Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In hindsight, warning klaxons should have gone off in Kit’s head the minute Amelia, the daughter who couldn’t give a flying fig about medicine or anything related to her mother’s job, asked how things were going at Chastain. In her own defence, she was just so overjoyed to have both her girls under the same roof for the first time in several years...and admittedly, she was still running on the high of having spent the morning and most of the afternoon with Randolph before shooing him away for her girl’s evening in.

“It’s going well. I’m still not thrilled that the hospital is making strange bedfellows with the pharmaceutical industry, but if it keeps Chastain open and if it keeps my people doing the work they excel at for the betterment of Atlanta, then I can try and find a way to live with it. There are things that I still don’t enjoy, particularly some of the bureaucratic nonsense that comes with running an entire hospital, but other parts of it can be very rewarding. I finally have a chance to make changes and fix issues that I’ve seen for decades but never had the means or the clout to do anything about. It’s a process, of course, but I’ve already seen some changes for the better.”

“Doesn’t running the hospital keep you out of your happy place though, Mom?”

Kit offered her younger daughter a smirk, knowing exactly what she was referencing. “I’m in the OR less than I used to be, yes, but I’m still involved in the most critical cases. I rarely do things like hip and knee replacements anymore, but I don’t really mind that; I’ve done thousands of them over the years so I don’t mind letting the residents and interns really cut their teeth on the routine procedures. I’ve spent the last few years building an ortho department that I trust implicitly, so now it’s time for me to focus on the places where I can do the most good. Chasing surgeries is a young person’s game – I have other priorities now.”

An amused look overtook Amelia’s face but before Kit could inquire about it, her attention was drawn by the gentle hand Molly placed over her arm. “How’s your friend Dr. Hawkins doing?”

The tone of the conversation took a turn then as Kit fought back a sudden lump in her throat. The day after Nic’s unfortunate accident, she’d called both her daughters and unintentionally frightened them with her need to hear their voices and tell them that she loved them and was so proud to be their mum.

“He’s doing as well as can be expected. He was offered a leave of absence but he prefers to keep busy. I can’t imagine how hard this all is for him; he met Nic at Chastain when he started his internship, so the hospital must be teeming with memories of their life together.”

“They have a child together, right, a little girl?”

Kit nodded her head at Amelia’s question. “Gigi – she’s such a darling. Honestly, I think she’s the main reason he keeps going. He loves that little girl with every fibre of his being.”

“I can’t imagine what he’s going through,” Molly whispered thickly. “When Derek...when he...”

“Hush, sweetheart. You don’t have to imagine it. At the end of the night you’ll go home to your adoring husband and that precocious daughter of yours and all of that unpleasantness will go back to being a memory in the past.” Kit reached over to gently grasp Molly’s wrist, stopping her from worrying the area before reaching out to take Amelia’s hand in her free one. “But let’s go back to happier thoughts – I’m still so delighted that we could do this together. It’s been far too long since we’ve had the chance to all be in the same place at the same time. I’m so glad you decided to stay through the week-end, darling.”

“Of course, Mom. I’ve missed you both and Atlanta too – this will always be my home, no matter where I end up.” Amelia gave her a tender smile before the amusement came back in, causing Kit to furrow her brow. “I must say, though, something seems to have changed since the last time I saw you.”

“Ames...” Molly said in warning but Kit remained focused on her younger child.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something different with you, Mom.”

“There’s nothing different with me,” Kit flat-out lied and hoped she wouldn’t be called on it.

“Nope, I’m not buying it,” Amelia told her frankly. “There’s something going on with you and Molly and I –”

“Leave me out of this, Amelia.”

“Nu-uh, I’m not going out on this limb all by myself, not when you’re the one who shared your suspicions with me in the first place!”

“Ames!!” Molly shouted at her sister, dropping her fork to the table and shooting daggers at her sibling. “I told you –”

“Enough you two!” Kit held a hand out in front of both of her girls, trying to stave off the inevitable screaming match that had been commonplace throughout their teenage years. “You’re both grown adults, so please act like it.”

