Push

17. He Protected His Wife

TOBY

"Fuck off!" Judy barked. "Busy!"

I cracked the door open. Instead of conning my way inside with a pleading smile and puppy dog eyes, I stuck a white paper bag through the gap.

A groan floated into the corridor. "I'm definitely too busy to see you, Donnie."

I jiggled the bag. Even if Judy couldn't read the golden swirls that spelled out Le Patisserie, the smell of the freshly baked Pain Au Chocolat would have her welcoming me with open arms. That woman had a certified chocolate addiction. There was no way she was resisting. It was only a matter of time.

One... Two... Thr—

There was a long sigh. "Come in."

I took two steps inside the office and flashed Judy a pleading smile after all. Couldn't hurt. "And because I like you so much." I held out the world's most obscenely large coffee.

The takeaway cup disappeared from my hand, but Judy squinted at me over her glasses, full of suspicion. "You must want something big if you stood in the line for Le Patisserie this morning."

Forty minutes for a coffee and a pastry. Worth it. "Maybe."

"Maybe, he says." The weathered lines of her face deepened when she frowned. "You better not be planning to skip out on your patients again."

"Sorry, you're stuck with me today. I need to change, but Nicole's already prepping the room."

Judy's eyes stayed on me as she sipped her coffee. "Okay." She didn't seem convinced.

"I need your help because Gwen's going back to work next week."

Judy's eyebrow flicked up. "Sooner than planned."

A lot sooner than planned—months sooner.

I had no doubt Gwen would be happier smashing goals again, but I still wasn't convinced the timing was right. Everything in our lives seemed complicated enough without juggling more stress. But maybe that elusive new boss of hers would surprise me. Maybe I was worrying for nothing.

I said none of that to Judy. She'd only want to know the cold, hard facts. "Gwen has a set office day, so I need to reorganize my patient load—"

"Nope."

"Please." I wasn't beyond begging, but I'd save falling to my knees for when everything else failed. "I'm pulling more hours and bringing in more money than anyone else here."

"Exactly. You're a difficult man to replace, and I've been doing it an awful lot lately. Locums don't come cheap, you know."

I folded my arms across my chest. Ian got the locum in to cover a hangover, and no one whinged. Screw that. "Starting next week, I need every Tuesday off to be with Noah. It's non-negotiable."

"Non-negotiable?" Judy snorted. "Says the man who rocked up to my office with coffee and breakfast."

"That's not negotiating." A smile broke across my face. "That's very clearly bribery. Please, Judy. I want to do this."

And I did. I really did. Not just for Gwen but for me and Noah, too. Too much time had already slipped past me. My little dude was growing like a weed, and he'd turn one before I could blink. I wanted to be a part of his life more than I had been before—like I should have been all along.

Judy sensed she could drag more out of me than a coffee. "You want it that bad?" She lifted her chin. "What else are you offering?"

I didn't even hesitate to answer. "Every Sunday on-call."