Free The Army Doctor's Baby (Romance Novella) by Helen Scott Taylor Page A

stood aside while Cameron's mother wet a washcloth and cleaned him up as if he were a child.
    This was the father of her baby. What a brilliant example he would be to George.
    "I'm so sorry you had to see this." Poor Sandra looked mortified as she and Olivia helped Cameron out of the bathroom. There was no way they could get him upstairs in this state, so Sandra grabbed some old towels and spread them on the floor in the small nook where they watched TV and listened to music. They lowered him down and he immediately zonked out.
    Ten hours later he was still asleep.
    Sandra gazed in the direction of the nook with a worried look. "I'll have to wake him soon or he'll miss his flight back to Germany."
    "So much for him spending time with George." Cameron had wasted Sunday, sleeping off his night of indulgence, instead of using this precious time to get to know his son. Olivia pressed her lips to her baby's head to ease the little pang of hurt she felt on his behalf.
    Olivia's phone chimed. She grabbed it out of her pocket and stared at the screen.
    "I love you." That was all the text from Radley said, but it was enough to send her heart soaring and bring a happy smile to her face. For a moment she forgot where she was, and once again she was snuggled in his arms in her bed, the sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear.
    "Radley?" Sandra asked, jolting Olivia back to reality.
    She nodded.
    "He must have landed safely," Sandra continued, a thoughtful expression on her face. "You love him, don't you?"
    "Yes." Relief washed through Olivia at being able to admit her feelings.
    "And he loves you?"
    Olivia held up her phone so Sandra could see the message Radley had sent.
    "I prayed this would happen." A smile flickered over Sandra's face, then faded. "I was losing hope that Cameron would do his duty by you, so I threw you and Radley together and crossed my fingers."
    She heaved a sigh and scraped back her hair. "I'm sorry. Cameron's behaving like an adolescent, and Radley's wedded to the damn army like his father. I shouldn't have interfered, but you're such a pretty girl. I was sure as soon as you started work, some wealthy lawyer would snap you up. Then I'd lose you and the little one."
    Sandra rested a tender hand on George's back as Olivia burped him. "I was selfish. I couldn't bear the thought I might lose my grandson."
    "I would never stop you seeing him."
    "I know you wouldn't. But if you married another man, it's only natural that he'd be George's father, and his parents would become George's grandparents. I don't want some peripheral role in his life. I want to be his nana."
    So Sandra had purposely thrown her and Radley together and had probably been watching how their relationship developed. Olivia wasn't sure how she felt about being manipulated. She bit her lip in thought. She supposed that it didn't matter how she and Radley had gotten together. What mattered is they had, and she loved him.
    "It's okay."
    "It's not, though." Sandra cast a troubled glance at the door as footsteps sounded. "Now Cameron's come home and confused matters."
    Cameron appeared in the doorway, a sheepish grin on his face. "One hell of a celebration last night, Liv."
    There was so much Olivia wanted to say that the words tumbled around in her head and jammed in her mouth. She could spout a tirade of criticism and complaint or say nothing. She clenched her jaw and chose to remain silent. What was the point in yelling at him? He would leave for his flight soon. She probably wouldn't see him again for months.
    "Can I have something to eat, Mum?" Cameron checked the time on his phone as he wandered closer. "A mate is picking me up in thirty minutes."
    Sandra rushed off to the kitchen. Cameron flopped down in the chair she'd vacated. He leaned forward and touched the back of George's head. Olivia hoped he'd washed his hands. The faint odor of vomit still hung around him, and he had specks of it on his clothes.
    "Can I hold him?" Cameron asked. "It's my