“But she –”

“Well she –”

“Enough.” Kit left no room for argument and after verifying that they were both following her directive, she let out a small sigh and turned her attention back to Amelia. “What is it that the two of you think you know about me?”

She had hoped that her defiant tone would make the young woman back off, but clearly she’d forgotten exactly who she was dealing with and what particular parts of her own personality that Amelia emulated.

“We think that you’re seeing someone.”

Keeping her face neutral, Kit was willing to admit that her girls were good but she hoped that she was still that much better. “Really?! And what makes you say that?”

“The way you keep trying to avoid the topic, for one. Not to mention, your statement from a few minutes ago that ‘I have other priorities now.’” Amelia parroted the phrase in her mother’s accent, a talent she’d had since childhood that both amused and annoyed Kit in equal measure.

“If that’s all you have –”

“It’s not. There’s also the blush that you’re trying to fight right now but is slowly making its way up your neck – I’m sure if your hair was up at this very moment we’d see that your ears are pink. I hate to break this to you, Mom, but that’s always been your first tell when you blush.” Kit tried to ignore her flaming ears as Amelia pressed on once more. “Then there’s your whole demeanor since Mol and I got here: you’re really happy, like giddy-happy...”

“And why wouldn’t I be when I have the two of you here with me?! I’m your mum and I love you both to bits, you know that.”

“We do, Mom, and Ames and I feel the exact same way about you...but she’s right,” Molly stated gently but left no doubt as to whose side she was on in the discussion. “There’s been a change in you in the last couple of months. You’ve always been a relatively upbeat and positive person but for the past little while you’ve been really happy, happier than I’ve seen you in a really long time. You’re usually like this when you’re with someone, and I don’t mean one of your ‘flavours of the week’ as Dad so eloquently calls them. I think you finally found someone worth putting in the time and effort for and it shows, no matter how hard you try to hide it.”

“You’re wrong...I don’t...” Kit tried one last time to deflect but realized that she was rapidly losing ground.

“If you really didn’t want people to find out, maybe you should tell your gentleman friend should to be more careful about leaving his jacket in your front hall closet,” Amelia preened with cleverness as she played her trump card. “And before you even try to deny it, that jacket is way too big to be yours and smells very distinctly like aftershave and cologne – recent aftershave and cologne, like it was applied this morning...or maybe last night.”

Finally out of options and feeling her cheeks flame bright red, Kit hid behind the curtain of her hair and let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, alright, you’ve found me out! You’re right, I have been seeing someone. Are you two ‘detectives’ well pleased with yourselves now?!”

“Yes, very,” her younger daughter once again crowed with a smirk and though Molly was much quieter about it, Kit could also see the victorious look in her eyes.

“Well, bully for the both of you. Now that you’ve got what you wanted, can we please move on to another topic?”

“Oh, not a chance!” Amelia told her with a chuckle and a shake of her head. “Inquiring minds want to know why you’re being so secretive. Is this some type of forbidden romance? Is it someone who’s totally not age-appropriate?”

“No!! He’s older than I am!!”

“Oooo, Mom’s got a sugar daddy! You finally found someone to take care of you and lavish you with all the finer things in life?”

“Does that sound like something I’d be even remotely interested in?! Honestly!!” Though she was still more than a little annoyed with the interrogation, she couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of being a kept woman. “And we’re not being secretive. It’s still early days yet and we’ve decided to keep it to ourselves for the time being. We agreed that you’d be amongst the first to know, but we hadn’t decided on how or when to tell you.”

“But it is serious, isn’t it?” Molly stated more than asked and Kit nodded her head in confirmation, feeling the corner of her mouth start to quirk up of its own volition.

“So where did you two lovebirds meet? I didn’t think you got out of the hospital much...” Amelia trailed off for a second and then her eyes went wide as a gasp escaped her lips. “Wait...that’s it, isn’t it?! The reason why you’ve been so cagey...it is a forbidden romance of sorts, because you’re dating someone at Chastain, aren’t you?”

Kit knew that she wasn’t fast enough to school the deer in headlights look she could feel overtaking her face, so there was no use trying to deny the accusation.

