Dr Daddy's Perfect Christmas. Jules Bennett

      Inwardly he smiled. He’d forgotten how she’d always been a take-charge type, never one to back down even if a topic was uncomfortable or awkward.

      “I am,” he told her honestly. “I didn’t get to make it back for Todd’s funeral and I’m not quite sure what to say to you now that I’m here.”

      Okay, that wasn’t a total lie, but it was just another layer to his unsettled mood.

      Her hand slid from his as she pulled her coat tighter over her chest, crossing her arms. The slight breeze picked up strands of her low ponytail and sent pieces dancing around her shoulder.

      “You don’t have to say anything, Eli. No words will bring him back and I won’t fall apart if you mention his name. He died doing what he loved, but I’m getting along.” She offered a tender smile. “You and I used to be so close.”

      She inched closer, still holding his eyes with her own. Eli swallowed, but held her gaze. Nothing could make him turn away from such beauty. She’d always been able to captivate him with no effort on her part.

      “All I need right now are friends,” she told him, her bright blue eyes searching his. “Can you handle that?”

      Could he handle being her friend? He could, but there would be that secret silently settling between them, forming an invisible wedge.

      Her pleading eyes tugged at his heart and he couldn’t deny her.

      “I can handle that,” he told her with a brief nod.

      She cupped her gloved hand over his cheek and the warmth spread throughout him. “I’m glad you’re back, even if it is for a short time.” She flashed him a knockout smile, then dropped her hand and pulled her coat back around her as if to shield herself against the chilly breeze.

      Nora may act like everything was fine, but Eli’s body was still reeling from her innocent touch. Everything about her gesture had been harmless. And yet he could still feel her softness as her hand slid against his cheek—even though he hadn’t felt her bare skin.

      “I’m so relieved the surgery was a success,” she told him, turning to walk again. “I’ve been a nervous wreck since we found out he’d have to have it.”

      Eli kept his pace slow so she could remain by his side and in case there was a skiff of snow on the walk. He didn’t mind the cold; he would’ve walked anywhere she wanted to go if she’d just keep talking to him. He’d missed spending time with her. Because even though they’d parted ways, she’d always been so easy to talk to, so understanding and compassionate. They’d been best friends at one time and he’d yet to find anyone else he shared such a strong bond with outside of his family.

      “I honestly was, too,” Eli told her. “I knew he was in good hands here, but you never know when something can go wrong.”

      “How did you manage to get off work for so long?” she asked, stopping beside a small silver SUV. “That wasn’t much notice considering they told him yesterday he’d be having surgery.”

      “I requested an emergency FMLA.” When she gave him a questioning look he clarified. “A family leave of absence. It’s for twelve weeks. If Dad is better before then, I can return, but that’s the limit I can be gone.”

      “You like it in Atlanta?” she asked.

      “I love Atlanta,” he told her without hesitation. “Even though I just settled in a few months ago, I love the hospital, the staff. I love the city itself.”

      A slight smile tipped one corner of her mouth. “You were always so eager to leave.”

      Yeah, he’d had it all figured out. First graduation, then the army, then seeing the world.

      But his plans got a bit derailed and he’d gone back into the army before getting out and looking for a job in his field.

      So far, he’d accomplished every career goal he’d ever wanted. But what about his personal life? What goals had he worked toward or even set for himself outside of his career?

      “I’m not a small-town guy,” he told her. “I knew when I left I wanted something more.”

      This topic was starting to venture into a territory he truly didn’t think either of them was ready for so he nodded toward the car he’d seen in her drive. “This you?”

      “Yeah. I may be back later, but right now I need to go home and lie down.”

      Not for the first time he noticed she was a bit pale, which only showcased those dark circles beneath her eyes even more.

      “Are you feeling okay?”

      She sighed and nodded. “Yeah, just tired a lot lately.”

      “You’re working too hard, then.”

      Nora shrugged without defending herself as most people would do. “If I don’t see you back here, I’ll see you at your parents’ house.”

      “Thanks for being there for them,” he told her, holding the door open for her. “Over the years when I’ve been overseas, you’ve just...you’ve always been there and I’m not sure I ever said thank you.”

      Nora’s eyes misted as she met his gaze overtop the car door. “I love your parents, Eli. Just because we stopped dating didn’t mean I loved or cared for them any less. I’m happy we have one another because, trust me, they’ve been there for me, too.”

      She turned and got behind the wheel before he could question her. His mother and father rarely mentioned Nora other than in occasional conversations and then when Todd had passed. They’d never talked about her needing them or hard times. He assumed they didn’t mention it because they knew he had moved on.

      Nora’s sad smile told him her life had been anything but what she’d envisioned. She was hiding something and as bad as he wanted to know what that was, he knew he had no place in her life...past or present.

Chapter Three

      Nora was pretty much hugging the toilet. Not her most shining moment in life, but she had no control of certain bodily functions lately.

      The second she’d opened that bathroom cleaner her stomach had revolted and all she knew was that she was thankful she’d already been in the bathroom because there was no holding it back.

      Wasn’t morning sickness supposed to be in the morning and in the first trimester? Come on, life, could she get some slack cut here?

      At twenty weeks’ pregnant her ob-gyn had assured her that the nausea, exhaustion and sickness were quite normal and every pregnancy was different so Nora couldn’t compare all her experiences to things she’d seen online.

      The exhaustion she could handle, but the nausea that chose to hit her at random times during the day really left her helpless. Talk about awkward when she was doing an exam on an animal. So far she’d only had to leave the room twice and thankfully her clients were understanding.

      Nora eased back, praying this round was over. Apparently the bathroom wasn’t going to get cleaned, not by her, anyway. She was flat-out drained and, as of this moment, didn’t even have the energy to stand, let alone scrub.

      Mac was coming home today and she’d wanted to surprise them with a nice, clean house. There was no way Bev would have the time to clean with taking care of Mac. It wasn’t much, but she felt like she should do something to help them.

      She also had made up a few casseroles and put them in the deep freezer in the garage so hopefully Bev wouldn’t have to worry about cooking for a while.

      Nora had just reached and flushed the commode when she heard the front door close. Perking an ear, because that’s all she had the energy to perk right now, she listened for voices, but didn’t hear any. At least it wasn’t Bev and Mac.

      Heavy