he’d wrapped in his hand seemed to lose all warmth and he turned anxiously towards her.
‘You’re okay? You’re not going to faint or anything?’
‘Of course I’m not okay,’ she snapped. ‘What are you? Some kind of a madman who goes around scaring pregnant woman? Does it give you a kick to see someone in shock?’
She leaned forward as best she could, given her shape, but she didn’t retrieve her hand. In fact, her fingers were now clinging to his, as if to a lifeline. Fortunately the receptionist reappeared at that moment, and Max turned to her for help.
‘She’s had a shock—a hot drink, tea if she drinks it, and lots of sugar.’
‘No sugar!’
The change to the order reassured Max that Joey McMillan was recovering fast.
Which was good in one way, but it meant explanations were in order.
Not only explanations but also some kind of discussion over the future, although what that future could be was hard to envision.
Impossible really.
Although …
The thought was so unexpected he stopped breathing for a moment, and turned it this way and that in his head before giving it consideration. It remained the same—a conviction that, having had his own father walk out when he was five, he should have some involvement in his child’s upbringing.
Shouldn’t he?
It was nuts but his thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour.
His mother would be a grandmother.
The thought held him riveted. He shuddered as he considered what his mother and sisters would say if he didn’t accept the baby as his own. In fact, they’d be delighted something had happened to curtail what they saw as his irresponsibly nomadic, and often dangerous, lifestyle.
Sisters!
And that made him wonder if Joey knew the sex of the child. A boy would be fun but, then, little girls—
Was he really considering being a father to this child?
Well, shouldn’t he be?
He stifled a groan. He’d been so intent on getting to this woman and telling her the unfortunate truth in person that he hadn’t given a thought to the implications for himself.
His stomach clenched, but it was the confusion in his mind that really worried him. Confusion over the baby but, worse, confusion over his reactions to this woman …
Joey waited until Meryl brought the tea. Meryl headed back behind her desk and turned her attention to her computer. Her presence made things feel … almost normal. She straightened up, retrieved the hand she’d carelessly left lying in the man’s warm paw, took several sips of hot liquid and turned to face the stranger.
Max something, he had said?
‘If you’re not mad, then presumably you have some explanation for your bizarre statement,’ she said, hoping she sounded stronger than she felt, which, right now, was extremely shaky.
And totally confused.
And upset? Yes, she thought, unbelievably upset, so upset she didn’t dare go there. That this wasn’t David’s baby …
And still, crazy as it might be, she was drawn to this man in some inexplicable fashion.
‘I do have an explanation,’ he said. ‘But it’s long and involved and you’ve obviously just finished a full day at work and probably need a rest and food, so we don’t have to do this now.’
She stared at him in disbelief.
‘You think I could rest?’ she demanded, and hoped the words hadn’t come out too shrill. She hated sounding shrill.
‘Well, food and somewhere comfortable to sit,’ he suggested, and Joey realised he was right.
‘I was intending to go straight home, it’s not far,’ she said, immediately regretting it as she realised she was inviting a total stranger into her house.
‘You can’t go inviting total strangers into your house,’ the man scolded, right on cue.
Joey sighed. She was tired and her back ached and her feet hurt and all she wanted to do was go home and sit in a nice warm bath.
Maybe snooze in it until the water got cold … Forget about dramas like a stranger claiming to be the father to her child.
But she couldn’t forget. She pulled herself together—or as together as she was likely to get at the moment.
‘Just give Meryl all your details and show her some identification so she can tell the police about who murdered me if I don’t get in touch with her in the morning.’
The man looked surprised, then worried, then unhappy, but in the end Meryl saved the day.
‘I’ve already done an internet search on him,’ she piped up. ‘I know, it’s not my business but I’m nosey and he’s cute.’ She grinned. ‘He has nothing to do with the IVF clinic.’ She frowned at Max. ‘That’s false pretences when you made the appointment. But he’s still a doctor, but mainly he works for overseas aid organisations. He’s in the front line of infectious disease research in underdeveloped countries. The organisation he works for has his picture on their website so I know it’s him. Take a look if you like.’ She swung the monitor to face Joey. ‘Apparently he teaches as well as works hands on. There’s a profile of him on the page; he climbs mountains in between plagues. He looks like an adrenaline junkie. Maybe a bit mad but harmless.’
‘A bit mad?’ Joey echoed, staring at her receptionist in shock. ‘Did you hear any of his conversation? Do you know what he came to tell me?’
Meryl looked embarrassed.
‘Well, he did kind of explain a little of it when he came in. He asked me to stay in case you needed someone with you. I know it’s a shock, Joey, but I think he’s okay.’
Joey glared at her receptionist.
‘Well, thanks a lot. I’m going home now, so you can go too.’
She knew she shouldn’t be snapping at Meryl, but it was as if the pair had formed a conspiracy of some kind. The worst of it was, she knew, very, very deep down inside, that the bombshell he’d just dropped on her could be possible. Accidents could happen in any medical process or procedure—
But not this time! No way!
Maybe back in the beginning of IVF and sperm freezing, but not these days. Surely not.
‘Well, come on,’ she grumped at the bearer of bad tidings, ‘let’s go to my place so you can explain yourself.’
Politeness dictated he help her up but as Max stood and held out his hand, he felt as if he was poking it into the cave of a very