“Oh my God, Mom!! You’re actually dating someone who works for you?! Isn’t that against the rules or something?”

“It’s not, actually. So long as we filed the appropriate paperwork with HR to keep things on the up and up – which we have done – we’re free to do as we like. And he’s not my direct subordinate; there are a few layers of managerial positions that separate us.” Kit noticed the way Molly’s eyes lit up in recognition and knew she’d quickly put two and two together.

“So who exactly is this mystery man? A fellow doctor...a fellow surgeon...”

Offering up a silent apology to Randolph for not checking in with him first, she heaved another sigh and finally stopped being so cagey. “He’s a surgeon.”

“It’s Dr. Bell, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Because he’s one of the people who helped save Derek and because Josie still talks about Grandma’s funny friend who let her eat as much ice cream as she wanted. You might be more familiar with him by his first name: Randolph.”

“Ahh, that’s a name I know well. He comes up all the time when Mom and I talk. I always just assumed he was some old fuddy-duddy that Mom was nice to because he’s been at Chastain since the dawn of time.”

Her younger daughter’s assertion pulled an unexpected chortle from Kit. “When I said he’s older, I didn’t mean decades older! He’s only a few years older than I am. And though he’s spent his entire career at Chastain, he’s hardly a ‘fuddy-duddy.’”

“I’ll second that – he’s tall, charismatic, and has a full head of hair and piercing blue eyes. He’s got the whole ‘silver fox’ thing going for him.”

“MOLLY!!” Kit cried out, mortified to hear her daughter talk about Randolph in that manner.

“What?! I’m happily married but I’m not dead! He’s an attractive man!”

“Well, you can never tell him that because he’d be absolutely mortified, just like I am right now!”

“I wasn’t planning on it, Mom!” Molly retorted quickly and then all three women were laughing together. When it died down, Amelia jumped in with another question.

“So, what else should we know about this Dr. Randolph Bell?”

“He’s kind and thoughtful and I like him very much. We’re both quite happy with the change in our relationship and that’s all I’m willing to say on the matter because I don’t kiss and tell.”

“C’mon Mom!” Amelia started to complain but Kit turned a stern look to her younger child.

“No, that’s quite enough of you prying into my personal life, thank you very much!”

“But –”

“I’m pouring myself another glass of wine, if you’d like a top-up,” Kit overrode any further statements by abruptly standing up, grabbing her glass and heading straight into the kitchen.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Amelia quickly followed her mother’s example, tossing her napkin on the table and storming off towards the staircase.

Kit let out a frustrated growl and then pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to rein her temper in.

“She’ll be fine, Mom. Let her go stew for a bit.”

“How does she always know the right buttons to push?”

“Because for as much as I’m my mother’s daughter, so is Amelia, just in different ways,” Molly replied with a knowing smile as she placed her glass down on the island. “I think it’s also because she feels a bit left out. She loves what she does and loves the West Coast, don’t get me wrong, but it means that she’s often the last one to find things out about us. You know that she’s always hated being left out.”

“I know, you’re right,” Kit easily conceded the point. “We really were going to tell you both before anyone else, I promise.”

“I believe you. And I’m sorry for my part in this – I never expected her to ambush you like that. I only mentioned it to her because I was just curious if she could see the change in you too.”

“Is it really that obvious?”

“To those of us who know you? Absolutely.” Kit laughed despite herself at the surety of the answer, but sobered as Molly placed a gentle hand over her arm. “It’s really nice to see you this happy again, Mom. I’m glad that you two found each other.”

“Me too, darling.” The two women shared warm smiles before Kit turned back to business. “Alright, let’s have top-ups all around and then we’ll wait for your sister to come back and hopefully get this dinner back on track.”

Chapter Text

After spending most of the day with Kit, Randolph had been sent packing for the night so she could have dinner with her two daughters. With Molly being busy with her own medical career and a husband and daughter at home and Amelia having her own life out on the west coast, he knew how rare and how meaningful it was for all three of them to be in the same place at the same time. After witnessing just how much she’d been looking forward to their dinner all week, he’s gladly wished her good luck with one final kiss and asked that she let him know how it all went in the morning.

