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He looked confused. “I don’t know why you keep saying that. If I’ve given you the impression that I’m unhappy with my life, or the responsibilities I’ve chosen to accept, then I need to dissuade you of that belief. I’m happy with the choices I’ve made. Maybe I complain sometimes—I’m only human, after all. And maybe I need an occasional escape from the pressure, as you, especially, would know. But overall, there’s not much I would change. Except to keep you near me. If that means relocating, that’s not such a big deal. I’d still remain close to my family and friends in Dallas, just as my family here in Little Rock and my cousins who’ve settled elsewhere have done.”
He made it sound so easy, she thought with a catch in her throat. Of course, he didn’t know everything yet. She reached rather desperately for her water glass, needing to soothe her tight throat.
“I know I have a reputation for being Mr. Responsibility,” Jason said a bit sardonically before she had taken the first sip. “Both BiBi and my sisters have teased me with that enough times. And I’ll admit, my obligations have scared off a few women in the past, which I’m sure they told you. The thing was, I was never willing to make any drastic changes for the other women I’ve dated. I mean, like the rest of my extended clans, I’ve always wanted a home and a family of my own, but I always intended to wait until I found the right person. I was waiting for you.”
His mention of wanting a family made her hand jerk spasmodically. Water splashed across her lap. She groaned, wondering just how many more messes she was going to make that evening!
Jason jumped to his feet. “Hang on, I’ll get a towel.”
Setting her glass on a coaster, she swiped ineffectively at the wet spots on her slacks. “Thanks, I—oh, wait. Jason!”
But it was too late. He had already disappeared into the bathroom.
She was halfway off the couch when he reappeared moments later, a cardboard box in his hand, a stunned look on his face. “Madison?”
She swallowed hard.
“Is this— You’re—?”
“I was a little slow figuring it out,” she muttered. “It just occurred to me today that I— Well, anyway, it’s always possible that it’s a false positive, but I have a feeling it’s true.”
He looked from her to the box and then back again. “This is why you were so upset when I arrived earlier. This is why you sent me away, why you said you didn’t want to be a burden to me.”
She nodded miserably. “I think it happened that last time in Dallas,” she muttered. “In the shower?”
Though he still looked almost as dazed as she’d been feeling for the past few hours, Jason gave her a taut little smile. “We both seem to be prone to shower accidents. Maybe we’d better stick with baths in the future.”
She glanced at the almost-healed cut on his forehead, unable to even try to smile in return. “I know you didn’t sign on for anything like this. I don’t want you to feel like you have to be here for me. I can handle this. I’m not expecting anything from you, and I won’t blame you in the least if you—”
“Madison.” Tossing the box on the couch, he took several rapid steps toward her and caught her hands in his. “Did you not hear me earlier? I all but proposed to you before it even occurred to me that you could be pregnant. Heck, I would have proposed if I hadn’t thought it would scare you away again. I’m that certain of my feelings for you. Do you really think this changes my mind?”
Propose? Marriage? Her mind whirled. “I, uh—I don’t—”
“We still have time,” he reminded her, squeezing her hands more tightly. “We don’t have to make any big decisions right this moment. We have a lot of talking to do, and we’ll get to it, now that all the cards are on the table. But first—”
He tugged her into his arms to hold her tightly as he kissed her. She clung to him, returning the kiss with a renewed surge of hope mingled with the doubts and uncertainties.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he told her when he finally lifted his head. “Not unless you send me away again.”
“I don’t think I have the strength to send you away again,” she confessed. “I told you once before—I really hate goodbyes.”
“You won’t have to say them again to me. Not for long, anyway. I can take a leave of absence from work for a few months to join you here while you fini
sh your residency. It’s not going to be easy for you in those last couple of months, but I’ve seen plenty of pregnant residents who were able to perform their jobs quite satisfactorily. I mean, if that’s what you choose, of course,” he added, as though suddenly aware that he was taking a great deal for granted.
She, too, had worked alongside expectant physicians. Even medical students. She knew it could be done. She had always vaguely envisioned herself having children someday, yet still continuing her career, just as her sister, Meagan, would do. She’d just never expected it to happen so soon.
But then, she had never done things exactly the same way as everyone else, she thought, finally finding just a glimmer of her usual sense of humor again.
“You almost smiled,” Jason commented, touching her lips with one fingertip. “Does that mean you’re starting to feel a little calmer?”
She nodded slowly. “I think so. I guess I sort of lost it there for a while.”
“I don’t blame you. I’m a little befuzzled, myself.”
His choice of adjective made her laugh softly. “I’m sure you are.”
“We can do this, Madison.”
