And she wasn’t going to hang around and wait for Marcus to choose his ex-wife and their baby over her.
Hot tears stung her eyes. ‘For God’s sake, Marcus, you’re a doctor. You should at least have had the brains to have used a condom.’
‘We did,’ he said indignantly. ‘Guess we were just in that one percent.’
Madeline stared at him, blinking away the threatening tears. She couldn’t do this now. It hurt too much to think about. ‘Just go, Marcus,’ she said, feigning interest in a chart. ‘I have a patient.’
‘I love you, Maddy.’
Her shocked gasp rang around the room as her head snapped up and Madeline stared at him incredulously. She felt as if someone had come along with a big stick and swiped her feet out from underneath her, sitting her on her ass.
‘What?’
‘It’s true,’ he said calmly.
The air whooshed out of Madeline’s lungs in a big huff. God...he was so sincere and, despite everything, she believed him. She could see it all over his face.
But...now? He was choosing now to tell her?
‘Oh, right. And when did you have this revelation? Because less than twenty-four hours ago you didn’t. I mean, I gave you the perfect opening to tell me last night and you didn’t. And now suddenly your pregnant ex-wife turns up, and you find the words?’
Marcus had known it would be a hard sell but everything was such a mess right now, he wanted one thing to be right. ‘I realised last night when you walked out the door. Tabitha was there and you were gone and it hit me.’
‘I didn’t notice you running after me to confess then?’
‘Would it have made a difference at that point?’
Madeline thought about the intensity of her anger and knew she wouldn’t have given him the time of day, but she was damned if she was going to let him off the hook. ‘Well, I guess we’ll never know now, will we?’
‘Maddy, please...’
She heard the note of desperation in his voice and could tell he was just as miserable as she was about this turn of events. Despite the mess and her anger and disappointment, Madeline still loved him and could see he was being torn up inside.
Taking a deep breath she prepared to do what had to be done. She knew him well enough to know he couldn’t walk away from being a father. And when you loved someone you didn’t ask them to do things they couldn’t do.
If Madeline wasn’t on the scene this whole situation would be so much easier all round. Marcus was good with children, with Connor and Trent, and he’d make an excellent father.
As much as it felt like a knife between her ribs, she had to let him go.
‘Marcus, go and be with Tabitha and your baby. It’s OK —you have my blessing.’
Marcus frowned at her, not quite believing what she was saying. ‘I don’t want your goddamn blessing. I want your love.’
‘Well –’ She shrugged. ‘You can’t have it. I take it back. And I never said I loved you anyway. Just that I thought I was falling for you. Luckily for me, Tabitha came along at the right moment.’
‘That’s rubbish.’
‘Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore, does it? You have bigger things to think about.’
‘Of course it matters. I —’
‘Just go, Marcus. I have a patient.’ And my heart is breaking, damn it.
Don’t make me cry in front of you.
As if he could tell she was close to the edge, Marcus sucked in a deep breath and nodded, departing without another word.
Madeline took a moment to blink back her tears and collect herself before hitting her intercom switch. ‘Could you send in my next patient, please, Veronica.’
Thankfully Marcus’s morning was sufficiently busy to keep his mind off everything. There was so much he hadn’t had a chance to say to Maddy and he certainly hadn’t believed her when she’d denied loving him. This thing wasn’t over between them – not by a long shot. But Maddy was right, he did have bigger things to think about. He needed to sort things out with Tab first.
His ex-wife wandered in at one, and stood in his doorway.
‘Come in,’ he said. ‘Sit down.’
Tabitha did as she was asked and looked at Marcus for a few moments. ‘I’m sorry about bursting in last night and being rude to your...ah...guest. It was late and I was tired and I guess I just wasn’t expecting it. So who is she?’
‘Madeline Harrington. She’s a GP in the practice next door.’
‘It didn’t take you long,’ she said pleasantly.
‘I love her, Tabitha.’
She blinked and Marcus could see he’d surprised her. ‘You used to love me.’
‘Oh, Tab,’ he said gently, ‘that was forever ago.’
She nodded. ‘But now we have this second chance.’
He sat back, ignoring the statement. ‘How far along?’
‘Ten weeks according to my GP.’
Marcus did a quick calculation in his head. That would most certainly fit the time frame. ‘Have you seen an obstetrician yet?’
‘I have one in a month. I was...hoping you’d come with me.’
‘In Melbourne?’
She nodded and he could see all his hopes and dreams with Maddy and his new practice come crashing down.
‘I can’t move here, Marcus. It’s too hot. Too far away from my family and friends.’
So if he wanted a relationship with his baby he was going to have to go back. ‘Tab...’
‘I can’t leave Melbourne, Marcus. Please, don’t ask me to.’
He nodded, not bothering to disguise his irritation. She couldn’t leave Melbourne but it was okay for him to up sticks? Turn his back on everything here? His practice. Maddy.
God...would Maddy go to Melbourne with him?
‘I don’t love you.’ He didn’t mean it to be harsh but he wasn’t going to pretend, either.
She nodded at him. ‘We could make it work this time. For the sake of the baby. This child deserves two parents, Marcus.’
‘Yes, thank you, Tabitha,’ he said testily even though he was trying not to be – this wasn’t her