As he left, a small part of him had wondered if he should suggest that she take the opportunity to tell her girls about the change in their relationship, but ultimately he’d decided to hold his tongue for a few reasons. For one, it wasn’t expressly clear what they were actually doing. Though he knew that he was in this relationship for the long haul, they’d never quite gotten around to putting labels on what they were...even if the notion of labels was a little ridiculous for two people in their stage of life with their romantic histories. For another thing, he was more than a little petrified to meet her daughters. Knowing how important Molly and Amelia were to Kit (and vice-versa), he really wanted to make a good impression with them because the last thing he wanted was to cause tension between Kit and her daughters if they didn’t approve of him being with their mother.

With Kit’s evening booked up and no expectations to hear from her until morning, he’d resigned himself to an evening spent alone on the couch catching some playoff baseball, knowing the Braves were only a couple of games away from clinching a berth in the World Series. Imagine his surprise, then, when halfway through the bottom of the fourth inning his phone buzzed along the edge of the coffee table and he saw Kit’s name light up the screen. Leaning forward to snatch the phone before it crashed to the ground, he quickly pulled up and read her message:

‘Dinner finished earlier than expected. Can you come over?’

A heavy unease settled in his stomach as he typed a quick reply: ‘Are you alright? Did something happen?’

It took only seconds for another message to come in: ‘I’m fine, I’d just rather talk about it in person.’

Feeling some of the tension ease with her answer, he quickly wrote back, ‘Be there in 15,’ and immediately turned off the game and shoved the phone into his back pocket. He stepped into the first pair of shoes he found and grabbed his keys and went for his leather jacket when he suddenly remembered that he’d left it at Kit’s earlier on, too wrapped up in kissing her goodbye to remember the jacket that wasn’t needed in the peak heat of late afternoon. Knowing he could survive the short jaunt without it, he flicked off the last light switch and firmly closed and locked the door behind him.

Navigating the darkening streets of the city he’d loved his entire life, he kept his thoughts solely on Kit, hoping she wasn’t putting on a brave front as she so often did. He had no idea what he was walking into, but none of that mattered to him; all that mattered was that she wanted him and he’d do anything he could for her. Pulling onto her street with three minutes to spare, the first thing he noticed was her backlit form pacing the length of the porch. As he pulled into the driveway and killed the engine, the way she all but flew down the steps to meet him had the knot in his stomach growing and he threw open the door to greet her. “Kit –”

“Randolph, oh my God, I’m so very sorry, I’m –”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. I’m right here,” he reassured her as he instinctively wrapped her up tightly in his arms and pulled her in close. “Your text said that dinner finished early, so what happened, Kit?”

“That’s the problem, darling: I didn’t send you that message.”

He grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her backwards. “Wh-what?!”

“I’m not the one who sent the message asking you to come over – that would be my soon-to-be disowned younger daughter.”

“But...why?”

At his complete and utter confusion, he saw her face shift to something akin to contrition as her hand came up to thread through the hair on the back of his head in a soothing motion.

“Because my children, and especially the aforementioned younger one, browbeat me into revealing that I’m seeing someone...and that that someone is you.”

“Oh,” was all he could think to say in the moment.

“Are you cross with me for speaking out of turn?”

The question pulled his attention back to her and he saw the way she was worrying her bottom lip so he brought his hand up to rest on her cheek, letting his thumb gently sweep at the corner of her mouth. “No, not at all. I’m just...surprised.”

“You and me both. Once again, we’re apparently not hiding this as well as we assumed we were – my girls may not have known the whom, but they definitely had the what spot-on.”

He quirked a smile then, feeling a bit better for not being the only one to let the cat out of the bag on their relationship. “Alright, so your daughters know about us. Why exactly was I summoned here, if the news is already out?”

“That has a lot to do with my soon-to-be former child and a little to do with me, I’m afraid. Since I refused to be very forthcoming on details about you or our relationship, Amelia decided to do some investigating of her own. While Molly and I were both distracted, she got into my phone and came up with this entire ruse to get you to come over. I only discovered what she’d done about ten minutes ago, completely by accident. I could swing for her right now and I likely will, once you’re on your way back home. Honestly, I can’t believe that the daughter I raised would do something like this...” she trailed off with a frustrated sigh and Randolph carefully bit back a comment about how it sort of sounded like something she herself might try under the right circumstances.

