hart now, but let’s hope for a b
oy,” I say, dragging her in the on-call room. “Just in case.”
Once our lips meet, I reach behind Ava and lock the door, not giving a damn if everyone in the hospital can hear us.
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Chapter One
DEAN
Freshman Year
For the first time in my life, I am afraid to talk to a girl. And not just any girl. Kat is the daughter of Nick Baldwin, the professional hockey player I have idolized for most of my life. I still have NHL posters of her dad on the walls in my bedroom back home. Her father is the reason I wanted to become a hockey player, and now, I am stalking her.
My teammates laughed at me, told me I was crazy for seeking out Kat. When I’d heard that Nick’s daughter made the women’s ice hockey team at Strickland University, I had to see for myself if she lives up to the Baldwin name. She doesn’t disappoint, not even a little bit. In fact, Kat might be a faster skater than her dad.
Kat skates down the ice, with a few girls in tow, switching the puck to her right, as she the winger comes up on her left side. They collide against the boards, scrambling for the puck. With a front-row seat to the action, I get up from my chair and lean into the Plexiglas, watching Kat fight to keep possession of the puck. She elbows one of the girls in the jaw, but the official doesn’t catch it.