you feeling?”
“I feel fat and happy,” Mia said, hugging and kissing him.
“Ah, but you look gorgeous,” Mikhail said, kissing her cheek while giving her a hug.
“I totally agree,” Dominik said.
“You guys are so sweet. And thank you so much for helping out. We really appreciate it. Tonight is the only time we could get everyone together. Spencer is about to go in the studio, Chase and Nikita are headed to Alaska in a few days, and David’s got to make the junket rounds for his new movie. Natalia and the boys are going with him this time.”
“Hey, it’s our pleasure,” Mikhail said. “So, where is everybody, upstairs already?”
“No, we decided to eat first,” Mia said, tucking herself between her two cousins and escorting them down the hall to the back of the house. “Everyone’s out on the deck.”
“Great, I’m starved,” Mikhail said, smelling the aroma of grilled meat.
“Mmm, something smells fantastic,” Dominik said as they neared the kitchen. “Who cooked?”
“Everybody,” Mia said. “Nikita and I prepped the food, then Spencer and Chase manned the grill. Natalia and David did the vegetables, and Tatiana supervised. Then of course we all changed places fifteen minutes later.”
Dominik and Mikhail laughed. “Yep, that sounds about right,” Mikhail said as they stepped out onto the deck. There was a loud, resounding “Hey!” from the family. Hugs, kisses and handshakes were exchanged. Three hours later, the once-empty room beside Mia and Stephen’s bedroom was painted, wallpapered, polished, furnished and decorated. It was the picture-perfect
nursery.
After his brother dropped him off, Dominik went back to the hospital. The first person he saw in the E.R. waiting room was a woman in jeans and a baseball cap with her head lowered reading a book. He walked over. “Good evening.” She looked up. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”
He walked away and went to his office. He sat down thinking about the evening with his family. His sisters and his cousin looked so happy that he couldn’t help but think about his own life and his future happiness. He’d always wanted a family and children, but his profession required his steadfast dedication to his field. The rewards were heartwarming when he saw a child’s sparkling smile or a patient overjoyed with good news, but the solitude it entailed was lonely. He knew he wanted more. He needed more.
He stood, grabbed his briefcase from the drawer and checked in with the night-shift medical team quickly, then headed back out to the front. As he passed through the waiting room, he looked around once more, this time seeing a sight that made him smile. Shauna was standing at the security desk and speaking with one of the guards. Perfect.
Chapter 6
After the fiasco in Dr. Gilman’s office, Shauna drove to her old neighborhood and down her old street. Here, the tropical laissez-faire lifestyle was at its best. She parked in Pearl’s driveway behind her car. She got out, grabbed the wine and dessert box, and headed up the brick path to the front door. She looked up at the grand old Victorian home with its wraparound veranda and lush, verdant gardens. As soon as she stepped up onto the open porch, Pearl opened the door smiling with a huge hug for her. “Oh, my God, look at you. I don’t care what they say, that Skype is nothing compared to real life. You look sensational. Come on in,” Pearl said, overjoyed to see her.
Shauna couldn’t stop smiling as she walked in. Pearl always knew how to make her feel great even if she didn’t know she was doing it. “Thank you, Pearl, and you look sensational. You lost weight and look great. I love your hair like that.”
“Me, too,” Pearl said, reaching up and pressing down the short, curly hair cut Afro-style in the back. “I got so tired of washing that longer hair, so I had it all cut off. Then I decided to just let the gray come in. Dyeing it and rinsing it every
“I feel fat and happy,” Mia said, hugging and kissing him.
“Ah, but you look gorgeous,” Mikhail said, kissing her cheek while giving her a hug.
“I totally agree,” Dominik said.
“You guys are so sweet. And thank you so much for helping out. We really appreciate it. Tonight is the only time we could get everyone together. Spencer is about to go in the studio, Chase and Nikita are headed to Alaska in a few days, and David’s got to make the junket rounds for his new movie. Natalia and the boys are going with him this time.”
“Hey, it’s our pleasure,” Mikhail said. “So, where is everybody, upstairs already?”
“No, we decided to eat first,” Mia said, tucking herself between her two cousins and escorting them down the hall to the back of the house. “Everyone’s out on the deck.”
“Great, I’m starved,” Mikhail said, smelling the aroma of grilled meat.
“Mmm, something smells fantastic,” Dominik said as they neared the kitchen. “Who cooked?”
“Everybody,” Mia said. “Nikita and I prepped the food, then Spencer and Chase manned the grill. Natalia and David did the vegetables, and Tatiana supervised. Then of course we all changed places fifteen minutes later.”
Dominik and Mikhail laughed. “Yep, that sounds about right,” Mikhail said as they stepped out onto the deck. There was a loud, resounding “Hey!” from the family. Hugs, kisses and handshakes were exchanged. Three hours later, the once-empty room beside Mia and Stephen’s bedroom was painted, wallpapered, polished, furnished and decorated. It was the picture-perfect
nursery.
After his brother dropped him off, Dominik went back to the hospital. The first person he saw in the E.R. waiting room was a woman in jeans and a baseball cap with her head lowered reading a book. He walked over. “Good evening.” She looked up. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”
He walked away and went to his office. He sat down thinking about the evening with his family. His sisters and his cousin looked so happy that he couldn’t help but think about his own life and his future happiness. He’d always wanted a family and children, but his profession required his steadfast dedication to his field. The rewards were heartwarming when he saw a child’s sparkling smile or a patient overjoyed with good news, but the solitude it entailed was lonely. He knew he wanted more. He needed more.
He stood, grabbed his briefcase from the drawer and checked in with the night-shift medical team quickly, then headed back out to the front. As he passed through the waiting room, he looked around once more, this time seeing a sight that made him smile. Shauna was standing at the security desk and speaking with one of the guards. Perfect.
Chapter 6
After the fiasco in Dr. Gilman’s office, Shauna drove to her old neighborhood and down her old street. Here, the tropical laissez-faire lifestyle was at its best. She parked in Pearl’s driveway behind her car. She got out, grabbed the wine and dessert box, and headed up the brick path to the front door. She looked up at the grand old Victorian home with its wraparound veranda and lush, verdant gardens. As soon as she stepped up onto the open porch, Pearl opened the door smiling with a huge hug for her. “Oh, my God, look at you. I don’t care what they say, that Skype is nothing compared to real life. You look sensational. Come on in,” Pearl said, overjoyed to see her.
Shauna couldn’t stop smiling as she walked in. Pearl always knew how to make her feel great even if she didn’t know she was doing it. “Thank you, Pearl, and you look sensational. You lost weight and look great. I love your hair like that.”
“Me, too,” Pearl said, reaching up and pressing down the short, curly hair cut Afro-style in the back. “I got so tired of washing that longer hair, so I had it all cut off. Then I decided to just let the gray come in. Dyeing it and rinsing it every
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