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  ‘Really? Then we have some major making up to do.’ She leaned over to meet him.

  ‘Am I forgiven, then?’

  ‘Shut up and kiss me, Jamie Garrett.’

  ‘I’ll take that as a yes, then,’ he muttered against her lips before showing her exactly why she should forgive him. His kisses were worth risking her heart on.

  Kayla had everything she needed in this room. Her family. It might not be the one she’d planned for, but she knew Liam and Tom would be proud of them. Luke had two parents who loved him and that was all that mattered. Falling in love was just a bonus.

  EPILOGUE

  Two weeks later

  ‘FLIGHTS AND ACCOMMODATION are booked. I have work covered until we come back. I know it might be premature since the trip isn’t until the end of the year, but I want to make sure everything’s in place. Is there anything else we might have forgotten?’

  ‘I don’t think so. If we have there’s plenty of time to sort it out. Relax, Jamie.’ Kayla couldn’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm now they were going together as a family to Vietnam.

  If she’d had any lingering doubts he was only going to keep her in check and make sure Luke wasn’t in any danger, they’d vanished. He was taking his role as medical relief very seriously, liaising with the other staff out at the clinic to see what was needed.

  Since he’d surprised her with the vouchers and they’d stopped bickering about the trip, life had been a dream for her. Luke had recovered from his ear infection after a couple of days and she’d asked Jamie to move in permanently to prove the faith she was putting in him as a father and a partner.

  He was still sleeping in his own room, but he hadn’t put her under any pressure to share her bed. If anything, it was she who was suffering when they stopped things from going any further than lingering kisses and he retired to the other end of the hallway. She didn’t want them to be in separate rooms in Vietnam but wanted them to go out there united in every way.

  ‘I will once we get this one to bed.’ Jamie scooped up their son and carried him into the nursery. Luke had settled better in his cot there with more room to move around. Although they’d both been anxious about leaving him to sleep on his own there, baby monitors had been able to reassure them he was fine.

  When Jamie came back she knew she would have to make the move because he would never presume to share her bed. After tonight, she hoped that would change.

  ‘You don’t have to go.’ It didn’t come out as confident or as sultry as the invitation had sounded in her head.

  ‘Are you sure?’ If his raised eyebrows were anything to go by, he hadn’t expected the offer either.

  ‘I’m sure.’ She patted the side of the bed he usually lay on when they were here cuddling with Luke.

  ‘I don’t want you to feel you have to do anything...’ He was sliding onto the covers beside her, close enough she could feel his warm breath on her face.

  ‘I want to. It’s been a while though.’ Only now, when they were lying here together, was she beginning to worry. Now she’d had a baby, her body wasn’t the same. Never mind the addition of stretchmarks, she didn’t know if things would feel the same down there.

  ‘We’ll take it one step at a time.’ He followed the promise with one of those long, languid kisses capable of making her forget her own name.

  She quivered with anticipation as he slid his hand under her nightdress, up along her thigh before slipping in between her legs. Tentatively, he tested her readiness with his fingers, but she’d never wanted anyone or anything more. As he stroked her she let her head fall back onto the pillow, enjoying the sensation of getting to know her own body again and what she liked.

  The sheets rustled, and she opened her eyes to see Jamie moving down the bed.

  ‘What—?’

  ‘Shh.’ He quieted her with that mischievous glint in his eye as he nudged her legs apart and his intent became clear.

  Kayla was gasping for air before he even touched her. Then he dotted gossamer-light kisses along her inner thigh and she heard herself groaning for more. He parted her with his tongue and the rush of arousal coursing through her left her limp in its wake. His intimate caresses brought her a pleasure she’d never dreamed of, until he began to thrust into her with his tongue and he exceeded those new heights. She was floating on a cloud of ecstasy at his command, in no hurry to wrest back control of her body this time.

  There was no holding back as he drove her to the brink of her climax and when she toppled over the edge she fell hard.

  When she was able to breathe properly again, think and talk, she realised she was the only one who’d had any relief. ‘What about you, Jamie? It’s not fair to leave you wanting.’

  He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Don’t worry about me. There’s plenty of time for us to explore each other. A lifetime, if you can put up with me.’

  ‘Sounds like heaven to me.’ It wasn’t a conventional proposal but, then again, they had never been a conventional family.

  Kayla wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  * * *

  If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Karin Baine

  Their One-Night Christmas Gift

  Their One-Night Twin Surprise

  The Single Dad’s Proposal

  Midwife Under the Mistletoe

  All available now!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Cinderella and the Surgeon by Scarlet Wilson.

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  Cinderella and the Surgeon

  by Scarlet Wilson

  CHAPTER ONE

  ESTHER MCDONALD RUBBED her eyes for the twentieth time as she made her way to work. She’d hoped the walk along the footpath next to the Thames would have woken her up a little, but it clearly wasn’t working.

  She’d pulled an extra shift last night working until midnight at another hospital in London. Anything to help pull in some extra cash. She already planned to text the agency again today to see if they had anything else for her.

