His Diamond Like No Other (Mills & Boon Medical) by Lucy Clark

and reached out to put a hand on Jane’s shoulder. ‘It’s fine, Jane. I understand you need a bit of time to mentally prepare yourself. So...Friday? You can come with me to pick him up from his drum lesson.’
    ‘He plays the drums?’ Jane’s earlier panic disappeared and she smiled brightly. ‘I’ve always wanted to learn.’
    ‘Perhaps he can teach you a thing or two although at the moment it’s more a matter of him trying to gain some upper-body strength in his little almost-seven-year-old arms.’ Sean laughed.
    ‘That’s fantastic. I’d love to hear him play.’
    ‘Oh, you’ll get the chance. One basic beat after the other. He loves to practise, although I’m not sure my parents or the rest of the neighbourhood are all that happy about it.’
    ‘Your parents?’
    ‘They live with us.’
    ‘They do?’
    Sean nodded as they continued to browse around the toy store. ‘It’s the only way I can work at the hospital, be available at all hours of the day and night and still give Spencer the relatively normal upbringing he deserves. We converted a house into two apartments. One upstairs, one downstairs.’
    ‘Sounds ideal. What time does his drum lesson finish?’
    ‘Five-thirty. You don’t have a car, do you?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘OK. We both have clinic on Friday afternoon so, once we’re finished, I’ll take you to meet my son.’
    Sean nodded with finality as though the deal was done. Jane swallowed as the realisation sank in. She was going to meet Spencer. It was happening. Things were working out as planned, instead of going pear-shaped, like they usually did, especially when it came to her private life. Spencer. She’d loved him ever since she’d been aware of him and now she was finally going to meet him...in two days’ time!
    Should she get him a present for when they first met? A sort of a ‘Hello. How are you?’ present? Was that crass? Perhaps she should buy some sweets or take some cake but she had no idea if Spencer had any food allergies. What about a book? Should she get him a book? Her mind went into overdrive as she walked around the store, settling in front of the music section and looking at all the different types of drumsticks available.
    ‘I should get him a present for Friday,’ she stated, taking a pair of drumsticks off the shelf.
    ‘He doesn’t need presents, Jane. He’s already spoilt enough.’ Sean took the sticks from her and put them back, before meeting her gaze. ‘Your presence will be present enough.’
    His words were soft yet intense and the way he stared at her made her wonder if he, too, could feel this strange and overwhelming tug of desire that seemed to exist between them. How? Why? She didn’t understand how it was possible for her to be so attracted to Sean. The man had been married to her sister and—
    No. That was in the past. The past couldn’t be changed. The past was irrelevant. She’d trained her mental thought processes to stop looking back, to seek out the future but also not to miss the present...and at the present moment she couldn’t deny the way Sean’s intense gaze was making her feel.
    She needed to say something to break the moment, to try and remember how to breathe again. ‘OK,’ she murmured, and forced herself to blink, to turn away and head to the rear of the store, where a model train was presently manoeuvring its way around the track.
    Jane stopped, staring at a doll on the shelf in the back corner of the store. She frowned as memories flooded through, unbidden. A moment later Sean joined her and casually pointed to the doll.
    ‘Now I know you like to buy Spencer different presents for his birthday but I know for a fact that dolls just aren’t his thing.’
    ‘I used to have one of these.’ Jane reached out her hand, belatedly realising she was trembling a little, and picked up the boxed doll. ‘If you pressed her belly button and gently pulled on the hair, the hair would grow. At the back, there was a winder to crank