The Doctor's Baby(47)

“Have you told him Adam is his son?”

A.J. always had been a get-to-the-point kind of guy.

“Not yet,” July retorted. “Have you told Selena you love her?”

“Touché,” A.J. shot back. “Actually I confessed my love to a stuffed bear this week, so I think I’m ready to move to the next level.”

“Seriously? That’s gre—”

“I’m just screwing with you.” He laughed. “I’ll say it to her but not over the phone. We have a break next week and I’m flying to Chicago. I’ll take care of business then.”

“You’re waiting for the right time,” July murmured, nodding her head. “Just like me.”

“I’m waiting to say it in person,” A.J. said pointedly. “There’s a difference.”

“I know.” July tightened her fingers around the phone. “It’s just that things are going so well between us that I don’t want to mess it up.”

Silence sat between them for a heartbeat.

“Think about it,” A.J. said. “Can you really have a great relationship with that kind of lie between you?”

That same question had tormented July. She leaned back in the swing and gazed up into the heavens. “I’m just so scared.”

“What’s the worst that could happen if you tell him?”

July thought for a moment. As she’d gotten better acquainted with David, she’d realized that, unlike her mother, David was incapable of physical abuse. “Screaming. Yelling. Telling me what a horrible, weak person I am. Saying he never wants to see me again.”

Merely creating the vision escalated her fear. Her heart pounded and her breath grew ragged.

“What’s the worst that could happen if you didn’t?”

It wasn’t a question she’d expected. As she contemplated the possibility, a familiar tightness filled her chest. “The secret will ruin our relationship.”

“Sounds like you don’t really have a choice. You have to come clean.” A.J.’s voice softened. “I know it’s going to be hard. But remember, no matter what happens I’m here for you.”

Something in her friend’s tone said he wasn’t hopeful of a positive outcome. A fresh wave of despair washed over her. “This is going to end badly, isn’t it?”#p#分页标题#e#

“Quit thinking the worst,” A.J. chided. “It could go great. He might say ‘no big deal’ and you two can ride off into the sunset together…or whatever people do in Wyoming.”

It could. He might. Although July still held out hope, she’d had enough dreams go south to know never to bank on could and might. Those words were long shots…and she’d never been the lucky sort.

Still, hope was all she had. Hope that David would forgive her. Hope that there could be, might be, a happily-ever-after in their future. But most of all, hope that she could forgive herself for ruining both their lives if he ended up walking away.



The sun had already started to set when July drove into Jackson the next afternoon. It had been a long day made even longer by the fact that she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before.

After her talk with A.J., she’d tossed and turned until almost two. All she could do was think of David and how she didn’t want to lose him.

Thankfully driving to Yellowstone and spending the day looking for grizzlies and their cubs had kept her mind occupied. She’d gotten some good buffalo and moose shots but it wasn’t until she was hiking back to the Jeep that she’d seen the bear and her two babies. July had been far enough away to be safe, but close enough to get some fabulous pictures. The lighting had been perfect. Since she’d been upwind, the animals hadn’t even known she was there.

Time had flown by. Though she’d gotten out of Yellowstone far later than she’d planned, July felt good about what she’d accomplished. The photos would finish up this assignment on a high note.

On her way out of the park, she tried to call Mary Karen to tell her she’d be late for supper, but the call wouldn’t go through. It didn’t surprise her. Cell reception in Yellowstone was notoriously unpredictable.

She finally reached Mary Karen when she passed through the south gate. Only when she heard Caleb in the background did she remember her promise to the twins. Mary Karen told her not to worry but July knew the boys had to be disappointed.

She thought about stopping to get them some candy to try to make up for missing the movie but by the time she pulled into Jackson it was Adam’s feeding time.

Parking the Jeep in the driveway, July grabbed her equipment and hurried inside. The minute she opened the door she heard Adam. His loud “I’m hungry” cry echoed throughout the house.