Accidentally Engaged Preview

A hot neighbor and a future baby daddy? Yes, please!

Hudson:

I know I shouldn"t sexasize over the girl next door.

It"s not fitting for a single dad or a fertility doctor of my reputation.

Plus I need a nanny… last minute.

She"s the only one who can help me out.

When I finally work up the nerve to ask her, she"s out on the driveway arguing with her parents. Something about her having a fiancé?

Damn…

But then they"re all looking at me.

And I"m suddenly accidentally fake engaged!?!

So I"ll play her fiancé.

Be nice to her parents.

Kiss her in all the right places.

There"s one catch.

She wants a treatment for a baby.

Hell yeah!

But what happens when we also accidentally get pregnant?

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Chapter One

Hudson

The drive home from the clinic was supposed to be cathartic. It was my alone time, my personal time, the time of the day when I wasn't Hudson, the dad, or Hudson, the doctor. No matter how much I loved my son and my job, I needed this moment of the day to decompress, to shift gears.

However, as I clutched the steering wheel with white knuckles in the thick Boston traffic, it felt anything but.

Things had been going well for too long. I knew that. I knew there'd be highs and lows, calm and unrest, but I just didn't have the energy today. Not after I'd had to sit an optimistic woman down and tell her that the treatment wasn't working, that it likely wouldn't take, and watch as she cried against her husband's soggy shirt. Not after I'd spoken to prospective parents who had lost their son—three years old, the same age as my Jamey—and wanted to try again. I didn't like having to give bad news to my patients. It hurt, especially when most of my job was giving the best news that couples wanted to hear. That was the highlight of my day, my week, my profession. I lived for it, I loved being able to tell them they were expecting. But after today, I needed the promise of a relaxing evening.

Instead, I'd gotten a cryptic text from Jamey's nanny. "I need to talk to you when you get home," she'd said.

I knew the drill already.

Driving past row after row of flashy houses and fancy cars, I pulled into my driveway, pressing the button on the sun visor that opened up my three-car garage. Beyond the house, the sky was drenched in blood-orange, little strips of fleshy pink freckled between the thin clouds. The day was winding down, soon to be over, and I'd have to start all over again tomorrow, fresh in the knowledge of whatever Jenny was going to drop on me when I walked through the door. I positioned my Porsche next to my other two vehicles—a Range Rover for towing the boat and a Mercedes AMG. I dropped my forehead against the curve of the steering wheel, measuring my breaths to keep myself calm as I savored the last few seconds I had before having to switch back to dad-mode.

One. Deep breath in.

Two. Exhale.

Three. Deep breath in.

Four. Exhale.

My fingers found the handle of the door before I'd gotten to five. Clearly, my body had decided it was go-time.

I clutched my phone and its goddamn ambiguous text message in my palm as I walked up the driveway, sidestepping an upturned bucket and a miniature, plastic excavator. The latch on the door turned as it registered my phone in its proximity.

I blew out a breath as I turned the handle, the rush of air tickling the scruff that had grown on my upper lip. Definitely need to shave tonight.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, hey, finish your carrots first!"

Jamey's little emerald eyes lit up in excitement as I stepped through the door. He sat at the kitchen island, his tiny feet swaying back and forth, thudding against the marble with each kick. He shifted in his seat, clearly making a move to hop down from the high-top chair, but Jenny flashed a single, pointed finger at him and he calmed.

"What did I say, Jamey? Carrots."

"Sorry, Jenny," he mumbled, picking up a baby carrot and dipping it into a tiny bowl of ranch before stuffing it in his mouth. He grinned at her with food between his teeth.

I chuckled as I dropped my keys into the basin by the door, kicking off my shoes with my toes. "Hey, bud," I called, jogging across the wooden floor toward the two of them. Jamey's carrot-ridden grin turned to me, little flecks of ranch dressing on his lips, and he giggled as I rustled his mop of dark brown hair. Almost as dark as mine. Almost.

I only hoped it would get darker.

"Hey, Dr. Brady," Jenny said, lifting herself from where she leaned on the counter. Her skin wrinkled as she furrowed her brows at me. "Did you get my text?"

I plucked a baby carrot from Jamey's plate and stuffed it in my mouth in an effort to seem nonchalant. Showing that I was nervous about whatever she was going to tell me wouldn't help the situation. "Yeah," I replied, speaking around the crunching between my teeth, "what's up?"

