Page 64 of Fighting for You


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And where did he get off calling her by her first name?

Charlotte shifted in Noah’s arms, pressing her hot forehead against his neck. Her skin felt like fire, and his anger burned just as hot.

“Thank you for taking care of her,” Noah forced himself to say, though the words tasted bitter. He needed to get Charlotte home, away from this place, away from the doctor who couldn’t seem to stop looking at Noah’s employee.

“Of course.” Dr. Wright’s attention shifted back to Delaney. “Take care of yourself too. Ice packs should help.”

Noah’s gaze snapped to Delaney, noticing the hand she pressed against her sternum. He’d been so focused on his irritation that he’d forgotten she was still recovering.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, but Noah caught the slight wince as she adjusted her purse strap.

“Well, if either of you needs anything…” Dr. Wright let the offer hang in the air, his eyes lingering on Delaney’s face.

Noah turned away before he could tell the too-helpful doctor what he thought of that open offer. “We should go.”

He carried Charlotte toward the exit, not bothering to check if Delaney was following. Of course she was—where else would she go? The automatic doors slid open, and the late afternoon air hit his face, cooler than the stifling atmosphere inside.

“Uncle Noah?” Charlotte’s voice was small against his ear. “Are you mad at me?”

The question stopped him cold. He’d been so wrapped up in his anger at Delaney—and that doctor—that he hadn’t considered how his mood might affect his niece.

“No, sweetheart. Not at you.” Noah softened his voice. He pressed a kiss to her feverish forehead. “Never at you.”

He glanced back and saw that Miss Wright walked a few paces behind, her face pale, one hand still pressed to her chest. His anger had nowhere to land. He couldn’t be mad at Charlotte. He shouldn’t be mad at the nanny. And being angry at some random doctor for finding her attractive was…absurd.

All that logic didn’t make his irritation go away.

He settled Charlotte into her car seat while Delaney slid into the passenger seat.

“We need to stop at the pharmacy.”

“Which one?” He started the engine.

“He sent it to the one on Cedar Street.”

Noah pulled out of the parking lot, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. “I’m glad you had the opportunity to make a new friend while my niece was suffering.”

The words were petty and unfair. He knew it even as they left his mouth.

Delaney’s head snapped to him, her eyes widening. “I’m sorry. What?”

“Nothing.” Noah merged onto the main road, his grip still tight on the wheel. Telling himself to shut up. But he wasn’t listening to the right voice today. “I just found it interesting that you didn’t interrupt my meeting for Charlotte’s emergency, but you had plenty of time to chat with Dr. Dreamy.”

“I didn’t interrupt your meeting because you said it was important, and I had it managed.” Her volume was low, her tone tense. “I left a message with your assistant to deliver when you were finished. Which he obviously did.”

Right. He had told her about the merger meeting with Tidewater’s board members. Lowell and his minions had peppered him with technical questions more suited to his team. Another reason for his bad mood.

“I’m not sure what the problem is here, Mr. Aylett.”

His problem? His problem was that he was jealous, plain and simple. Dr. Wright was closer to her age, handsome, accomplished, and didn’t come with baggage shaped like a traumatized four-year-old girl. He hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring either, a fact Noah figured Miss Wright had already noticed.

“My problem is that you promised not to leave the house alone,” he said instead. “You could have been followed. After what happened with your car?—”

“It was an emergency.” Miss Wright’s tone was measured with an edge of steel beneath it. “I called her doctor. I was told to take her to the ER, so that’s what I did. I didn’t interrupt your meeting because we didn’t need your help, and you didn’t need to sit in the waiting room for two hours. And since we arrived in an Uber, unless someone was watching the house, we couldn’t have been followed. Anything else?”

Charlotte started to fuss in the backseat, and Miss Wright turned. “You okay, love? You want some water?”

“Uh-huh.”