It's Always Been You

His father’s wife never showed him love. He figured it was because he was the constant reminder of the man’s infidelity. There was the kind nanny and the housekeeper. Then there was Gloria. His father and Love’s dad were colleagues and the two families spent a lot of time together. Dr. Leon had taught Drake how to drive, how to change a tire. He’d helped him study for the MCAT and wrote letters of recommendation to medical school.

Somehow, Drake knew that marrying his daughter was a different story. The elder man, his boss, had made it clear that Love was off-limits. Yes, Dr. Leon was firmly in Derrick’s camp, as evidenced by the fact that he’d sent the fool to Vegas to woo Love back.

Drake rounded the corner toward Dr. Leon’s office and slowed when he spotted Love pacing outside the door.

“Love?” he asked, approaching her. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Your dad texted me and told me to come.”

“Me, too.”

“Great,” he mumbled.

She looked up at him, tears swimming in her eyes. “Do you think he knows? What do I say?”

The relationship between Love and her father was strained, had been since Leon divorced Gloria, married his mistress and moved to Michigan. It was partly because of his high expectations of his daughter, but mostly because of the divorce and everything that had happened afterward. Her parents had had a contemptuous relationship, but the one thing they’d never argued about was her. Her father had never fought for her. He was completely okay with summer and holiday visits, which infuriated Love.

She’d once shared with Drake that she knew her father was overbearing, but a part of her always wanted to please him, even though he didn’t deserve her loyalty. She even went so far as to date a man handpicked by her father. Derrick. The asshole who’d cheated on her for months.

Drake ran his finger down her cheek, and she leaned into it. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to stop her tears. Even lie, cheat or steal. “Don’t cry,” he whispered. “It could be a total coincidence that he asked to see us both. Don’t worry, until we have something to worry about. Besides, he won’t take his anger out on you. I’ll be the one doing cholecystectomies for the foreseeable future.”

She giggled. “Stop making me laugh.”

“You know I’m right.”

“Probably. He won’t even give you those gallbladder surgeries. You’ll be lucky if he lets you scrub in on an appendectomy.”

“My bet? I’ll be stuck in the ER intubating patients all day or on central line placement.”

She nodded. “Ready?”

He knocked on the door. When he heard Dr. Leon beckon them to come in, he opened it. He expected to see Love’s father with his head buried in a chart, or writing on the whiteboard in his office. Instead, Drake froze when he saw Derrick Harper sitting comfortably in front of the desk.

Dr. Leon stepped forward and met his gaze, the frown on his face telling Drake this wasn’t a friendly visit. “Well, well,” he said. “If it isn’t the newlyweds.”

“Daddy?” Love said, her voice shaking as her gaze moved between Derrick and her father. “What’s going on?”

“You tell me,” Dr. Leon said, gesturing for them to take a seat.

Love held on to Drake’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Her father was a formidable doctor, in and out of the operating room, but what distinguished him from other surgeons was his willingness to teach. He’d mentored students across the country. Right now, though, he didn’t look so amenable.

Dr. Leon ran a hand over the stubble on his chin and let out a heavy grunt. “Since you’re not talking, how about I start?” He pointed at Derrick, who sat with a smug look on his face. Drake wanted to kick his ass. For the life of him, he didn’t understand what Love had seen in the man. He was a jerk, plain and simple. And Drake knew jerks, because he was an ass on a good day. “Imagine my surprise when Derrick told me what happened in Vegas when he arrived to propose. Not only did he walk into you and Drake sharing a hotel room, but he overheard your mother announcing to a roomful of people that you’re married.”

Drake glared at Derrick.

“What?” Love said. “You were there?”

“I went to the dinner to talk to you,” Derrick said. “I left when your mother announced the marriage.”

“And you couldn’t wait to come back and tell my father?”

“Never mind that,” Dr. Leon said. “Why? Are you pregnant?”

Love shook her head. “No. We’d never… I mean, it’s not like that.”