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

last chance before I go."
    Olivia bit back a comment about all the wasted hours he'd slept that day.
    "Go and shower and change your clothes." Olivia pointed at the dirty marks. "You can hold him when you're clean."
    Cameron picked at the stains, his nose wrinkled. "I will in a sec. I thought you'd want to talk about George first."
    She'd planned to discuss lots of things with Cameron, one of the main ones being finance. She was really tight for money because she hadn't been able to work, and her meager savings had gone for baby equipment. But as she stared at this young man who still behaved like an irresponsible student, she decided she'd rather face the future alone than depend on him for anything. Anyway, she hoped she and George had a future with Radley.
    "I have nothing I want to say."
    "I do." Cameron sat up and rubbed a hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner. I do want to be part of George's life. Let me help pay for his keep."
    "Keep? He's not a pet."
    He gestured in irritation. "I'm trying to be reasonable here, Liv. Don't make this difficult."
    "No." She shook her head and tightened her arms around her darling little boy. "I don't need you to pay anything."
    Cameron's expression tightened. "Then why have you been hassling me for months to contact you?"
    "Because I wanted George to have his daddy in his life." She paused. "And I did need help," she added reluctantly. "Luckily your mum has been wonderful."
    "And I expect she's paid for half this stuff." Cameron waved his arm around, indicating the stroller parked in the corner and the other baby things. "I'd better pay her back."
    Heat rushed into Olivia's cheeks. She really wanted to tell him not to, but she had no right to expect Sandra to keep putting her hand in her pocket. Even though she said she didn't mind.
    What would Radley make of this? Should she tell Cameron that she and Radley were together? Except right now they weren't. Radley was halfway around the world in some godforsaken place, and she had no idea when she'd see him again. He'd said he loved her, but he'd made her no promises.
    "If you can afford it, I'm sure your mum would appreciate it. I promised to pay her back, but it will be awhile before I can."
    "Okay, that's settled. I'll send you some money each month for George." Cameron jumped up and headed to the door. "I'll have a quick shower and be back for my good-bye hug with my boy."
    Olivia stared at the door long after Cameron had disappeared. His boy . If Cameron was determined to accept his role as George's dad, where would Radley fit into her son's life?

Chapter Seven
    Olivia parked Radley's car in the town's main square and climbed out. A tall Christmas tree stood in the center, decorated with colored lights while cheery holiday tunes sounded from the nearby stores.
    She couldn't believe it was only two weeks until Christmas. George was nearly three months old. That meant she'd known Radley for nearly three months. For six weeks of that time they'd been together virtually 24/7, and then he had gone back to Afghanistan and left her unsure what the future held for them. Or if there was a them at all.
    Fear and foreboding pulsed inside a hollow place in her chest, as it always did when she thought of Radley now. She hated that he was in a war zone and at risk of being hurt. She missed him so much yet he'd only called her once since he left.
    It wasn't Radley's fault his leave had been canceled, but she hadn't had a chance to say a proper good-bye before he left. She couldn't help feeling abandoned. Sandra said it was difficult for the troops to call from Afghanistan and that seemed likely, yet Cameron now Skyped once a week from Germany so he could see his son.
    Radley had access to a computer because he'd e-mailed, so why couldn't he Skype her as well? She would love to see his face. Wasn't he interested in seeing how George was changing, or in seeing her? In his e-mails he just talked about trivial things. He hadn't