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The Registrar's Wedding Wish Page 7
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Annie was directly opposite him and dared a peek at him from beneath her lashes. A sense of feminine satisfaction coursed through her when she saw his Adam’s apple working overtime as he swallowed.
She potted a ball.
‘So now that you’ve kissed me,’ she purred as she prowled around the table, ‘I guess we’ll be getting married soon.’
He’d just taken a sip of his drink, and at her words spurted it out of his mouth over the floor.
‘Real classy.’
‘Did you say married?’
‘Yes. Is there a problem, darling?’ She made sure her tone had the right amount of innocence and looked up at him with concern.
Hayden stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head. ‘Stop teasing, Annie.’
‘Who’s teasing?’
‘You want to get married?’
‘Sure. I’ll be forty in just over two weeks’ time and my biological clock is ticking.’
‘So you’re out husband-hunting?’
‘I wouldn’t put it like that exactly. I’m out there, swimming around in the sea, seeing if there are any compatible fishes.’
‘Why? Why are you compelled to do this?’
Annie frowned, all pretence gone. ‘Why? Because it’s what I’ve wanted all my life.’ She took a breath and plunged on. ‘Don’t you want to get married again?’
‘No.’ The way he said the word clearly brooked no argument.
‘You’re going to let one bad experience ruin the possibility of lifelong happiness?’
Hayden walked to the table and slammed the cue into the white ball, which in turn cracked loudly against another ball before the second ball rolled into a pocket. Annie let go the fact that it wasn’t even his turn.
‘I’ve had several bad experiences.’
‘Then learn from them.’
She was taken aback at his tone. It was harsh and callous. As he continued to pot every ball on the table, she watched him with a mixture of compassion and bewilderment. When he’d finished, he threw the cue onto the table, gripped the edge with both hands and leaned across, his gaze never leaving hers.
‘My marriage was a nightmare. My ex-wife was unfaithful time and time again. She hurt me in ways I never dreamed possible.’
‘But not all women are like that,’ Annie felt compelled to point out, but he just shook his head and turned away. She came around the table and stood next to him, their backs to the rest of the room. ‘To never risk loving or trusting again…Hayden, it will break you in the end. Marriages can and do work out. Not all of them are bad.’
‘Did your parents have a happy marriage?’
‘No, and, look, I’m still willing to try it…because I’m not them!’ She paused. ‘What about your folks?’
‘Still together after forty-three years.’
‘There you go, then. Proof that it does work.’
‘Sure…but I’m not them.’ He turned and grabbed his briefcase and although his mimicking of her words had bruised a little, Annie followed suit. It wasn’t the way she’d envisaged the evening turning out but at least she was getting to know him. Right? She was digging a little deeper beneath the surface and really finding out who this man was.
Annie waved goodnight to Trevor and together she and Hayden walked out into the street. Neither of them spoke for a while but she knew she couldn’t let it lie. He’d said some pretty important things and if she didn’t push any further now, she might regret it later.
She was attracted to him and she needed to decide whether to take that attraction to the next level or to back off while her heart was still in one piece. They stopped at a red light and waited.
‘So you don’t want to get married again.’
‘No.’
‘What about children? Don’t you want children?’
‘No.’
‘How can you say that?’ she demanded. ‘Do you have nieces or nephews?’
‘Yes.’
‘And aren’t they gorgeous?’
‘Yes…but I can give them back.’ She was starting to dig too deep. She was pushing him, and the more she did, the more he wanted to back right off. He might be attracted to her but he wasn’t going to let her size him up as husband and father material. The light turned green and he headed off, checking to make sure she was still beside him. Regardless of how he was feeling right now, he didn’t want Annie storming off in a huff by herself. It simply wasn’t safe.
Another glance, though, revealed she was far from huffy. A puzzled and concerned frown creased her forehead and he started to feel like a first-class swine for his attitude. She wasn’t to know what had happened in his past, how Lonnie had ruined not only their marriage but his hope and trust as well.
They were nearing their apartment block and when they got to the stairwell he held the door for her, just as he’d done earlier that morning when they’d come back from their run. Man! That seemed like a lifetime ago.
As they mounted the stairs, he could feel more questions brewing in that intelligent mind of hers. His temper had cooled somewhat and even though he was attracted to his petite next-door neighbour, there was still a line which he’d firmly drawn and which no one crossed.
‘You’re serious?’ she queried as they stood outside their apartment doors. ‘You honestly don’t want to get married?’
‘Correct.’
‘OK. That part I can comprehend, but the children?’ She looked at him, her brown eyes boring directly into his soul. ‘You would make such a wonderful father, Hayden. Look at the way you bandaged my knee this morning.’
‘I’m a doctor, Annie.’
‘Or the way you handled Wesley.’
‘I’m used to dealing with staff.’
She tilted her head and smiled at him. There was nothing coy or insincere about it, neither was there pity. It was genuine. ‘You’d be wonderful with children,’ she said softly, her heart in her words.
Hayden felt a twisting in his gut and wondered how things had escalated so fast without him realising. It was Annie. She’d bowled him over from their first meeting three days ago and she was continuing to do so. Never before had a woman got beneath his skin so quickly, and that in itself should breed caution.