  It wasn’t that her own job wasn’t well paid. It was and she loved working in the neonatal ICU at the Queen Victoria. But right now she needed every penny she could get. So that meant working every shift available.

  She was lucky. Because she was dual-trained she could work as a nurse or a midwife, which meant she had multiple opportunities for extra shifts. Usually she could pick up shifts at short notice for the A&E department in the Queen Victoria on her scheduled days off. But the duty manager had noticed how often she’d been working and had passed comment more than once. So, Esther had registered with an agency as well.

  She filed through the main doors of the hospital along with a whole host of other staff heading for the early shift. She was worried about a tiny preemie she’d been looking after for the last few days in ICU. Billy, the twenty-four-weeker with a heart defect, had seemed even more fragile than normal yesterday afternoon when she’d left. His young mother hadn’t left his side since he’d been born a few days earlier and was looking sicker and sicker herself. Esther just hoped the ‘wonder’ doc they’d all been talking about had finally managed to turn up to assess the little guy. Billy needed surgery that only a few neonatal cardiac surgeons could do. Trouble was, this guy had been over in France operating on another baby, so Billy had been left waiting.

  She tugged her pale blue scrubs over her head and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, catching a quick glance of herself in the changing room mirror. Ugh. She looked awful. The quick sweep of make-up she’d stuck on her face this morning couldn’t hide the dark circles under her eyes.

  As she headed to the st
airs her stomach grumbled loudly. She’d been so tired she hadn’t had time to make breakfast this morning. She’d have to try and sweet-talk her colleagues into letting her take first break. One of the Queen Victoria’s freshly baked scones would easily fill the huge gap in her stomach. She smiled at the thought of it.

  ‘Morning,’ she said in her best bright voice as she entered the NICU, stowing her bag and washing her hands. She got a little buzz every time she walked through the door. It was everything, the lighting, the sounds, the staff and patients—even the smell. She’d done her nurse training in Edinburgh and came down to London to also complete her midwifery training. Only a few specialist centres offered the shortened eighteen-month training these days and she’d been delighted to join the programme at the Queen Victoria, joining in with an already partly trained direct entry midwifery programme. She’d made some of the best friends she’d ever had—and even though some of them had gone to other parts of the world now, they were all still in touch.

  The midwifery training had been a revelation for her. Esther had always imagined she’d end up as a community midwife, but from the first second she’d set foot in the NICU, she’d known that’s where her heart lay. There was something about the vulnerability of these tiny babies. The role of often being their safe-guarder in the first few days of their lives. The little bits of progress she could see every day.

  Of course, there could often be heartbreak. Her job was as much to take care of the families as it was to take care of the babies. But there was something so special about helping a preterm baby latch on to their mother for the first time. Or watching them become more aware of the world around them. Or seeing their reactions to lights or voices. Now she was here, she couldn’t imagine working any place else.

  One of the other midwives stood up and put her bag over her shoulder.

  Esther glanced at the chart. ‘How’s Billy doing?’ She checked the whiteboard, making sure she’d been assigned her favourite patient again today. Yip. Perfect. Billy, and a thirty-six-weeker in the next crib who’d been born to a diabetic mother in the early hours of the morning. That little one was likely just being monitored for a few hours to keep an eye on blood sugars.

  Ruth, the other midwife, sighed. ‘You look tired.’

  ‘I am. Weird. Extra shifts never usually bother me.’ Esther stretched out her back. ‘You know how things are. Win the lottery and give me a share and I promise I won’t work an extra shift again. Until then, I’ll take all I can get.’

  Ruth shot her a look and started the handover. ‘Billy hasn’t had a good night. His sats dropped, his feeding tube dislodged and X-ray haven’t been able to get back up to ensure the new one is in the correct place. Hence, his feeds haven’t started again.’

  Esther shook her head. She knew exactly how important it was to ensure the nasogastric feeding tube had gone into the stomach and not a baby’s lungs. No feeding could commence until it was confirmed.

  ‘I’ll call them again. If Callum’s working I’m sure he can get someone up here now.’

  Ruth smiled. ‘Perfect. He always listens to you.’

  She scanned the rest of the charts. ‘Anything else?’

  Ruth nodded. ‘Billy’s cardiac surgeon is supposed to arrive today. No idea when, but all his tests have been completed, so hopefully the surgeon will just be able to check them all, listen to his chest and schedule the surgery.’

  Esther nodded. Please let it be today.

  ‘By the way,’ said Ruth as she handed Esther another chart. ‘He’s supposed to be a duke or something.’

  Esther had already started scanning the other chart. The other baby was Laura, thirty-six weeks, born via emergency caesarean section to a Type 1 diabetic mother. Laura’s blood sugar levels had been erratic for a few hours after delivery. That could happen with babies born to diabetic mothers, and it wasn’t unusual for a baby to have close monitoring for just a few hours. Laura’s levels had stabilised in the last hour, so Esther would just do a few more checks, then get her back to her mother’s bedside.

  She looked up and wrinkled her nose. ‘What did you just say?’

  Ruth laughed. ‘I said the new surgeon. He’s a prince or a duke or something.’

