November Harlequin Presents 2(52)
Tegan.
Please God, let it not be too late!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
‘MORGAN!’ Maverick ran down the corridor towards the waiting room. ‘What happened?’
Morgan swung herself around, stress lining her features. ‘Maverick. I’m surprised to see you here.’
‘How is she? Can I see her? I have to talk to her.’
‘I’m not sure they’ll let you.’
‘Is it the baby?’
She shook her head. ‘She’s got food poisoning. On top of morning sickness. She was so dehydrated, she collapsed on the floor.’
‘It’s my fault. She hardly ate a thing, and I was so angry with her. It’s no wonder she got sick.’
‘No, if it’s any consolation, I actually think it’s my fault. I told her she should have something nourishing for breakfast, so I cooked her eggs. They think that’s what did it. It’s just lucky that her morning sickness took care of most of it.’
‘So then—the baby…?’
‘Is okay. The paramedics were fantastic. They were there in no time.’
He collapsed into a chair and put his head in his hands. ‘Thank God!’
She tucked her crutches together and sat down alongside him. ‘She thought you were angry with her.’
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, trying to block out the pain of remembering what he’d done, what he’d said. ‘I was. Very angry.’
‘But you really love her, don’t you? I mean, you must, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t care.’
Something like a thunderbolt shuddered through him. He opened his eyes and looked at the green-grey linoleum floor. It was the same floor he’d closed his eyes on just a few short seconds ago, but somehow it looked different. Everything looked different. Brighter. Sharper.
Everything felt different.
Especially inside him.
He loved Tegan. Loved her with a passion that went beyond mere physical desire. Loved her with a force that couldn’t have kept him away from her if it had tried.
Why hadn’t he realised? Why had it taken him so long? Why had he cost her so much?
His voice was so shaky when it came, it was a wonder it didn’t break. ‘I do.’
Just saying the words made it more real. More powerful. ‘I do,’ he repeated, firmer this time, almost like a vow.
‘Then maybe you ought to tell her. She was pretty upset when she came home from lunch today.’
He closed his eyes again, nodding. He could imagine. He’d been relentless in his accusations, relentless in his cruelty.
Beside him Morgan sighed. ‘Just don’t be surprised if she doesn’t want to see you.’
And pain sliced his heart anew.
‘What do you want?’
It was the next morning before they let him in, after Morgan had convinced her to agree to see him. And her first sentence let him know just how low on the register he’d reduced himself to.
He’d spent the night thinking about everything she’d said, replaying all her defences, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle. She’d been right. She had tried to tell him, or at least talk to him, and he’d cut off her opportunities every time.
He’d known something was up that time he’d returned from Italy and she’d been asking strange questions. She’d told him she wanted to talk. And then Nell had called and things had got messy.
He hadn’t let her explain. And, in doing so, he’d driven her deeper and deeper into her duplicity.
He entered the room, feeling more out of control than he’d ever felt in his life. She lay leaning against the pillows in a white hospital gown, her hair swept back from her face, a drip feeding liquids into her arm. Her skin was pale, but her features were set to defiant, her hazel eyes and mouth resolute.
He stopped halfway into the room. ‘Tegan…’ he started inadequately.
‘I had to tell the medical staff I was pregnant,’ she snapped. ‘I’m sorry if that was against the rules, but don’t worry, I swore them all to secrecy.’
He held his breath. He deserved that. He deserved everything she wanted to dish out and more.
‘How are you feeling?’
‘It’s just the best Christmas morning I’ve ever had. What do you reckon?’
‘They tell me the baby is okay.’
‘What—so now you care about the baby? That’s a turn-up. What did you come here for, Maverick? To have another go at me? To make me feel even worse? Because you know, if Morgan hadn’t convinced me to see you, you wouldn’t be here at all. So, please, just make it quick.’
‘No,’ he said, moving closer to the bed. ‘I don’t want to make you feel worse. I came to make sure you were all right. When I heard you’d been taken to hospital, I just about went crazy. I had to see you. I had to tell you I was sorry.’ He took a step closer to the bed. ‘And only last night I realised why it mattered.’