OBSESSION (The Bening Files (Novella) Book 4) by Rachel Trautmiller Page B
Authors: Rachel Trautmiller
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had been stripped from her long before any maternal urges had taken over.
Robinson had never been in the dark on that. He’d once joked that he was too much of a jerk and she was too sassy. They both took a lot of risks. That had been the end of it. “We don’t have diapers.”
“There’s this nifty invention called a store.”
“Furniture. Clothes. Names. We aren’t in our own house.” And Paige. How would that affect her?
“Slow down. That list has simple fixes.” He released her. “You’ve always been up for a challenge, so we figure out if this is one of them.”
The beat of her heart vibrated through her body. It would be an amazing adventure. And scary. She glanced back toward Paige’s room. If she couldn’t get it together with a nearly self-sustaining teenager, how would she do with two infants? “How long have you been thinking about this?”
“Just long enough that it still sounds crazy. And you know how I like that sort of thing.” The ding of the elevator sounded in the quiet. He stepped inside. “Think about it.” He put his palm across the doors, preventing them from closing. “Even if the answer ends up being no, you owe yourself the consideration. Keeping people safe so they can enjoy their lives is what you’re good at. Make sure you enjoy yours, too, or none of it means anything.”
She couldn’t argue. In the last month, every day had been filled with anxiety and second guessing that left her in uncharted territory. And Robinson floundering to make it right.
“You’re not scared, remember? Said so yourself last night.”
That seemed like years ago.
“I’m going to get some coffee.” He stepped farther into the elevator. And then the door shut, leaving her in the hall alone.
Did he really want to adopt Paige and her twins? Could they even do that? Their life had been chaotic before taking in the teen.
Adding two infants to the mix of hectic schedules and potentially dangerous work seemed risky. Rash. And yet, it would ensure they were together. That they had a family who loved them, because no matter what she and Robinson decided, those babies would enter the world.
###
EVERY SYLLABLE OF Robinson’s words hummed in Amanda’s brain as she turned from the elevator and caught sight of a tall woman in gray slacks, a peach blouse and stylish heels. A white lab coat covered the ensemble. She neared Paige’s hospital room with confident steps. Her blonde hair was clipped at the base of her neck in a sophisticated ponytail.
Amanda would know the regal stature of her biological incubator anywhere.
Her heart picked up speed as Paige’s maternal grandmother—a woman who’d easily dismissed her birth thirteen years ago and Amanda’s years before that—opened the door and stepped inside.
As if she belonged there.
What the…?
She raced toward the room. Spotted Lilly at the main desk speaking with another nurse, leaving Paige alone. With a woman who could care less about her.
A dark emotion burned through her chest and gathered with a heap of jitterbugs in her stomach.
You’re not scared, remember?
Amanda burst through the door, but didn’t let it hit the wall like she would have liked. She couldn’t afford to wake Paige and have to start another explanation that might bring those babies into this world sooner than needed.
Sandra stood at the edge of the bed with a chart in her hands.
“What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like?” She flipped through the documents. “Checking up on a patient.”
That was the worst joke ever. She snatched the binder from the other woman’s hands, noted Paige’s name across the top. “Get out. You’re not her doctor. You don’t have any right to be here.”
Sandra’s gaze flicked to the teen still sleeping in the bed, as if contemplating waking the child and giving her a dose of the harshest reality possible. Amanda moved between the girl and a woman neither of them needed contact with.
“She’s too
Robinson had never been in the dark on that. He’d once joked that he was too much of a jerk and she was too sassy. They both took a lot of risks. That had been the end of it. “We don’t have diapers.”
“There’s this nifty invention called a store.”
“Furniture. Clothes. Names. We aren’t in our own house.” And Paige. How would that affect her?
“Slow down. That list has simple fixes.” He released her. “You’ve always been up for a challenge, so we figure out if this is one of them.”
The beat of her heart vibrated through her body. It would be an amazing adventure. And scary. She glanced back toward Paige’s room. If she couldn’t get it together with a nearly self-sustaining teenager, how would she do with two infants? “How long have you been thinking about this?”
“Just long enough that it still sounds crazy. And you know how I like that sort of thing.” The ding of the elevator sounded in the quiet. He stepped inside. “Think about it.” He put his palm across the doors, preventing them from closing. “Even if the answer ends up being no, you owe yourself the consideration. Keeping people safe so they can enjoy their lives is what you’re good at. Make sure you enjoy yours, too, or none of it means anything.”
She couldn’t argue. In the last month, every day had been filled with anxiety and second guessing that left her in uncharted territory. And Robinson floundering to make it right.
“You’re not scared, remember? Said so yourself last night.”
That seemed like years ago.
“I’m going to get some coffee.” He stepped farther into the elevator. And then the door shut, leaving her in the hall alone.
Did he really want to adopt Paige and her twins? Could they even do that? Their life had been chaotic before taking in the teen.
Adding two infants to the mix of hectic schedules and potentially dangerous work seemed risky. Rash. And yet, it would ensure they were together. That they had a family who loved them, because no matter what she and Robinson decided, those babies would enter the world.
###
EVERY SYLLABLE OF Robinson’s words hummed in Amanda’s brain as she turned from the elevator and caught sight of a tall woman in gray slacks, a peach blouse and stylish heels. A white lab coat covered the ensemble. She neared Paige’s hospital room with confident steps. Her blonde hair was clipped at the base of her neck in a sophisticated ponytail.
Amanda would know the regal stature of her biological incubator anywhere.
Her heart picked up speed as Paige’s maternal grandmother—a woman who’d easily dismissed her birth thirteen years ago and Amanda’s years before that—opened the door and stepped inside.
As if she belonged there.
What the…?
She raced toward the room. Spotted Lilly at the main desk speaking with another nurse, leaving Paige alone. With a woman who could care less about her.
A dark emotion burned through her chest and gathered with a heap of jitterbugs in her stomach.
You’re not scared, remember?
Amanda burst through the door, but didn’t let it hit the wall like she would have liked. She couldn’t afford to wake Paige and have to start another explanation that might bring those babies into this world sooner than needed.
Sandra stood at the edge of the bed with a chart in her hands.
“What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like?” She flipped through the documents. “Checking up on a patient.”
That was the worst joke ever. She snatched the binder from the other woman’s hands, noted Paige’s name across the top. “Get out. You’re not her doctor. You don’t have any right to be here.”
Sandra’s gaze flicked to the teen still sleeping in the bed, as if contemplating waking the child and giving her a dose of the harshest reality possible. Amanda moved between the girl and a woman neither of them needed contact with.
“She’s too
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