  Esther shrugged. ‘And what difference does that make? Is that why he’s late? He’s too busy with his—’ she held up her fingers ‘—other duties.’ She frowned as she picked up some nearby equipment. ‘Better not be why he’s keeping my baby waiting.’

  Ruth shook her head as she picked up her bag to leave. ‘Lighten up. Maybe this new guy is single.’ Ruth sighed and gave Esther a look that made her want to run a million miles away. Pity. Esther hated that. She hated anyone feeling sorry for the poor little Scots girl. ‘All I’m saying is that maybe there’s more to life than work, that’s all.’ Ruth gave a shrug and walked over to the door. Then she turned back with a smile and wagged her finger at Esther. ‘And make sure you’re on your best behaviour. Don’t have our new guest surgeon meeting Crabbie Rabbie instead of super midwife Esther.’

  Esther looked around for something to throw but Ruth had ducked out the door too early. She shook her head as she walked over to do her checks on her babies and parents.

  She’d earned the nickname within a few months of getting here as a student midwife. Because she’d already been qualified as a nurse, she’d caught a few shifts in the wards while completing her midwifery course. Truth was, Esther was never at her best on night shift. That whole ‘turn your life upside down for a few days’ thing just messed with her body and brain and tended to make her a little cranky—or crabbit as they called it in Scotland.

  She’d clashed with one of the junior doctors one night on the ward when he’d continually tried to re-site an IV on an elderly patient, rather than come and ask for help. Once she’d realised he’d had four attempts he hadn’t fared well.

  The whole ward had heard him getting a dressing-down, her Scottish accent getting thicker by the minute as she got angrier and angrier.

  It had been 25 January. Robert Burns Day in Scotland—named after their national poet. This doctor had known that and had walked away muttering, ‘Oh, calm down, Crabbie Rabbie,’ much to her fury, and the rest of the staff’s delight.

  She’d never managed to shake it off—even though she mostly kept her temper in check these days.

  One of the other staff on shift wandered over. ‘Problems?’

  She shook her head. ‘All stable. I’ve chased up the x-ray for Billy, just waiting for them to appear. I’m going to take Laura back along to the maternity ward. Her blood sugars are fine and she’s starting to grizzle. Must be due a feed.’

  ‘Okay, do that, and then go for first break. You look as if you need it. I’ll keep an eye on Billy.’

  She laughed and put one hand on her hip. ‘I must be looking bad if you’re sending me on first break.’

  ‘Go before I change my mind.’

  Esther rechecked Billy’s obs and chatted with his mum for a few minutes, making sure everything was meticulously recorded and phoning down to Callum again to chase up the x-ray. Then she gathered what she needed for Laura and threw her bag over her shoulder. Ten minutes later, Laura was back at her mother’s bedside and happily feeding.

  Esther stretched out her back as she headed to the canteen. It didn’t normally bother her but today it was aching. Maybe all the extra shifts were taking a toll on her. The smell of freshly baked scones hit her as soon as she walked through the canteen doors. Two minutes later she had a large coffee and an even larger scone with butter and jam before her.

  She glanced around the canteen. She couldn’t spot Carly or Chloe, the friends that she normally sat with. There was a group of other nurses that she knew, but a seat in the far corner of the room was practically crying out her name. She was too tired to be sociable.

  She moved quickly and slid into the seat before anyone else cl
aimed it. Most of the seats were hard-backed and sat around the circular tables in the canteen. But there were a few, slightly more comfortable chairs a little further away—obviously left over from a ward refurb a few years ago.

  The scone was gone in minutes and as she sipped her coffee she closed her eyes for just a moment. The door nearest her opened with a bang and a large crowd of people walked in, all talking and laughing at the tops of their voices.

  She gritted her teeth. Just five minutes of peace. That’s all she wanted. She shifted uncomfortably on the chair, pulling her scrub top from her skin. It seemed unusually warm in here.

  The noise continued. Esther watched through half-shut eyes. There was a guy at the centre of it all. Handsome, in a TV doctor kind of way. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark rumpled hair. The rest of the people around him seemed to be hanging on his every word, occasionally throwing in a word of their own as if they hoped to garner some approval. Maybe he was some kind of TV doc?

  ‘This place is a hospital, not a blooming circus,’ she muttered.

  She checked the clock on the canteen wall. Five minutes. She had another five minutes left of break time. Esther usually never bothered with timings. Most days she grabbed some food, bolted it down and went straight back to the NICU. But she couldn’t believe how tired she felt—it was unusual for her, she did extra shifts frequently and never felt like this—so, for once, she settled back into the chair. For once, she would take her full break.

  ‘Esther, Esther!’

  The voice came out of nowhere. Esther jerked awake. Liz, the admin assistant from NICU, was shaking her shoulder. ‘Wake up.’

  Esther sprang from her seat, knocking the still-full coffee cup that had been balanced on the edge of her chair, splashing coffee up the legs of her scrubs and sending Liz jumping backwards.

  ‘Oh no,’ she groaned. She gave herself a shake and glanced at the clock on the wall. She was more than fifteen minutes late.