Read Online Wanted: Parents for a Baby! by Laura Iding - Free Book Online Page B

right out of her head. She had enough personal issues of her own to deal with, including becoming a foster mother to Emma.
    Still, she couldn’t help noticing just how different Ryan was from her ex-husband. Evan had never gazed at her so intently. In fact, he’d often stared at other women, even when she’d been sitting right there. Several times since the divorce, she’d wondered why she’d thought she’d loved Evan in the first place. It hurt to realize she may have been looking for the security of marriage rather than being truly in love. And she wished she’d figured that out sooner.
    Before she’d lost her second baby.
    She didn’t want to ruin the moment by dwelling on the mistakes she’d made in the past, so she shook off the memories.
    â€œYou called it, that was amazing,” she said, pushing her plate away and sitting back with a sigh. “I’ll need to double my workouts if I keep eating like this.”
    He scowled and shook his head. “You look perfectly fine the way you are.”
    Fine wasn’t exactly flattering, but that didn’t stop her from blushing. “Thanks again for dinner,” she said, trying to change the subject. “I should probably head back home.”
    â€œAll right,” he agreed, gesturing for Maria to bring their bill. “If you have time, it might be nice to take a walk up to the top of the bluff first. A short walk will help your food digest, making room for dessert.”
    She caught her breath, thinking that a walk to the top of the bluff and dessert sounded like something more intimate than a friendly meal. Or was she overreacting?
    She needed to get a grip. His brain was probably foggy from sheer exhaustion and he just wanted to keep active so he wouldn’t fall asleep.
    She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “Sure. That sounds fun,” she said lightly.
    Ryan smiled and quickly signed off on the bill. Before he could say anything more, though, his cell phone rang. He stared at the screen for a moment, before lifting his gaze to hers. “It’s the hospital,” he said with obvious regret. “I’m sorry, I’ll need to take this call.”
    â€œOh, no, it’s not Emma, is it?” she asked, leaning forward in concern.
    â€œI’ll find out,” he promised, pushing the button on his phone to connect to the caller. “This is Ryan Murphy,” he said in a crisp, professional tone.
    Cassie knew she shouldn’t be listening to Ryan’s side of the conversation—after all, there were rules about patient privacy. But she couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Emma. Or to any of their other tiny patients. Each baby in their care offered hope for the future.
    â€œDiscontinue her feedings immediately and get a chest X-ray, stat,” Ryan said. “I’ll be in to check on her and to write more orders shortly.”
    The way his eyes darkened with regret made her stomach clench. “What happened to Emma?” she demanded, fearing the worst.
    â€œShe aspirated some of her tube feeding while having a seizure,” he admitted grimly. “I’m sorry, but I’ll need to go in. I want to review her X-ray myself.”
    â€œI want to go with you,” Cassie protested, rising to her feet. But then she let out a heavy breath. “But I can’t. She doesn’t belong to me yet.”
    â€œGive me your number,” he urged, pulling out his phone. “I’ll call you with an update.”
    â€œReally?” She readily gave him her number, watching with awe as he programmed her name into his phone. “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”
    Ryan slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to your car.”
    â€œNo, just go and take care of Emma,” she said, putting her hand on his arm to stop him. For a moment his gaze dropped to her hand, before lifting