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He wouldn’t do anything.
Bec
ause he didn’t do love.
Didn’t do commitment.
He also didn’t deceive women the way Addy’s father had deceived Blair.
“I’m sorry he hurt you.”
“Me, too.” She forced a smile to her face. “His betrayal destroyed my feelings for him, but no matter how hurt I was, I can’t regret what happened. Without Chris, I wouldn’t have Addy. She’s worth everything.”
Oz had the uncanny desire to pound his fist into Chris’s face, into Chris’s parents’ faces. Into anyone’s face who hurt Blair.
She was the most decent person he knew and that decency had been trampled on. She’d been through so much, yet, even now, she’d wiped away her tears and wore a smile on her lovely face. She saw the silver lining in her pain, cherished the little girl who must be a constant reminder of everything she’d been through.
“You’re an amazing woman, Blair.” Oz hugged her, kissed the top of her head. “Amazing.”
“I’ve never told anyone.” She looked at him in awe. Looked at him in a way that made him feel like puffing out his chest and strutting around like some crazy bird doing a mating ritual.
“Not even Reesee or Dr Talbot. They probably figured a lot of it out on their own, but I’ve never told anyone.” She laughed a little self-consciously. “I thought admitting to what Chris had done would be hard, that I’d be embarrassed at how foolish I was to believe his lies.” She placed her palm against Oz’s face, stared at him with a sparkle in her eyes that made him feel like a bug under a magnifying glass.
A sparkle—he didn’t know how else to describe the way she looked at him. Her eyes glittered like multifaceted emeralds.
“But I don’t.” She caressed his cheek. “Not with you.”
Oz tried not to wince, wasn’t sure he was successful.
More than anything, he didn’t want to hurt Blair the way Addy’s father had.
He’d rather end things now than add to the heavy burden her heart carried, thanks to the jerk she’d once fallen in love with.
The way she was looking at Oz as if she was falling for him. Had any woman ever looked at him like that?
He didn’t think so. Fear and disbelief battled for pole position within him.
No matter what, Blair absolutely could not fall for him.
No way did he want to be responsible for another person’s heart. He’d seen the power his father had wielded over his mother’s heart, had seen the devastation that power wrought.
Blair’s heart needed to stay far away from the likes of him.
In the end, he’d hurt her as Addy’s father had. Not by lying to her, but by his inability to commit to one woman. His entire life, he’d never committed to anyone. What did that say about him?
Just what he’d known all along—that he was his father’s son.
“I’m leaving as soon as Dr T is well enough to go back to work,” he reminded her, feeling desperate to crawl out from under the magnifying glass.
“Do you think he’ll be able to go back to work?” She stared at him, the sparkle shimmering, enticing him to look closer. “Really?”
No, he didn’t.
Neither did Dr T. They’d talked earlier in the evening and Oz would be working out a notice to give the hospital time to find a permanent replacement, spending all his time with Dr T until the end came, then he’d return to Rochester.
He’d return to his home with a gaping hole in his chest where his friend’s love and respect had once resided.
Pain gurgled up his chest, burning the lining of his throat.
