Devaney’s Doctor Daddy by Honey Meyer

Chapter Fifteen

It had been a while since he’d spent most of an afternoon cuddled up with a little girl watching a movie and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why it had been so long—having Devy curled up in front of him around the dino she’d named Spaghetti was great.

The pain meds he’d administered after giving her a bath seemed to help and while she definitely wasn’t 100 percent, she was at least better and he loved the way her sweet bottom nestled into his lap. It maybe made him kind of a lizard brain but he had to concentrate on not getting hard with her snuggled against him like this, her hair sweet-smelling, the way she wrapped her whole hand around his thumb, and she made these cute little sighs.

But then again, it made sense that he hadn’t cuddled a little girl for hours lately—he had lots of “patients,” could easily find play partners when he went to Hive, but a little girl of his own? It’d been a while. And even when he’d had one, it hadn’t felt like this. Being with Devaney felt good in a way he couldn’t articulate. It was just right.

At the moment, though, his little girl seemed restless.

“What’s up, buttercup? You’re squirming.”

As much as his dick might appreciate the friction, more so he wanted to make sure she was okay.

“I should probably start getting ready to go. I need to get dressed and go to the mall to pick up my car and get some chores done before Carter comes back with the boys.”

His arms tightened around her in a squeeze of possessiveness. As far as he was concerned, Devy shouldn’t go anywhere that wasn’t within shouting distance of him. But she had a life that predated him and she probably wouldn’t appreciate him trying to ogre-stomp all over it and throwing her over his shoulder to haul her upstairs where he could look after her properly. He definitely wouldn’t interfere with her kids. Unless she asked for his help, anything that had to do with Logan and Chase was her call.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to wheedle a little more time out of her. He’d keep her in his arms, in his house, in his life for as long as possible.

Eric hit pause on the movie and rolled her over so she was facing him, Spaghetti squished between them. He would’ve never thought to name a stegosaurus Spaghetti, but it was hilariously perfect.

“Would you like to spend more time together if I can make that happen or are you ready to go home and have some alone time? Tell me the truth, buttercup,” he said, putting a little warning into his tone because Devy was always thinking about other people and what she should do, not what she wanted or needed.

That was some bullshit. That woman deserved to be treated like a princess. And if she was supporting those boys day in and day out, someone ought to be supporting her. But she’d clearly been left blowing in the wind for far too long—way before her divorce it sounded like.

She looked up at him with those big cornflower blues and licked her lips while her cheeks pinked, gave him the sweetest smile. “If the world were a perfect place…”

It was crazy-making how she didn’t finish that sentence. If the world were a perfect place I would stay here with you, forever and always. If the world were a perfect place, I’d be your special little patient all the time. If the world were a perfect place, you would hold me and never let go.

“Well,” she said, a half-smile, half-grimace making her face look pinched when she’d been so easy moments before. “I would love to spend more time with you but I’ve got laundry to do, dinner to make, an apartment to clean, and I have to get my car before I can get started on any of that. So I guess adulting will have to take a front seat…as much as I’ve liked being your little girl.”

God she was gorgeous when she blushed, that perfect peony shade of pink blooming on her cheeks. And the way she said she’d liked being his little girl did something to his insides. Maybe medical science would say it was nonsense, but there was for sure a warmth burning softly in his whole chest and lower.

“I’ve loved you being my babygirl and my special little patient this weekend. So how about I make some calls, and we’ll keep this party going a little longer?”

Hope flashed in her eyes before she looked away and muttered, “Some party I am.”

“Hey now, none of that. No one talks about my Devy baby that way,” he said, taking her chin between the pad of his thumb and a knuckle to force her to meet his gaze again. “You’re perfect just the way you are, and I shouldn’t have phrased it like that. I love spending time with you and taking care of you. Being snugglebugs on the couch with my buttercup is better than any rager, okay? Say ‘Yes, Daddy.’”

“Yes, Daddy,” she replied, the flush of her cheeks darkening, and he kissed the tip of her nose, along the crest of her brows and both her cheeks.