Instead, he ended up surprising them both when he said, “I don’t have to go.”

Even in the waning light, he noticed her eyes go wide in shock as they bore into his. “What do you mean?”

“I can stay and meet your daughters...if you want,” he added at the last second, not wanting to overstep.

“You don’t need to do that,” she replied automatically, but there was something on her face that told him she was saying that because she felt like she had to, not necessarily because that was what she wanted.

“I know, but I still can,” he offered again with a slight shrug, wanting Kit to make the choice for herself.

She stared at him with a critical eye for a long moment before she finally spoke. “You do realize that you’re likely signing yourself up for your own interrogation, right? If you stay, Amelia will feel emboldened and even I might not be able to reign her back in.”

He chuckled at that to try and mask some of his nerves. Though it was something he genuinely wanted to do, it was also more than a little terrifying at the same time. “I’d like to get to know them and have them get to know me as well. And yes, I realize what I’m signing myself up for but I’m sure I’ll be fine with you by my side.”

“I won’t abandon you to the wolves, I promise Randolph,” she vowed as she turned tender eyes on him. After a moment, her eyes drifted to something over his shoulder and she let out an annoyed noise.

“What’s wrong?”

“We have an audience. They both have their noses pressed to the front window like a couple of children staring into a sweets shop.”

He peeked at the window over his shoulder and saw the two women there and when he noticed Kit’s gesticulated attempt to get them to go away, he couldn’t suppress his smirk. “Did that work?”

“No.”

“Good.” His answer caused her eyebrows to knit together in confusion, so he knew she wouldn’t be expecting him to lean forward and capture her lips in a gentle but sure kiss. He pulled away nearly as quickly as he’d closed the distance between them and watched as her eyes fluttered open to stare at him in wonder and amusement. The moment between them was broken by the sound of pounding against glass and they both glanced over to find an annoyed Amelia impatiently pointing at her wrist. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kit raise her hand and make a gesture she’d once explained was essentially the equivalent of flipping someone off in Britain and he couldn’t help but let out a deep chuckle as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “The wolves are getting restless, it seems.”

“Let’s get this over with, then.”

Following her into her home, he felt his anxiety rising with every forward step. The sound of the door closing behind them startled him slightly and she gave him a grateful smile that helped to settle him somewhat as he toed off his shoes. She waited until he gave a curt nod and then led them into her living room, where two pairs of curious eyes followed their every move.

“You two are incredibly lucky because if I had my way, I’d be tossing you both out on your ears. He chose to stay and talk with you, not that I think you deserve it, but he’s clearly a better person than I am.” Kit paused then to look him, her face softening as she caught his eyes. “Randolph, these are my daughters, Molly and Amelia. You two ingrates, this is Randolph Bell.”

He bit back a smirk as he turned to face his inquisitors. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you, Amelia, and to meet you again, Molly, under hopefully better circumstances this time. How are Derek and Josie doing?”

Molly flashed him a bright smile that was reminiscent of her mother’s. “They’re doing really well, thanks for asking. And I’m also happy that we’re getting to meet again in a less stressful situation.”

“So this is the Randolph Bell that Mom is always talking about,” Amelia chimed in as she stood and made her way over to him. “I can see what you were talking about, Mol.”

“Amelia.” Kit said her daughter’s name in a warning tone that he was also familiar with and he got the impression that he was missing something, but his attention was quickly drawn back to the young woman as she held her hand out to him.

“So, Randolph, does anyone ever call you ‘Randy?’” she asked as he took her hand and shook it firmly, and he purposefully ignored the way Kit scoffed in his ear at her daughter’s antics.

“Actually, I’ve been either Randy or Bell for most of my life – your mom is the only person who’s ever consistently called me Randolph.”

“Interesting,” she said plainly and then headed back to her chair. “Sit down, you two. Let’s get to know each other better.”

