Read Online Playboy Doctor to Doting Dad by Sue MacKay - Free Book Online

them. A natural mother. Warmth stole over him. The kids were extremely lucky. He turned back to the boy, who’d finally succumbed to sleep, one fist pressed against his mouth, the other flung above his head. Kieran leaned forward, reachedin and ran the back of his hand over Seamus’s cheek, as he’d seen Abby do earlier. The warmth grew as Seamus’s soft skin seemed to melt against his harsher skin. Beautiful.
    Scary. He tugged his hand away, straightened. His body cooled. He couldn’t do this. He didn’t have Abby’s knack with children. Abby didn’t just feed Seamus, she fed him with love. She didn’t bath Olivia, she bathed her with devotion. He didn’t know how to comfort, to play. It wasn’t in him to cherish another human.
    Doctoring was about fixing, not nurturing. He didn’t know where he’d start if he had to take care of this little man even for an hour or two. Just standing here, he felt responsible for Seamus and that didn’t sit comfortably.
    The earlier panic began rising again. He could not become involved with Olivia and Seamus, become a part of this family. It would take a wet day in hell before he’d be ready for that. Or capable of doing what was expected of him.
    Abby heard the phone ringing in the kitchen and wondered which of her sisters that might be. Stephanie’s voice bubbled down the line. ‘Hey, Abby, how’s things? How’s the great man from Ireland? All excited to see Olivia?’
    Abby dredged up a laugh. ‘Olivia dazzled him.’ Which was certainly more than she’d managed.
    ‘I bet she did.’
    ‘She chattered nonstop to him, but wouldn’t let him bath her.’ Much to Kieran’s relief.
    ‘I bet Seamus won him over in an instant.’
    ‘No. That’s a work in progress.’ Neither of her sisters knew who Seamus’s dad was, but they probably had their suspicions. Anyone could do the sum and they’d both known there hadn’t been anyone else in her life since Phillip had turned out to be such a rat. Now was probably the time to tell them, but she’d wait until she knew what Kieran would do.
    Thankfully Steph changed the subject. ‘I bought a newdress today for a party I’m going to. Can you take the hem up for me?’
    What ever happened to ‘do you mind?’ or ‘please’? Abby sighed. What did she expect? She’d always done alterations for her sisters. ‘Bring it round on Saturday morning.’
    Sometimes she felt Charlie and Steph didn’t even consider she might have a life of her own. Certainly neither realised how time-consuming bringing up two very young children could be. What would they say if she left the children with them for a day and went out shopping, visiting the beauty parlour or just lying on a lounger, reading a magazine? She couldn’t help the small smile that twisted her mouth. They’d be horrified. As far as Steph was concerned, children definitely didn’t go with the image of a lawyer in one of the city’s top firms. Neither did Charlie think hotshot real estate salespeople should have kids clinging to their tailored suits. But they loved their niece and nephew, and her. As she loved them.
    Six years younger than her, her sisters had always turned to her for help with things since the day she’d come home to nurse their mother. When their mum had died she’d kept right on looking out for them. At twenty-three they didn’t really need her to do that now, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Most of the time.
    Stephanie was saying, ‘I wonder if Kieran would like to go to the party. The girls from the office would love him, especially with that divine accent. His gorgeous looks won’t hurt either.’
    Abby’s stomach plummeted. She knew Kieran loved parties. Her brother had often talked about all the socialising they’d done together. Why shouldn’t he go? He was a free agent. Because he’d come here to work, it didn’t mean he had to be a saint for the duration of his stay. What he did in hisspare time had nothing to do with her.