“That’s better.”

He gave her another squeeze before maneuvering them into a sitting position and grabbing his phone. “Now let me make some arrangements.”

* * *

Half an hour later, the chimes of Eric’s doorbell resonated through the house and her heart went wild, like a crowd in a stadium. She’d been drowsing with her head in his lap, Spaghetti clutched to her belly, toasty warm under a blanket, but she sat bolt upright at the sound.

Oh no. She’d meant to get up and get dressed when Eric had said his friends would be here soon but instead he’d tucked her under his arm and then she’d turned into a sleepy puddle since she hadn’t gotten much rest last night and he was so comfortable. That perfect mix of strong and cuddly.

Dammit, though, she could not have anyone see her dressed in this baby blue hospital gown with planets and stars and moons all over it. Could not.

“Whoa there, little girl. Where do you think you’re going?”

Eric set his big hands on her biceps, stroked her shoulders with his thumbs.

“I have to change! Or hide. Eric, no one can see me like this, and definitely not your friends.”

She wanted to make a good impression on his friends. Cook for them, be a charming hostess, make sure it was sometime she wasn’t having a migraine or her period and she sure as hell wouldn’t be wearing a hospital gown and a diaper.

“Settle down, buttercup, no need to get all het up. They know you’re not feeling well and they’ll be insulted if you exhaust yourself trying to get all gussied up. Now here. We’ll wrap this blanket around you like this…”

He picked up the blanket she’d dropped on the floor and draped it around her shoulders before giving her a very stern look that at once made her feel very small and biddable but also kind of turned on. She didn’t want him to be bossy about everything but there were some things she would happily let him control.

“Sit down on the couch.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she acquiesced as she sat cross-legged on the squishy cushion and drew the blanket tighter around her.

“And we’ll put this blanket over your lap, and ta-da—no one will know what you’re wearing. I promise they wouldn’t be surprised or think it was weird even if they did. I give you my word, I would never do anything to humiliate you, okay? That wouldn’t be taking very good care of you, and that’s what I want.”

“Okay.”

He must’ve seen her eye Spaghetti too, because he picked up the discarded dino and handed it to her.

“You can keep Spaghetti. Cosima will have at least one stuffie with her, I guarantee it. Now I’m going to get the door and I’ll be right back.”

Devaney nodded, and tried to calm her nerves. It was one thing for Eric to see her like this—he clearly enjoyed it—and even though she did trust him when he said he’d never humiliate her, it was another to have strangers around. Being in this squishy, obedient place was wonderful but incredibly vulnerable too. Like she might cry if someone was unkind.

She heard a chorus of voices in the hall and then Eric led a small parade of people into the den. Okay, three people, but they were all chatting so gregariously it felt like a lot more. There was a white guy who was one of the biggest men she’d ever seen—like half a foot taller than Eric, and he was probably six feet—a white man who had bright red hair and was cackling like a loon, and a very petite white woman who was wearing the cutest romper under a snow-bright cardigan. It was mint green with white polka dots and a wide white belt, and she had on white thigh high stockings and chunky silver Mary Janes.

A thread of envy ran through Devaney like she’d never felt for the other women at the country club with their diamond tennis bracelets and their designer clothes and their late model cars. This woman was adorable and looked so, so happy. And Eric had been right: there was a light brown bunny dangling from the woman’s hand that wasn’t ensconced in the giant’s grasp.

Eric shook his head with a smile.

“Devy, these are my friends I was telling you about. This is Hudson—”

The guy who looked like he could be an offensive lineman smiled at her and waved.

“This is Ian—”

The scruffy ginger with his hair sticking up at all angles smiled and waved at her too.

“And this is Cosima.”

“I love your dinosaur! Can I see him? Or is it a her?”

“Cosy,” Hudson said in a tone that she recognized. It was that gentle chiding way Eric spoke to her sometimes. “You remember Devaney isn’t feeling well so we’re going to be gentle, right? That means not asking her a million questions.”

