Second Chance Seduction. Monica Richardson

me, Martin. I need to take this,” he said and then walked as far away from the music as he could get. He answered the phone. “Hello.”

      “Edward?” the sweet voice on the other end asked.

      He could barely hear and decided to step outside the bar. He stood on the patio. “Hello. Savannah?”

      “Edward, I’m at St. Mary’s with Chloe.”

      “Oh my God! What happened?”

      “Her asthma again. She was running a pretty high fever when I picked her up from school. She’s been complaining of chest pains. So I brought her to the emergency room.”

      “Has she seen the doctor?”

      “Not yet. We’re waiting.”

      “I’m on my way,” Edward said before hanging up.

      Unfortunately, Chloe had battled with asthma for most of her life. It usually flared up in the spring when pollen was high in Florida. She suffered so much and so often that it broke his heart. And every incident and flare-up became more serious than the one before, and it devastated him that he couldn’t fix it. He was her father, her protector, and he couldn’t protect her from her illness.

      As soon as he hung up the phone, it dawned on him that he hadn’t driven. He found Quinn and appealed to her to drive him back to his car.

      “The hospital is closer,” Quinn said. “I’ll just take you there.”

      Edward wanted to protest. The last thing he wanted to do was show up at St. Mary’s with a woman Savannah had accused him of seeing for years. But Quinn had been correct. The hospital was a closer drive, and he needed to get to Chloe as quickly as possible. He hopped into the passenger seat of Quinn’s convertible and she drove him to the hospital. She pulled into an empty space in the parking lot.

      “Do you need for me to wait for you? Or come inside?”

      “No. I’ll be fine.”

      “You want me to come back and pick you up?”

      “No, I’ll manage. It will probably be late. I’ll just grab a taxi.”

      “You sure?”

      “Absolutely. I’ll be fine.” He opened the car door. “Thanks a lot for driving me.”

      “Call me if you need me,” she said.

      Edward walked into the emergency waiting room. When he didn’t see Savannah and Chloe, he inquired at the front desk and was informed that she’d just gone back to see the doctor. He was allowed to join them. Savannah looked frantic and defeated, but her eyes lit up when she saw Edward. He went straight for Chloe and kissed her forehead.

      “Hi, Daddy,” she weakly said.

      “What’s going on with my favorite girl?” he asked.

      He’d always called Savannah his favorite girl, too. He hoped the comment would get under her skin.

      “I don’t feel good,” Chloe whined.

      Savannah cleared her throat. “The doctor thinks it might be asthmatic bronchitis. They’re going to do a test called Spirometry test, which will measure her lung function.”

      He nodded and acknowledged her statement, but didn’t really look her in the eyes; he was too embarrassed about their last conversation and still a bit angry. He took note of how beautiful she looked in her two-piece blue business suit, but tried to keep his attention focused on his daughter.

      Hours passed before they received the results of Chloe’s Spirometry test that confirmed that she indeed had asthmatic bronchitis. The doctor handed Savannah a prescription and gave Edward a strong handshake. They were given instructions on how to care for Chloe and then sent on their way. It was late, and Edward felt exhausted as they took the silver elevator down to the first floor.

      “Where’d you park?” Savannah asked.

      “I actually left my car at the office. I caught a ride over from the bar with a coworker. We were celebrating Martin’s birthday,” said Edward. “I’ll just grab a taxi.”

      “Do you need a ride?” Savannah asked.

      “Would you mind?”

      “No. Not at all.” She pulled her keys from her purse. Held them in her hand. “I’m right out front.”

      “I don’t want to take you out of your way, so you can just drop me off at home. I’ll take a taxi into the office in the morning,” Edward said. “Besides, you need to get this one home as soon as possible. Get her to bed.”

      “We have to fill her prescriptions first.”

      Edward climbed into the passenger seat of Savannah’s practical four-door sedan. It was one that she’d purchased after their breakup. He’d offered her the family SUV after they’d parted, but Savannah had complained that she wanted something a little more economical.

      “That Lincoln Navigator, although very nice, is a gas guzzler. I want something that gets good gas mileage—a nice little Toyota or something.” She was the levelheaded one and way more practical than Edward. She’d kept him grounded. It was what he loved about her.

      They’d traded the Navigator for a fully loaded Toyota.

      She toyed with the buttons on the stereo until she found something mellow. She seemed nervous. She and Edward had become friends and co-parents for Chloe over the years, but it had been a long time since they shared such a small space together. He tried to lighten the mood by commenting on her music.

      “What is it we’re listening to?’ he asked, and then switched to a hip-hop station.

      “Who listens to that?”

      “Normal people.” He smiled and then looked out the window.

      They stopped by the drugstore, and soon Savannah pulled up in front of Edward’s home. Waited for him to step out of the car.

      “Daddy, I’m hungry. Can you make me your special soup?” Chloe asked before her father exited the car. “It’ll make me feel much better.”

      Edward gave Savannah a knowing grin. “It’s really late, baby. Mommy can grab you some soup on the way home.”

      “Please, Daddy,” Chloe sang. “I want your soup.”

      “What do you think?” Edward asked Savannah.

      “I don’t know.” Savannah was hesitant.

      “Please, Mommy,” said Chloe.

      “She’s pretty convincing,” Savannah stated, and put the car in Park. “I guess it’ll be okay. Your soup is pretty easy to make.”

      “I have all of the ingredients here,” Edward said. “I just need you to cut up the papaya for me. If you don’t mind.”

      She’d always helped Edward prepare his papaya soup—a Bahamian recipe that he’d prepared on many occasions. It was Chloe’s favorite, and Savannah’s, too.

      “Okay, Chloe.” Savannah sighed. “But then we’re going home and getting you medicated and in bed.”

      Edward stepped out of the car first and opened the back door for Chloe to hop out. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her to the front door. Savannah locked up the car and followed. Something inside Edward felt joy that they were staying. Maybe he would have an opportunity to talk to Savannah about London again, and this time he’d convince her to stay or at least consider leaving Chloe with him.