The Forbidden Spark

4.

Cara’s POV

I stared at Jason, my mind spinning in disbelief. “Your daughter?” I asked again, almost incredulous. “Jason, I didn’t even know you were married.”

I was going to kill Hunter, for real.

He looked at me calmly, as if he had already rehearsed this conversation in his head. “I wasn’t,” he said, his voice low. “I’ve never been married.” I could feel his breath against my mouth.

I blinked, trying to piece together what that could mean. There was a long pause, and I suddenly felt like I had missed something important… something huge. “But you have a daughter?”

How could Hunter have kept this from me, and then he went ahead and asked him to help me move?

Jason ran a hand through his hair, a telltale sign that he was trying to find the right words. He always did that, and a lot more. I knew a lot of those telltale signs of his. “Yeah, her name’s Daisy. She’s three. It’s… complicated.” He paused, looking away for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “Her mom… Shannon… we were together for a while, but it didn’t work out. She didn’t want to be tied down with a kid. So, I’ve been raising her on my own.” He said.

I didn’t know why, but my heart squeezed, and suddenly I saw Jason in a completely different light.

Ever since I knew him, I had always seen a driven, fiercely dedicated to things, like when he served with my brother, and then came back to continue as a doctor in his father’s hospital, but a single father? I had never imagined that side of him. I could see the quiet strength in his eyes, the way his jaw tensed slightly when he mentioned Shannon.

Shannon? Who the heck was Shannon anyway? Why didn’t I ever heard about her? This was like a huge trap Hunter set for me.

I hesitated for a moment before I spoke again. “I didn’t know, Jason. I had no idea…” I didn’t even know what to say. I didn’t know what to feel.

I wasn’t angry though, that he had a child, I wasn’t at all. Instead, I was relieved that he wasn’t uninterested in woman as I had always thought.

He gave a small, almost self-conscious shrug. “I didn’t talk about it much. I guess I didn’t think it mattered back then. We were in different places, and I didn’t want to burden you with it.” That was bull though, because I knew Hunter knew about this.

He was his best friend anyway.

I swallowed, his words sinking in. “But now… you’re asking me to move in with you? To help take care of her while I do my residency?” I asked.

“It’s a win win, Cara. I’ll pay, and you’ll help me.” He said.

Biting the corner of my mouth, I stood there with my arms folded, thinking about this out of the blue offer. I should be happy this man thought of me. It meant that I wasn’t completely a distant memory in his life.

Jason leaned forward, his eyes softening as he looked at me. “Cara, I know it’s a lot to ask. But you’re the only person I trust with this. With her.” His voice broke just a little, and my heartstrings pulled. “I’ve been doing it alone for a while, but with my schedule… with everything going on… I need help.” He said.

That was true, he was a busy man. I was going to be busy too with my residency, but not as much as him.

My chest tightened at the vulnerability in his voice. Jason wasn’t the kind of man who asked for help easily. I was sure that this had been weighing on him for a long time.

“I don’t know anything about kids,” I admitted, my voice coming out small. “I mean, I’ve worked with children in the hospital while still in college, volunteering, but this… living with you, being around her, it’s different.”

Jason sighed. “You’ll figure it out. Daisy is amazing, and she’s going to love you. You’re going to be an incredible doctor, and I know you’ll be great with her too.” He suddenly held my hand.

I looked down at our hands, his larger, stronger one engulfing mine. There was a warmth there, a comfort I hadn’t expected. But there was also fear… fear of stepping into something I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

“I don’t think I’m up for this, Jason,” I whispered, the honesty spilling out before I could stop it. “This isn’t what I imagined for my residency. I thought I would be focused, independent… but moving in with you, becoming part of your… I mean her life… it’s a lot.”

He nodded, his thumb brushing over the back of my hand in slow, soothing circles. “I get that. I do. But I’ve never asked you for anything before, and I wouldn’t ask if it was really important.”

That was true.

“What if I can’t do it?” I asked.

“You practically put up with Hunter, I’m sure you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.” He said.

I exhaled, a long breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding. “I’ll do it,” I said softly, almost to myself. Then louder, with more conviction. “I’ll move in. I’ll help with Daisy.” Megan was going to understand.

Jason’s face broke into a smile, a rare, genuine smile that made my heart skip a beat. “Thank you,” he said, his voice full of relief and something else—something that made me squinted my eyes. It was as if he was relieved, but not because of his daughter. Maybe I was just thinking too much.

To him, this might just be nothing but a job, so I had to get my head out of the cloud.