“But, Daddy—”

Daddy! She’d called Hudson “Daddy.” Was Cosima his little girl? Is that why Eric had been so certain they wouldn’t blink if she was a blanket burrito with a stuffed dino in her lap?

“No buts, teapot. Please don’t make me give you another reminder.”

The brunette pinched her lips between her teeth but looked like she might explode if she had to be quiet much longer.

“Um,” Devaney started, still feeling painfully shy even though these people were so friendly. “It’s a him. I named him Spaghetti. You can see him if you want.”

Cosima looked up at Hudson, bounced on her toes. “Please, Daddy, please? She said it was okay. Please?”

Wow. Devaney could’ve watched them all day. So foreign and yet so familiar at the same time. That thread of envy was stitching its way through her pretty good.

It wasn’t that she wanted precisely what they appeared to have—was Cosima a little girl all the time?—but that easy comfort and the way they adored each other was relationship goals.

“Remember, gentle, babygirl. But yes, you may go see Spaghetti.”

The way Hudson took Cosima so seriously made her chest feel all squishy and warm. He obviously doted on her and she looked up to him and it was just, yeah, wow. She didn’t have much time to linger on that feeling because Cosima was coming over at that very particular rate of speed she recognized from when she’d told the boys they couldn’t run but they really wanted to.

The woman plopped down next to her and gave her a big smile. Devaney hadn’t noticed when Cosima was farther away but she could see now some scars and discolorations of her skin on her forearms that weren’t covered by the three-quarter sleeve cardigan and her neck, even a few on her face—they looked old but there were a lot of them. Judging by the way Hudson was watching her like a devoted and lovesome grizzly bear, she couldn’t imagine they’d come from him.

“Can I hold him? You can hold Hopscotch and we can trade if you want. But if you want to keep Spaghetti I understand. I don’t let many people hold Hopscotch. She’s my favorite.”

Cosima was definitely a woman—mid-twenties if Devaney were to guess—but she had this twinkly childlike quality that was impossibly sweet. A swell of maternal affection made a lump in her throat that she swallowed and she didn’t totally know why. There was just something about the petite woman that inspired tenderness, and despite feeling like Eric’s little girl still she also felt protective of her new friend.

Devaney handed over Spaghetti and true to her word, Cosima passed her the bunny.

“He’s kind of heavy,” she told the other woman, “he has a hot water bottle inside him. Eric gave him to me to help with my cramps, they’re the worst.”

It was maybe TMI but Cosima was so open and had trusted her with Hopscotch so she figured she could say pretty much anything that was on her mind.

“Doctor Eric is the best,” Cosima said, giving Spaghetti a squeeze before holding him on her lap to investigate his fur and his spines. “Are you his girlfriend? Daddy and Papa thought you might be his girlfriend or his little but Sir told them to leave it alone and that Doctor Eric would tell them when he was ‘goddamn good and ready.’”

“Coco, jeez, language. And manners. Devaney is going to think you were raised in a barn.”

Papa? Sir? What? And now she realized Ian was looking at Cosima the same way Hudson did, although with a shake of his head and a whole lot of indulgent humor scrawled across his features. Was she his little girl too? And who was this sir? So many questions, but damn if she was going to bombard Cosima with them and get scolded for prying.

“Sorry, Papa,” Cosima said with that singsong tone and goofy smile the boys would give her when they knew they were misbehaving but in an adorable way so she wasn’t actually mad.

Okay, so Hudson was her daddy, Ian was her papa—what a lucky girl. They were both infatuated with her, not to mention very good-looking. Not as handsome as Eric of course, but nowhere close to eyesores. And apparently there was a sir too? Damn.

Ian rolled his eyes, and Cosima returned to her inspection of Spaghetti.

“What, Ryker didn’t want to come on this excursion?” Eric asked the men, and Hudson shook his head.

“Nah. His nerves can’t handle Cosy’s driving. Can’t say I blame him.”

