Autumn’s eyes bug out of her head, her gaze snapping back to mine. “REALLY?” she screeches, bouncing on her toes, her excitement radiating out of her in waves. “You’re going to let me stand in?”
I nod. “You deserve it today. Go and make sure that you know what you’re doing, and for God’s sake, don’t nearly trip the woman holding the baby this time.”
“I won’t, I promise,” she tells me before flying out of my office, the words, “FUCK YEAH,” echoing down the hallway behind her.
CHAPTER 9
AUTUMN
My highlighter glides over another old procedure that seems far too outdated for such a prestigious hospital. I can’t help but glance up through my lashes at the amazing doctor who sits across the office, scanning over everything I’ve circled.
It’s been such an incredible day. The cesarean was an extraordinary success, and just as I have done with everything else, I gaped at the man during the whole procedure.
Seeing a baby being born into this world is the most fascinating and wonderful thing I’ve ever seen. The more I watch Dr. Mayson do it, the more I seem to forget that he’s human. What he’s capable of doing … crap, he’s simply amazing. The fact that he also looks like a God in the process is also a bonus. I don’t think I have ever been so attracted to a man in my life.
I’m in trouble here—big, big trouble. Yet, as I watch him over the top of the massive ‘Policies & Procedures' folder, I can’t seem to force myself to stop. We’ve been locked inside his office for two hours now, and with every passing second, the room seems to get smaller. The only relief I had was when UberEats showed up outside the hospital and I ran downstairs to get the Chinese takeout. Sitting across from this man seemed so much easier when my veins were swimming with liquid courage.
“You’re staring at me,” he comments, his lips twisting into an amused smirk as he continues looking down at the array of papers spread across his desk.
My eyes shoot back down to the folder as I sit on the overly comfortable couch at the opposite end of his office. “No, I wasn’t,” I grumble, knowing damn well that he won’t believe me for even one second. “You’re seeing things.”
“I didn’t see anything,” he tells me, his smirk somehow getting impossibly bigger. “I can sense it.” His eyes shoot up from his papers and seem to stare directly through to my soul. “I can always sense it when it comes to you.”
My cheeks instantly flame as the need to throw myself into his arms burns through me. What is wrong with me? I’m crushing on this guy so hard and it’s only going to get me in trouble. I have to keep this professional. “What can I say?” I grumble, trying to shrug off my wild emotions with sarcasm. “It’s just a hazard of being me. When you’re this incredible, you’ll understand. People just seem to gravitate toward me, and unfortunately, Dr. Mayson, you’re falling into the same trap.”
His eyes sparkle with laughter, but he keeps a straight face. “I see,” he murmurs thoughtfully. “Or maybe I’m the incredible one, and judging by the way you couldn’t stop watching me during that cesarean, it seems that you’re the one who’s falling into a trap.”
I shake my head. “Not possible,” I tell him. “I’m far too advanced in this world to be capable of falling into traps. I was simply admiring your skills just as everyone else in the room was doing. After all, this is a learning hospital, and you’re the guy I’m supposed to be learning from. It only makes sense for me to be watching you.”
Dr. Mayson leans back in his desk chair, never once taking his eyes off me as the tension seems to grow inside the room. I should look away and break this connection between us, but I can’t. I can’t even describe it, to look away would feel like amputating a piece of myself, but why? I’ve known the guy for two days. In fact, I don’t even know him. Two days of not-so-discreetly watching a man from across a room is not knowing someone. I don’t have the right to feel as though he’s a part of me, at least, not yet.
He scoops up the forgotten Chinese takeout container from his desk and curls his skilled fingers around the chopsticks. “Tell me about yourself,” he says, taking me off guard.
I straighten on the couch. “Oh, umm … okay,” I say, unsure why the words seem to be getting stuck in my throat. “There’s really not much to say. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a midwife, and now it’s finally happening. That’s all there is to me.”
He shakes his head. “No, that’s just the bullshit exterior that you’re hiding behind. Tell me something real.”
I blink, my heart beginning to race. He’s right, that’s my go-to answer whenever someone asks me about myself. I tell them all about how amazing it would be to deliver babies all day long. I tell them about my course and how many years of experience it takes for a midwife to finally reach her goals. No one ever asks to go deeper and for the first time in my life, I don’t know what to say.
“I, uhh … I’m really not that exciting,” I finally admit. “I’m an only child and moved away the second I could. I’m originally from Kentucky, and the second I could start applying for jobs, I searched for ones as far from home as possible, which is how I ended up in Nashville.”
“Why’s that?” he questions, still refusing to take his eyes off mine.
“My parents couldn’t get on board with the fact that I didn’t want to be some fancy doctor or lawyer, and they’ve never let me live it down. It was just easier to separate myself from that.”
“So, you did it all on your own?”
I shrug a shoulder. “Well, not really. I lived in a rental with about six other nursing students for a while, so we all had each other’s back. It was fun—but crowded. I moved into my apartment about a year ago. So, it’s really the first time I’ve ever been alone.”
Dr. Mayson’s brows crease as though the thought of me being alone physically pains him. “What about friends?” he asks, his hand pausing as he digs through the Chinese takeout container.
“I have my best friend, KC, who’s amazing. She has a beautiful little girl, Aalia, who’s adorable, and apart from them, I have the usual work friends, but now that I’m here …”
“You don’t see them as much.” I press my lips into a hard line and shake my head, letting him see just how much that really hurts. “And the guy who bought the PS5?”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I groan, covering my face with my hands as the humiliation haunts me. “I don’t even know what I was thinking dating a loser like that.”
“How long were you together?”
“About three months,” I tell him. “But if I’m honest, I gave up at the two-month mark. I just never really got around to telling him to get lost until last night.”
“Well,” Dr. Dick says with amusement shining brightly in his eyes. “He deserved it.”