‘I know.’ The words were all but choked out of him. ‘My daughter, Liana, died when she was four weeks old.’ He clenched his jaw tight, ignoring Annie’s gasp of horror and determined to squash the emotions that never failed to move him. The mental picture of his baby girl floated to the forefront of his mind and he closed his eyes momentarily, fighting desperately for control.
He felt Annie’s fingers against his arm and he shifted quickly, burnt by her tender touch. He dragged in a deep breath and opened his eyes. Annie’s own had filled with tears and her fingers now covered her mouth in shock.
‘Oh, Hayden,’ she whispered.
‘Out of my mockery of a marriage came the most precious gift I could ever receive, and then that, too, was taken away from me.’ He shook his head and unlocked his door. She wanted to go to him, to comfort him, to get him to open up some more and talk things out. She felt closer to him right this very second than she had to any other man in her life.
He was different.
He was special.
And right now he had a right to his privacy.
She dug in her bag for her own keys. After she’d found them, she crossed to his side and, standing on tiptoe, pressed her lips to his cheek. ‘I’m sorry for pushing.’
‘Really?’
‘You sound as though you don’t believe me.’
He looked down at the floor and Annie stepped back. ‘You weren’t to know.’
‘Now that I do, I’ll endeavour to be a little more…tactful.’
He raised his eyebrows, indicating he didn’t think it would be possible, and Annie smiled, glad to be back on more even ground.
‘See you tomorrow,’ she whispered, and together they opened their doors and went their separate ways.
Hay
den managed to avoid any one-on-one time with Annie for the next two days. It helped, being the boss and the person who drew up the rosters for the staff. He had changed the roster first thing Tuesday morning, with Annie doing a double shift on Tuesday and then being on call for Wednesday night. If she had a problem with it, she didn’t say so.
On Thursday morning, he was closing his apartment door when he heard the door to the stairwell open and an ashen-faced Annie come through it. She looked awful. He rushed to her side, slipping one arm about her waist to support her. The fact that she didn’t protest told him she wasn’t well.
‘Give me your key,’ he demanded, and she handed it over.
‘It’s OK.’
‘It’s not OK.’ He held her close while opening her door. She sagged against him even more, and without another thought he scooped her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold. She rested her head against his chest, breathing in the glorious scent of him.
‘Mmm.’ She closed her eyes. It felt wonderful to be off her feet. All night long she’d been fine but then about an hour ago all her energy had disappeared, as though it had been drained from her body. ‘I tried to take a taxi home,’ she told him. ‘but there weren’t any.’
He carried her through to the bedroom and knelt down to place her on the futon. ‘Why didn’t you hire a bed as well?’ Hayden mumbled, feeling her forehead. ‘You’re burning up, Annie. Have you taken anything?’ When he received no reply, he stroked a finger down her cheek. ‘Annie? Wake up. Have you taken anything?’
‘No,’ came the muffled reply.
He rummaged around in her kitchen until he found the first-aid box and took her some paracetamol and a glass of water. ‘This will help,’ he said as she swallowed them down. He turned on the air-conditioning and collected a cloth and a bowl of water to sponge her down. She was wearing a light patterned singlet top and a pair of red shorts—the graze on her knee was healing over nicely. The brevity of her clothes would make it easier for him to sponge her.
He searched in her laundry for a bucket but couldn’t find one. ‘I’m just going next door,’ he told her, not sure whether she could hear him. He quickly found a bucket in his apartment and returned, all the while praying she wouldn’t vomit in his absence.
Thankfully, she was still lying lethargically on the bed where he’d left her, and he returned to her side. He felt like a first-class heel for changing the roster, especially as his motive had been to put distance between them. Perhaps if she hadn’t had to do that double shift on Tuesday, she might have been able to fight off the virus which was going around.
He knelt down and sat on the futon next to her, dabbing the wet cloth against her forehead, then her cheeks. He wiped her neck, shoulders and arms before lifting her top to wipe her abdomen. He kept rinsing the cloth and wiping her down again and again, willing her temperature to drop.
As he pushed her curls back from her face with his fingertips, wiping her forehead down with the cloth, he was struck by her beauty. It was wholesome, not conventional. Lonnie had been the other way around and he knew for a fact that wholesome beauty, the kind that came from within, was the kind that mattered the most. Annie was open, honest and giving. That much he’d picked up during their short but involving acquaintance.
No. They were more than acquaintances who happened to live next door to each other. Since last Friday he’d come to learn a lot about Annie and most of it had surprised him. There was still a lot more he wanted to know, her previous relationship with Adam currently top of the list, but he could wait…at least until she’d recovered from this virus.
He kept sponging her down and when he checked the clock he was surprised to find it was almost eight-thirty. He reached into his trouser pocket for his mobile phone and called the hospital. He spoke to his secretary, telling her he’d been unavoidably detained, and then asked to be transferred to Brenton’s office.
‘Dr Worthington.’
‘Brenton, it’s Hayden. Annie’s come down with this virus.’