“I’m practicing for my driver’s test,” Cosima informed her. “Don’t worry, I won’t drive your car. Just Papa’s.”

Driver’s test? Sure there were some cities where a person could get away with never learning how to drive, but the buses in Clover City didn’t have that kind of coverage and there wasn’t a subway. Maybe Cosima had moved here from New York?

“And I’m much better now! You even said so, Daddy. I know you wouldn’t let me drive if it wasn’t safe.”

“You’re right, babygirl. But you’re still not driving Devaney’s car. I’ll do that. Keys?” he asked Eric.

“Devy, your keys are in your bag, yeah?”

She nodded, and Eric smiled at her and Cosima sitting close on the couch.

“I’ll be right back.”

Cosima kept chattering at her as Eric went upstairs and it was a relief that she didn’t have to come up with anything to say. Silence would’ve meant she’d feel like she had to fill gaps in the conversation and she wasn’t really up to playing hostess. No one here seemed to expect her to, either.

“Want to see the best part about my romper?”

How could she say no when Cosima looked so eager to share?

“Yeah, definitely. I love your outfit.”

“Thanks. Papa got this for me,” she said as she reached back and pulled a hood over her head. A hood that had bunny ears on it for god’s sake, and the long floppy ears had a lining that matched the polka dot print on the rest of the garment. “It has ears so I can match Hopscotch!”

Cosima held out Spaghetti and Devaney traded Hopscotch back, laughing when Cosima pressed the well-loved bunny to her cheek to demonstrate that they were, in fact, twins.

“That is the cutest.”

“I know right? I bet Papa could tell Doctor Eric where he got it if you wanted one.”

“Oh…” Devaney felt her cheeks get hot. Did she? Wearing a bunny-hooded romper didn’t really seem like her, but then neither did a lot of the things she’d found herself doing over the past four days and yet she’d loved them. Maybe she’d love wearing sweet little outfits like she bet Cosima did all the time, too. Or maybe just on special occasions.

Also, Cosima seemed dead set on equating “Doctor Eric” (that was so cute, did everyone call him that?) with her papa and her daddy. It was nice, but she didn’t know—

“He really likes you, you know,” Cosima informed her, shifting on the couch to face her and holding Hopscotch against her chest. “We see Doctor Eric all the time and I’ve never seen him with a girl outside of—”

“Cosy.”

There was that warning tone from Hudson again. Outside of what?

Before she could ask, Eric was back, her car key in hand which he held out to Hudson.

“Thanks so much, man.”

“Anything for you, doc,” Hudson said with a clap of his hand to Eric’s shoulder. “Gotta take care of your girl, we get it. We should be back in an hour.”

“Um, Papa said I could go to Sew-a-Stuffie while we're at the mall, so better make it two,” Cosima chirped.

“That okay?” Ian asked. “We can always go to Sew-a-Stuffie some other time if you need to get going.”

Eric looked at her, knowing she’d been the one who was feeling twitchy about her never ending list of things to do. But what was another hour? She would make quesadillas for dinner instead of meatloaf, the boys wouldn’t care. And since she didn’t have a job to go to, she could do laundry tomorrow.

“That’s fine. I need to shower and get ready to go home anyway,” she replied.

Cosima squealed and made Hopscotch clap along with her. Devaney was glad she never had to say no to Cosima; she wasn’t sure she’d be able to.

The other woman leaned over to whisper and Devaney got that light, fun, girlish feeling of passing secrets. She had missed that feeling, didn’t know it was possible to experience it again as a grown-up. And she suspected Cosima had a lot more things to teach her.

“You should definitely be Doctor Eric’s girlfriend if you’re not already. Then we can be friends and you can come over for playdates, and you can meet Sir and Stella the cat. Plus my playroom is the most fun. You have to come see it. Promise?”

“I would really like that,” Devaney told her with a smile, and meant it even if she wasn’t sure it would happen. She didn’t totally understand this relationship with Eric, but she did know the more time she spent in his world the more she wanted to.