Snowbound With The Single Dad. Laura Iding

be gorgeous, Drew. Then it’s my job to get you back to school so you can finish it.’

      Drew shook his head. ‘That one got a bit messy. Can’t you help me make another one?’

      Jess hesitated. Everything in her head was screaming no.

      She was a hospital consultant. She had a hundred other things to be doing right now.

      But for the strangest reason none of them seemed particularly important. Here was an opportunity to do something nice. To do the first real Christmassy thing she’d done in…goodness knew how long.

      She hadn’t even put her Christmas decorations up for the last three years. It had hardly seemed worthwhile when she wasn’t really in the mood. They were lying stuffed in a box in her loft somewhere. Maybe she should think about pulling them out.

      She smiled at Drew. Yes, she could go and ask one of the play advisors to come and help Drew make a card.

      But he had a really hopeful look in those green eyes. How could she possibly say no?

      She walked over to one of the play cabinets and pulled out a drawer. The hospital’s own kind of sticky tray. She lifted up the vast array of coloured card and fanned it out like a rainbow in her hand. ‘What colour card would you like?’

      Callum strode down the corridor. He hadn’t meant to be so long. But three nights of sleeping in a hospital chair did strange things to your body.

      He’d stepped out of the shower and had only meant to sit down for a few seconds at home. The next thing he knew he had a crick in his neck and was hopping about the place, trying to get dressed in the space of five seconds.

      If he was lucky, today would be the day he got to take his son home. And as much as he liked going to the hospital and getting to see Jessica every day, he’d much rather have his son safe at home.

      He’d promised Drew’s mother that they could Skype tonight. She usually did it every week with Drew and had been annoyed that she hadn’t been able to see him while he’d been unwell.

      It was just as well children were so resilient. Drew had seemed to get over his mother’s abandonment within a matter of weeks. Probably because he’d been surrounded by people who loved him. But Callum could never forget the impact it had had on his son. What kind of a woman did that?

      He turned the corner, ready to head into Drew’s room, and stopped dead.

      It was a sight he’d never expected to see.

      Drew looked nothing like the child he’d been a few days ago, pale-faced and in pain. Today he had colour in his cheeks and sparkle in his eyes.

      Drew and Jessica. Paint was everywhere. Cotton wool was everywhere. Glitter was everywhere, including smudged all along Jessica’s cheekbones. But most importantly Drew was smiling, Drew was laughing. His attention was totally focused on Jessica. And the way he was looking at her…

      It tugged right at Callum’s heartstrings. Kirsten, his ex-wife, had never been the most maternal woman in the world. And since she’d left Drew had never really had a female presence in his life, that female contact. Sure, there were his friends Julie and Blair, and Julie was fabulous with Drew. But he didn’t see her every day—didn’t have that kind of relationship with her.

      This was the first time he’d realised what his son had been missing out on.

      He felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He’d always felt as if introducing Drew to any of his girlfriends would have been confusing for a little boy. Taking things a step too far. He wanted to protect Drew from all of that. And to be truthful he’d never been that serious about any of them. He couldn’t stand the thought of different women yo-yoing in and out of his son’s life.

      Then there was that lingering dread of introducing Drew to another woman, only for her to change her mind and speed off into the sunset, leaving him to pick up the pieces.

      But maybe he had been wrong? Maybe he’d been cheating his son out of so much more.

      Jess seemed so at ease with his son. But, then, she should, she was a paediatrician, she loved kids. It was the field she’d chosen to work in.

      It made him even more curious. Why didn’t Jess have kids of her own? It was obvious she would be a natural.

      It almost seemed a shame to interrupt this happy scene, but he had to. He wanted to know if he could take his son home. He cleared his throat loudly. ‘What’s going on in here?’

      Drew’s eyes widened in shock. ‘Hide them, Dr Rae! Hide them!’ He cupped his hands over whatever it was he’d been making.

      Jess jumped to her feet and stood in front of the table they were sitting at, opening up her coat to block his view. She gave Callum a wink then turned her head over her shoulder towards Drew. ‘It’s okay. He can’t see a thing. Put them in the envelopes now.’

      There was the loud sound of shuffling behind Jessica’s back, along with little-boy squeals of excitement.

      But Callum was kind of stuck in the view right in front of his eyes. Jess was wearing a red woollen dress, which clung to her every curve, leaving nothing to his imagination. He was kind of glad that her white coat normally covered this view. He didn’t want everyone else seeing what he could.

      Jess sparkled. Literally. Blue and silver glitter along her cheekbones.

      He lifted his thumb up and touched her cheek. ‘You got a little something on here.’ He brushed along her cheekbone then his fingers rested under her chin. He half expected her to flinch and move away, but she didn’t. She stood still, fixing him with her deep brown eyes.

      A man could get lost in eyes like that.

      If he wanted to.

      He stared down at his thumb. ‘Is this a bit of a give-away?’

      She shook her head and glanced over her shoulder again. ‘How are you doing, Drew? Nearly done?’

      Drew held up two giant white envelopes, looking ever so pleased with himself. ‘Done!’

      He stood up, but stayed behind Jessica, putting his hands on her hips and sticking his head around. ‘Wait till you see what I’ve made you, Daddy.’

      Callum knelt down. ‘I can’t wait. I’m hoping we can go home some time today. What do you think, Dr Rae?’

      Jess brushed her hair back from her face, leaving traces of glitter everywhere, including shimmering in the air between them. ‘Oh, wow! I guess we went all out with the glitter, then.’

      ‘I guess you did.’ She was still smiling at him. Not avoiding him. And not avoiding Drew. Did this mean she’d finally forgiven him? She might give them a chance at…something?

      ‘What do you think, Doc? Is Drew ready for discharge?’

      He could almost see the silent switch—the move back into doctor mode. ‘Yes, I think he is. His wound is healing well. We’ve done a few other tests—an ECG and an ultrasound of his heart. There’s been no sign of any problems.’ Her face became serious and the smile disappeared for a few seconds.

      ‘Right now I’m assuming that Drew’s situs inversus in straightforward. But I understand you might want to talk to someone about it. So, even though I don’t think Drew will need any kind of follow-up, I’ve asked for one of the other consultants who specialises in genetic conditions to give you an appointment so you can discuss any concerns that you have.’

      Callum pulled back a little. ‘But why? Can’t I just talk to you?’ The words she was saying made sense, but that didn’t mean that he liked them.

      She shook her head. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. I performed Drew’s emergency surgery, but I probably have a conflict of interest here.’

      He raised his eyebrows. ‘A conflict of interest, what does that mean?’

      ‘You know what that