“She’s not mine anymore, Griff. It’s not my decision. And even if I wanted to adopt her, I probably wouldn’t qualify. I’m single, gay, and live out of state for god’s sake.”
“You have biological ties to the baby. That counts for a lot.”
“And raise her by myself over the shop? What are my options exactly?” I threw up my hands, frustrated by feeling caught in the trap of wanting something I couldn’t have. “And what about her? Doesn’t she deserve better than me for a parent? Doesn’t she deserve to be loved by a set of parents who desperately wanted her?”
“She is loved by a parent who desperately wants her,” he said quietly so only I could hear it. “You and I both felt unloved and unwanted by our biological families. She would never feel that with you, Nico. Ever.”
My heart felt like it was going to break into a million pieces. I wanted to scream at him that everyone agreed I wasn’t good enough to be that baby’s father, but I knew he’d just keep arguing.
I left him standing by the sofa while I walked over to join the others in the kitchen to heat up the chili and fix dinner for everyone. Grandpa was already at the stove, telling a funny story to Rebecca, who was laughing so hard she was wiping off tears.
Doc had the baby propped on his shoulder and was swaying back and forth cooing in her ear before he seemed to remember something. “Oh, Weston, I forgot to tell you,” he began. My head whipped around so fast to the front door, I almost fell over.
West wasn’t there.
Everyone stared at me until I realized Doc had been talking to Grandpa. My face bloomed hot, and my heart raced. Fuck, I had it bad. Really, really bad.
“Sorry. Continue,” I mumbled, turning to get a bottle of water from the fridge so I could cool off my hot cheeks.
Doc went on. “I heard from the chief of staff at the hospital that Xavier Rhodes accepted Avi’s old spot as staff surgeon. He’ll be here in a few days, I think. His parents are over the moon he’s moving back.”
Grandpa’s face lit up. “Excellent. I’ll bet Adrien and Margot are thrilled. I don’t think they ever saw him unless they visited Atlanta. Does West know? He’ll finally have someone on staff close to his own age.”
As they chattered about Xavier, I realized it was the same Xavier that West had dated in med school. The realization the guy was moving to Hobie hit hard, leaving a strange calm over me. It surprised me, really. I was expecting to feel jealous and angry hearing about West’s ex moving back to town. But all I felt was this weird sense of karma clicking into place. Like the universe was backing up my assertion that I wasn’t the right one for West. And now Fate was serving up a better option on a silver platter just as I was leaving. How perfectly perfect for him.
Doc and Grandpa apparently thought the world of the guy. According to their inane chatter, Xavier was smart and gorgeous, clever and kind. Everyone loved him, and he probably wore a goddamned superhero costume under his scrubs. The more they described how great he was, the more I worried I’d accidentally sprained my nostrils from flaring too much.
The subject finally changed after we sat down to dinner, and Rebecca mentioned something about my tattoo shop to Grandpa.
“He’s very talented,” she said, beaming with pride. “It takes forever to get on his schedule. I’m sure it’s been a mess for his calendar since he’s been gone.”
Doc smiled at me. “Actually, Nico, I wanted to ask you about a piercing—”
Grandpa’s hand came up to clamp over Doc’s mouth. “Are you crazy?”
Doc’s eyes twinkled at his husband, almost daring him to take his hand away.
“Don’t you dare say it,” Grandpa warned. Doc winked at him, and holy hell, Grandpa’s cheeks turned an adorable pink.
“Well, whatever you may or may not want pierced, you’ll have to come see me in California. I’m heading back the day after tomorrow.”
Everyone stopped laughing and looked at me with surprise.
“Really?” Griff asked. “So soon?”
I nodded. “I need to get back to work. Doc, I was hoping you could help West take care of Pippa until the adoption goes through. I can’t imagine it’ll take too long now that the last document is in Honovi’s hands. All West has to do is sign the paperwork.”
I felt like I was going to throw up.
Doc reached his hand over and placed it on mine. “Nico, are you sure about this? Why don’t you take some more time to—”
“No, I’m sure. The Warners seem like wonderful people, and they’ll give her a great life. It’s better for her even if it’s hard for me. And that’s what it’s all about, right?” I tried to put on a brave face even though I was dying inside.