The flesh of her cheeks turned a shade darker, pinkening the skin. "Can we talk in private?"

I nodded. Shucking my jacket off my shoulders, I threw the neckline of it over Jamey's head, and he giggled playfully as he popped himself out of the collar. "Why don't you go watch some PAW Patrol while Jenny and I chat, okay? You can finish your carrots later," I said to him, giving him a little peck on the top of his head.

"Okie dokie," he said. Before I could stop him, he scooted his butt to the edge of the chair and hopped off—something I'd told him numerous times not to do—and landed on shaky footing before taking off toward the living room.

His footsteps echoed through the quiet kitchen until they disappeared around the corner, the room instead filling with the distant sound of the PAW Patrol theme song. I sang along in my head as I looked across the counter at Jenny.

"The floor is yours, Jen."

She took a deep breath, her nervousness palpable in the air. "I need to quit."

"Well, I figured that much," I sighed, pulling the chair out from the counter and plopping myself into it. I picked up another one of Jamey's carrots but put it back down when I realized it was wet. What had he done to it…?

"I need to quit today."

Well, fuck. I hadn't expected that.

"Today? You can't even give two weeks' notice?" I snapped, immediately regretting the harshness of my tone when she physically recoiled. I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Sorry, it's been a long day. I didn't mean to snap at you."

She relaxed a bit as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I know it's last minute. I'm sorry. I was offered a role on Broadway for a musical I auditioned for a few weeks ago, and I just can't pass it up. They need me to relocate to New York City this weekend."

"Jesus, they couldn't have given you two weeks' notice?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

"Apparently not. I got the call this morning after you left, otherwise I'd have told you then," she explained. She leaned one hip against the counter. "I'm really sorry, Dr. Brady. If I knew anyone else that could help you out I'd make that my number one priority, but all my other nanny friends are booked solid."

I sighed as I gave her an exasperated smile. What the fuck was I going to do? My mom lived nearby, but she had her own life, her own job, her own time. I couldn't expect her to take on Jamey full-time while I was at work, and I wasn't about to put him in daycare—not after the horror stories I'd heard. If Becks hadn't taken off… No. Nope, absolutely not, I was notabout to go down that rabbit hole.

"Is there any chance I could get my last paycheck today?" Jenny asked, completely pulling me out of my thoughts. I was grateful for it. "It's just, I need the money for my moving fees and my flight…"

"Yeah, of course." I pulled my phone and wallet from my pocket and slapped them on the countertop. "Do you want cash or Venmo?"

————

I held Jamey in my arms, his small frame wrapped around the muscles of my hip, as Jenny's car rumbled to life. I could tell he didn't quite understand, and in his limited knowledge, he probably just thought that Jenny was going away for a little while and he'd see her again soon. Maybe at the grocery store like where we'd run into his old nanny, Caitlyn, as she worked behind the deli counter. Or maybe how we'd occasionally see Patty, our old neighbor who'd moved out last year, at the park walking her dog.

I knew he didn't get that it could be the last time he saw her because he wasn't waving goodbye like I was. He wasn't even watching as Jenny reversed down the drive. His gaze was drifting far to the right of the porch, locked on something that I couldn't see because his tiny noggin was in the way. "Wave goodbye," I whispered to him, and he snapped his head toward me instead, confusion written all over his face.

"Why?"

"Because she's moving away," I said softly.

"So?"

"So, you won't see her for a very long time. You liked her, didn't you?"

He nodded his head, his little tufts of hair flopping about his face.

"Then give her a wave. She liked you, too, munchkin," I sighed, wrapping my thumb and forefinger around his wrist and lifting his hand with it. He gave a little wave as she drove off.

Jamey wiggled his feet, his signal to me that he wanted to be put down. As his socks hit the concrete of our entranceway, he glanced one more time toward the right of the house before turning and walking back inside. I followed his gaze again, but nothing was there—just the bright blue Nissan Altima parked in the driveway of our new neighbor"s house, the one that had moved in after Patty had left. I hadn't gotten the chance to meet her yet, but I'd heard good things from the neighborhood Facebook group.

I followed Jamey inside and through to the living room where PAW Patrol was still playing on the television. Immediately, he was glued even though he'd seen the episode at least twenty times. I could almost recite it by heart.