Randolph followed Kit over to the couch and sat down beside her, his earlier bravado rapidly disappearing and causing him to leave a respectable space between them. It was Kit who took one look at the distance and promptly moved to crowd into his side, leaving him to try and ignore his growing blush.

“So, how long have you and Mom known each other?”

“Uh, we met at a surgical conference in 1993, I think?” He immediately turned to Kit for assistance.

“It was either 1993 or 1994, I don’t remember exactly which year it was but it was definitely in Chicago because we ran into each other again at O’Hare while we waited out a snowstorm.”

“That’s right. We’d run into each other once or twice a year at conferences or social functions until she took over the ortho department at Chastain. We’d occasionally have joint surgeries or consults but for the most part we stuck to our own specialties. We really only started to get to know each other about three years ago when I needed a friend more than anything else and your mom was one of the only people willing to put up with me. We’ve become very close in the time since...honestly, she’s my best friend.”

He heard the sharp breath Kit took beside him but kept his eyes on Amelia’s face.

“So you waited until Mom was your boss to make a move?! Looking for a smart and beautiful woman to take care of you in your twilight years, were you?”

“AMES!!”

“AMELIA KATHERINE SLATER, HOW DARE YOU –”

“WAIT!!” he shouted to be heard over Kit and placed a hand over her knee to calm her. “I’d like to respond to that.”

“Absolutely not! You do not have to stand for that kind of –”

“It’s alright, Kit, really,” he reassured her with a squeeze of her knee and she stared at him for a long moment before throwing her hands up in defeat.

“Fill your boots then,” she muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest and he turned his attention back to the two young women.

“When we first started to get closer, I was not in the best place in my life personally or professionally and I needed to work on myself before I could even consider getting involved with someone else. Your mom was always there to encourage me and/or give me a kick in the backside if I needed one, which meant the world to me, but when my feelings started to change towards her, I wasn’t sure if she felt the same. I was terrified about risking our friendship if I said anything so for the longest time I didn’t. When I finally worked up the courage to ask her out to dinner, it turned out to be a bit of bad timing but we eventually worked things out.” As his focus shifted to Amelia, he noticed that she still seemed a bit skeptical and he wracked his brain for a way to try and win her over. The idea that came to him, based on years of experience dealing with her mother, would either be a stroke of genius or would spell his doom. “And for the record, I’ve done the whole ‘sugar daddy’ thing before; I figured it would be nice to find myself a ‘sugar mama’ this go ‘round.”

“RANDOLPH!!” Kit cried out as her hand shot up to whack him fairly hard in the upper arm.

“Oww!” he winced as he began to soothe the offended area and noticed the daggers Kit was shooting his way. “What?!” The feigned innocence in his question only served to make her blood boil even more as she reached out again, this time to shove him away.

“You know damn well ‘what,’ Bell! I have never been, nor will I ever be one of those...things! We’re equals in this, you and I.” When he couldn’t contain a scoff of laughter, she quickly added, “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

“C’mon Kit, we both know that we’re not exactly equals in this. To use an old adage, there’s only one of us wearing the pants in this relationship and it’s definitely not me!”

“I don’t know what you’re on about!!”

“Oh please! I know damn well that when I used to be CEO, they called you ‘The Bell Whisper.’ People would specifically seek you out to work your magic on me because everyone knew that I’d listen to you. It’s always been that way between us and it’s not going to change now that we’re finally together; you could ask me to do just about anything and I’ll do it because it’s you that’s asking.”

At that, the couple’s squabble turned into a fierce stare down to see which one of them would back down first, and it ultimately ended up as somewhat of a draw when the distinct sound of throat clearing reminded him that they had an audience. He turned slightly sheepish eyes to Molly, who looked quite amused by their outburst, before looking at Amelia, whose face was still quite difficult for him to read but he swore he saw one corner of her mouth quirk up for a millisecond.

“As delightful as your little back-and-forth is, I really don’t want to see where it ends up next. I’ve already been scarred once tonight by what Molly and I witnessed through the window!”

