Free To Have the Doctor's Baby by Teresa Southwick Page A

and trembles of sensation flooded through her again.
    Ryleigh wasn’t sure how long he held her and wasn’t quite ready when he let her go.
    After rolling onto his back he said, “Wow.”
    â€œWow, indeed.” She blew out a long breath.
    A few moments later he lifted onto his elbow and looked down at her. “I have it on good authority that remaining in a prone position can’t hurt the chances of conception.”
    â€œAh,” she said smiling, “A man who listens and remembers. You’re a phenomenon, Doctor.”
    â€œI can do better than that.” He kissed her forehead, then pulled a pair of sweatpants from a drawer and stepped into them. “Stay here, I’ll be right back. And don’t forget to relax.”
    Ryleigh laughed as he pulled the sheet and blanket over her. She probably couldn’t move even if the house was on fire. Her whole body felt lax and bursting with satisfaction. But now that she’d caught her breath, the wonder of it all sank in.
    She and Nick might have just made a baby.
    But there was no she and Nick. They weren’t a couple who could bask in the glow and excitement of starting this journey, anticipating together this next chapter in their life. That made her a little sad, but it couldn’t be helped. As usual, everything in life was a trade-off. To get what she wanted more than anything, she had to feel this feeling of regret.
    Nick reappeared with the wine bottle and two glasses, which he set on the nightstand beside her. “I brought you something.”
    â€œThat’s really sweet.”
    â€œI’m a sweet guy.”
    â€œYes, you are,” she agreed.
    But it got better. He plumped the pillows behind her until she was half sitting. Then he poured and handed herthe glass of wine, took one for himself and settled on the bed beside her. It wasn’t exactly like post coitus cuddling, she thought. And there was no reason to expect it. That would be personal. This was nothing more than biology.
    â€œWhat should we drink to?” he asked.
    She thought for a moment, then said, “The future. May we both get what we want.”
    â€œThat sounds like a plan,” he said, touching his glass to hers. “I hope all your dreams come true.”
    The words tugged at her heart. Then she realized that this wasn’t like before. The realization jolted her, left her shaken. The experience, the sex, had never felt quite so powerful and it wasn’t just about trying to make a baby.
    This was different because she had Nick’s full attention. She didn’t think that had ever happened when they were married. At least not that she could remember. It was probably just a fluke, an aberration, but testing the theory was loaded with risk.
    They were friends and she wanted to keep it that way. Too many nights like this had the potential to coax her to the dark side. With luck, tonight had produced a baby. If so, she and Nick wouldn’t have to see each other except for chance meetings at the hospital.
    She crossed her fingers and tried to relax, let Nick’s “guys” do their thing. She hoped the first time was the charm because doing this again could be problematic for their beautiful friendship.
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    On Saturday morning Nick closed and locked the front door, then followed Ryleigh to his SUV. After getting in, he turned the key in the ignition and drove out of the development on the way to Mercy Medical Center.
    He couldn’t say he looked forward to the children’s asthma clinic every month, but this time Ryleigh wasgoing with him. That alone didn’t explain his excellent good spirits, but if he was being honest with himself, that was part of it. The other part was sex on alternating nights since her fertile window opened. She’d informed him that doing the deed every night could deplete sperm count.
    He’d been willing to take the chance that he had enough guys on the in-between