Daddy Helps When Husband’s Away Chapter 05
Hearing Mason’s question, my mind went completely blank.
Did he know? About Ethan coming over that day to massage me?
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding.
Was Mason about to lay everything on the table?
But nothing had actually happened between me and my stepfather — he shouldn’t have been able to find out.
Because of my guilty conscience, I barely registered anything else he was saying.
Until he took my hand, his deep blue eyes full of remorse.
“Sweetheart. I know this isn’t ideal. But hear me out—”
“This time of year is peak season for births. Every female consultant is booked out two, three months.”
“Of the male consultants with openings, the one with the best reviews…”
Mason took a breath.
“Baby. It’s Ethan.”
What.
“I called him yesterday. He’s willing to handle it personally.”
Mason looked rather pleased with himself.
“He’s family. Your father. He trained half the consultants in this city, and he’d do it for free. If I tried to pay him, he’d kill me.”
“Baby, who could be better than family?”
Family.
The word landed like a needle in my chest.
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.
Seeing my silence, Mason assumed I was just shy. He laughed and tapped the tip of my nose.
“Come on. He’s just like a doctor. Don’t be embarrassed.”
And Ethan’s parting words from that day looped through my head:
Anytime you need me. Day or night.
The more nervous I got about his arrival, the more clearly I remembered the meticulous, careful skill of his hands.
The next afternoon, the moment the doorbell rang, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
Mason bounded happily to the door.
Through the crack in the bedroom door, I stole a look.
Ethan stood in the entryway. Dark gray cashmere turtleneck, long black overcoat, and that familiar medical bag in his hand.
He and Mason embraced, thumped each other on the back, easy and familiar.
“Ethan, I mean it. Thank you. I owe you one, brother.”
“Don’t mention it, Mason. She’s family.”
She’s family.
I bit down on my lip.
Mason picked Liam up and headed for the living room, calling cheerfully over his shoulder,
“Sophia’s waiting for you in the bedroom. Take your time. I’ll play with Liam.”
Take your time.
The bedroom door opened.
Ethan stepped in and quietly closed it behind him.
Click.
He turned to look at me. His eyes were full of amusement.
“We meet again, sweetheart.”
He didn’t touch me right away. Just walked over to the bed with easy composure and set the medical bag on the nightstand.
He leaned down.
“Relax, Sophia. Today you’re a client. Officially.”
He paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“By the way, Mason has no idea about that day. I didn’t say a word.”
“That’s our little secret, isn’t it?”
I nodded, and nodded again, hardly daring to meet his eyes.
He was clearly very pleased. His thumb traced across my lower lip.
“Good girl.”
Good girl?
The fire that had already been lit somewhere inside me flared up in a rush.
And then, almost immediately, a mortifying, sickening tension flooded back in.
Because this was the bedroom. My and Mason’s bedroom. Our marriage bed. Our wedding photo on the wall.
And in the living room, my utterly unsuspecting husband was holding our son.
Ethan felt my tension too.
He leaned down and murmured softly into my ear:
“All right, sweetheart. Let’s begin.”
I lay back on the pristine white sheets.
Ethan bent close. One hand braced on the pillow beside my head, the other cupping my chin.
“Sophia.”
His breath brushed against my ear.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”
“Right now, your husband is paying me to be in your bedroom.”
“Isn’t that just… delicious?”
I bit hard on my lip. Tears threatened to spill.
Ethan gave a very quiet laugh.
He straightened, opened the oil, poured it into his palm, and warmed it slowly between his hands.
And on the other side of that door, my utterly unsuspecting husband was holding our son.
—