“Since when are you such a prude?” Kit asked her younger daughter. “I recall many a night where I’d catch you snogging a boy and you never seemed to care that much when I’d politely ask you to find a way to extract your tongue from your suitor’s mouth...”

“OH MY GOD, MOM!!” Amelia shrieked and instantly turned a healthy shade of pink and Randolph couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her.

“You’d do well, then, to watch your tone and stop being such an insufferable little snot because I’ve got years worth of stories on you, my girl, and I’m not afraid to use them.”

That finally seemed to get Amelia’s attention and she gave him an apologetic look that he tried to temper with a small smile and a subtle shake of his head.

“Mom mentioned that you two haven’t been together long...” Molly started cautiously to try and get the conversation back on track.

“Five weeks, three days, and two hours, give or take,” he answered automatically and it was only as his words echoed in the suddenly silent room and as he felt three pairs of eyes snap to his face that he realized just what he’d revealed. He felt his face turn bright red in a matter of seconds and his hand came up to grip the back of his neck tightly. Feeling like an idiot, he ducked his head and tried to figure out a way to walk that admission back – not because he didn’t already feel that deeply for Kit but because he didn’t want her and her daughters to think he was a complete stalker.

“By my estimation, it’s been five weeks, three days, two hours, and thirty-five...no, thirty-six minutes, but who’s counting?”

He was lucky he didn’t give himself whiplash with the speed at which he raised his head to stare at Kit in total shock. For her part, she merely stared back at him with a teasing twinkle in her eyes and a wide grin on her lips. His own smile quickly transformed from shy to goofy as Kit’s hand came up to rest on his chest and he swore he could feel her heart racing through her hand as much as his was in his chest.

“Alright, at the risk of drawing Mom’s ire,” Amelia unexpectedly said and broke the tension in the room, “we don’t have all night for you two to keep getting caught up in your flirting routine. I came up with this whole ruse so Mol and I could meet and get to know Mom’s new piece of arm candy, and I intend to get what I’m after.”

Randolph let out a deep belly laugh as he watched Kit’s dramatic eye roll, but her daughter’s words didn’t stop her from leaning over to brush her lips along his jaw. “Very well, let’s just get this over with then.”

Drawing strength and courage from Kit’s renewed crowding into him, he glanced up at both her daughters and said, “OK Molly and Amelia, what would you like to know?”

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In the blink of an eye, nearly two hours passed since his arrival at Kit’s home and Randolph could not remember the last time he’d talked so much about himself all at once. Hell, he couldn’t really remember the last person besides Kit who’d cared enough to get to know him, including his second ex-wife.

The questions had started out with the usual – how old are you, where are you from, do you have any kids – before getting into slightly more personal topics: why medicine and why surgery, how many times have you been married, what are your plans for after you retire? That last question had been the hardest for him to answer because he didn’t really have one. For more than thirty years the only consistent thing in his life had been his work and it’s been the one thing that he could always fall back on in good times and bad. He honestly had no clue who Randolph Bell was without the ‘MD’ at the end of his name but one thing was slowly starting to become clear: whatever journey he went on next, there was only one person he wanted at his side.

From there, the questions started to come more rapid-fire and he had to try very hard to keep up:

Where did you take Mom on your first date? To her favourite Italian restaurant, complete with the expensive wine she loves but is too practical to order for herself.

Favourite type of music? He’ll listen to just about anything but his go-tos are jazz and classic rock, depending on his mood.

Can you cook? Yes.

Favourite holiday? Fourth of July, he’s loved fireworks since he was a boy.

Favourite colour? Blue.

What was the first thing you wanted to be when you grew up? Race car driver.

Did you read comic books as a kid? Yes, mostly Batman.

Favourite superhero? My dad.

What’s your favourite thing to do with you granddaughter? Everything.

What do you like to read for fun? Medical journals and books about history.

Favourite president? JFK.

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Trek.

Hockey, baseball, basketball, or football? Baseball, he’d played as a boy and coached a bit when Jake was young.

Celebrity crush growing up? Dolly Parton.

Toilet paper rolls: over or under? Under.

Go-to drink? Coffee, black with one sugar, or whiskey if we’re talking alcoholic beverages.