Dropping onto the couch beside him, I tucked him into my chest, letting my mind drift to the sounds of children's television. It was shocking how easy it had become to tune it out when I needed to.

I needed someone to watch Jamey. I'd already sent an email to let the others at the office know I wouldn't be coming in tomorrow and to shift my appointments to the other doctors at the practice, but that only bought me an extra day. I had tomorrow and the weekend to find someone that could look after him during the week.

If only he had a fucking mother.

My grip on the couch turned rougher, and I was careful not to let it affect the side of my body that Jamey was snuggled up to. Don't. Don't think about her. You'll only end up more frustrated, I thought to myself. You can't change the past. You can't make her be a mother if she doesn't want to be.

I'd be a liar if I tried to say it hadn't wrecked me. Becks' running away had fucked me up for far too long, and even now, I found the idea of an actual relationship daunting. I was thankful that Jamey was too young to remember his mother—she'd left just over two years ago, just after Jamey had turned two. I was also thankful that he looked absolutely nothing like her. That was a godsend, really.

I had enough money to not work if I needed to. In fact, I could never work another day in my life and be fine. I could be a stay-at-home dad if it came down to it, but I loved my job, and even on my toughest days, I didn't want to give it up. I loved being able to help women get what they craved, what they'd always known they wanted, and I was good at it. But faced with this new dilemma I had no idea what I was going to do. I was fucked. Completely, utterly fucked, and despite my doctorates, I wasn't smart enough to come up with an idea out of thin air.

"I'm gonna get some housework done, bud," I said, slowly sliding out of his embrace. I needed a distraction, and PAW Patrol wasn't going to cut it. "Shout if you need me."

Jamey nodded, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Despite how messy of a child Jamey was, Jenny always did a spectacular job of cleaning up after him and making sure he helped her with his messes, so as I found myself pacing the kitchen, there wasn't much to do. The dishes were done and put away, a final load running in the dishwasher. In the distance, I could hear the laundry tumbling in the dryer. The countertops were spotless, save for the plate with half-eaten carrots and dipping pot of ranch, so I figured I'd start there.

Wiping the soggy carrots into the hidden trash can, I noticed it was almost full to the brim. Perfect. Another job I could do.

I left the plate and the dipping pot in the sink and tugged the strings of the trash bag until it closed. "Jamey!" I shouted, lifting the bag out. "I'm just taking the trash out, I'll be back in a minute!"

"Okay!"

As I stepped out the front door, I noticed that the sky had turned mostly dark, with only a low-level blue light remaining. Soon, it'd be pitch-black and the streetlights would come on, casting the neighborhood in a warm glow that could only be described as suburban.

Lifting the lid of the trash can, I noticed something moving out of the corner of my eye. I followed it, tracking the movement as a head of brown hair bobbed behind the blue Nissan Altima, heading toward the mailbox at the end of her driveway.

She appeared behind the back of her car, keys in hand, not even giving me a passing glance. That must be the new neighbor,I thought to myself. Her long hair swayed behind her as she walked, moving back and forth along the small of her back. She was of average height, her slender frame covered only by a pair of lounging shorts and a tank top, definitely not the right clothes for the slight chill in the air, but my god, she looked like heaven in them.

I watched as she unlocked her mailbox and sorted through the letters, her bare feet planted on the asphalt of the road. She was almost mesmerizing to look at—stark blue eyes that I could see even from where I stood, a button nose, full lips. She didn't seem to notice me, and somehow, that made her all the more enticing. My blood pressure dipped, my mind getting the better of me and sending blood where it didn't belong. My cock twitched to life as my eyes followed her, zeroing in on that pretty mouth and the perfect body beneath it. What I would give…

No. You don't want to go down that road again.

I truly didn't. I didn't need the stress of that in my life. But from what I'd heard, she worked from home. Someone in the Facebook group had said she ran her own business and had recently started after a string of babysitting jobs as well.

No. That would be insane, right? I didn't even know her. I couldn't imagine a stranger watching after my son. But she was next door, and she was beautiful, though that shouldn't matter. That couldn't matter. I could keep that separate if she agreed.

She looked up from her handful of mail as she came up the driveway, her bright blue eyes catching on me. She stopped dead in her tracks, as if she could sense every ounce of attraction I already felt for her.

Salvation.

End of first chapter