Guilty pleasure snack? He’s got a bit of a sweet tooth and he’s always been a sucker for homemade pies of any flavour.

Favourite thing about Kit? She’s tall. – The teasing answer pulled grins from both of the younger women and a cross-armed pout from Kit that he’d quickly quelled with a kiss to her cheek and the truth: Her mind and her heart.

Those answers hung in the air for a time before Amelia voiced her next question. “What are your thoughts on getting married for the third time?”

Even if he’d had a proper answer to that question, it would’ve been stopped by the hand Kit promptly slapped over his mouth.

“Alright, you two have asked quite enough questions for tonight. It’s time for Randolph to head back to his place and give his poor voice a rest.” Shifting her hand to his arm, she hauled him to his feet and took a second to steady him before stepping a few feet away and adding, “Say goodbye to our guest, girls.”

Once again, Amelia stood from her chair and raised her hand. “Thank you for coming over, Randolph. It’s been...interesting getting to know you. If nothing else, it’s good to put a face to the name.”

“I feel the same way,” he admitted genuinely as the handshake ended. “And maybe the next time we meet, I could get to learn a little more about you as well.”

“We’ll see,” she responded cryptically and he worried for a few seconds until the corner of her mouth truly quirked up this time and held for several seconds before disappearing.

Taking it as a victory, he turned and made his way over to Molly with his hand extended. “Nice to see you again, Molly, and please give my best to both Derek and Josie.”

“Of course.” She took one look down at his hand and then bypassed it to pull him into a warm hug, taking the opportunity to whisper to him, “I approve, by the way.”

His eyes were wide as he stepped back, but Molly only smiled at him and then Kit was once more at his side.

“While I go see Randolph off, go ahead and make a start on the dishes that couldn’t go in the dishwasher. That should keep you two busy and out of my front window playing looky-loos. I’ll be gone for as long as I like and you’d best be cleaning when I get back.” Taking his hand, she led him back to the front hall and collected his jacket and keys while he stepped back into his shoes, He followed her down the porch and it was only once they reached his car that he dared to speak.

“That was interesting –”

“I’m sorry again –”

They unintentionally spoke over each other and then trailed off with small laughs. Normally he’d insist on giving her the chance to speak first but decided to forgo it this one time. “You don’t have to keep apologizing Kit; it’s OK, really. I’m glad that your daughters got the chance to ask me whatever they wanted – emphasis on the whatever – and hopefully now they can decide whether or not they like me for you.”

“They do.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m their mum and I know them best.” Randolph was wary of being completely convinced by her assurances but decided to let it go for the time being.

“You’ll call me in the morning before you head off to brunch at Molly and Derek’s?”

“I’ll call you in a few hours once I finally see the backside of those two and once I put together an overnight bag with all the required sundries.”

“What?!”

“After what you endured tonight, there’s not a chance in hell that I’m not spending the night with you.”

On the inside, he was jumping up and down like an overjoyed kid on Christmas but he kept it calm and cool on the outside, wanting her to be certain of her decision. “Isn’t Amelia supposed to be staying with you?”

“She is, but Josie has been begging for a sleepover with Auntie Ames and since she’s flying out in the wee hours on Monday, they’re having the sleepover tonight.”

He didn’t even try to hide his grin as he opened his car and tossed his jacket on the passenger seat. “Then let me know when you’re coming over and I’ll make sure to leave the door unlocked for you.”

She flashed him her toothy grin and he couldn’t resist kissing her for a brief moment, careful to keep them from getting carried away but receiving a none-too-pleased look from her once he pulled back.

“The faster you get back inside, the faster you can send them on their way and come over to my place. We’ll pick up where we left off, I promise.”

Her demeanor changed with that assertion and she leaned up for one more quick peck before taking two firm steps away. “I’ll see you in a little while, Randolph.”

“I can’t wait.”

Finally climbing into his car, he quickly started it and was backing out as she stood watch, the couple sharing one final wave and smile until he watched her make her way back into her house. As he navigated the streets for a second time that night, he couldn’t help but think yet again that any future with Kit Voss in it was exactly the future he wanted and needed.