‘Are you with her?’
‘Yes. Her fever hasn’t broken and I don’t want her left alone until it does.’
‘Understandable. Tash has just started her shift and no doubt you have the same heads of department meeting this morning that I have.’
‘Correct. I wasn’t sure who to call. I don’t even know if Annie has siblings or parents or what.’
‘Her parents wouldn’t come and she’s an only child. Listen, the first meeting this morning isn’t important so if you can stay with her for the next hour or so I’ll see what I can do about getting Tash to come around about elevenish.’
‘Right. Pass on my apologies to the meeting.’
‘Will do—and, Hayden, I’m glad you’re with her. Annie had a bad year last year and needs a lot of support.’
‘Keep in contact,’ Hayden said, before disconnecting the call. He looked down at Annie for a second before checking her temperature. It was slowly coming down. He started his sponging circuit again, his mind mulling over what Brenton had said. Why wouldn’t her parents come? He supposed, with the way his own family rallied around to support one another, it was a foreign concept to him when other people’s families didn’t do the same.
And she was an only child. Another interesting bit of information. Although he’d often felt burdened with his sisters, he wouldn’t want to be without them. Was that one of the reasons why Annie seemed to want children?
Annie groaned and clutched her stomach. Hayden felt her forehead once more and realised her temperature had gone up again. She sat up and he held the bucket while she was sick, soothing her with calming words.
After that, she slowly began to pick up. Her temperature dropped and she settled into a more natural sleep. Hayden pulled the cotton sheet over her and lay down on top of the covers beside her. He closed his eyes while listening to her breathing, glad it was deep and even. Hopefully now she could sleep the rest of the virus off.
The phone he held in his hand buzzed and he sat up, momentarily disorientated. He pressed the button to connect the call.
‘Professor Robinson.’ He glanced at his watch as he spoke. Ten o’clock!
‘Hayden? It’s Natasha. I was just ringing to see how Annie is.’
He glanced across at Annie. She was still sleeping. He levered himself up from the futon, surprised he’d fallen asleep. Then again, he hadn’t been sleeping all that well lately.
‘Hayden?’
‘Sorry. She’s fine.’ He reached down and placed his hand on Annie’s forehead. ‘Temperature feels quite normal.’ She began to stir and he quickly left the room so he didn’t wake her.
‘Has she been sick?’
‘Yes, just over an hour ago. She’s been sleeping since then.’
‘Good. That means she’s over the worst, but what about you?’
‘I had this bug two weeks ago.’
‘In Perth?’
‘Yes.’
‘You didn’t bring it over here with you, did you?’
‘Hey, now. As I understand it, your children came down with the virus before I’d even met you.’
Natasha laughed. ‘Good point. Thanks for staying with Annie this morning. Brenton’s managed to fiddle the roster and organise a replacement for me, so I’ll head on over now. Helps, being married to the head of department.’
‘I’m sure Annie appreciates it.’
‘It’s the least we can do for her. I’ll see you soon.’
Hayden disconnected the call but didn’t move. It was comforting to know Annie had friends who would do this sort of thing for her, especially with her serious lack of family.
‘Hey.’
Hayden spun around to see Annie standing in the doorway of her bedroom. ‘What are you doing up? Get back to bed.’ He crossed quickly to her side as he spoke and placed his arm around her shoulders.
‘I just need to visit the little girls’ room,’ she protested with a laugh. That stopped him.
‘Uh�
��OK.’
‘Gee, thanks.’ She chuckled weakly as she shuffled off towards the bathroom.
Once there, she steadied herself against the wall, waiting for the room to stop spinning before she moved again. She knew if she took too long, Hayden would get worried and no doubt insist upon helping her, which was taking his knight in shining armour routine way too far. She tried to move quickly but found it impossible.
‘Annie?’ He knocked on the door a few minutes later.
‘I’m fine. I just want to brush my teeth.’
Hayden waited for her and then helped her back into her bed. He smoothed the hair back from her forehead and checked her temperature again. ‘You’re over the worst.’
‘That’s your official verdict, Doctor?’
He smiled. ‘Yes.’ Hayden gazed into her eyes, giving in to the impulse to drown in the brown, chocolaty depths. Whenever he looked at her, his resolve seemed to crumble. After their discussion on Monday night, he’d decided to be just a friendly but aloof neighbour and boss, yet here he was, in her apartment, crouched on her futon, gazing deeply into her eyes. The scary thing was, he felt a warm and calming sensation in the pit of his stomach. He brushed a curl from her forehead and caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. ‘You’re beautiful, Annie Beresford.’
Annie wanted to look away but found herself mesmerised by him. It was nice of him to say such nice things, even though she knew it wasn’t the truth.
‘You don’t believe me,’ he stated, nodding slightly. ‘I don’t lie.’ He bent his head and brushed his lips across hers.
Annie pulled back. ‘Don’t.’
Hayden stared at her, surprised.
‘I don’t want you to get what I’ve got.’
He smiled with understanding and brushed her lips once more, glad this time she didn’t pull away. ‘News flash, Dr Beresford. If I were going to catch it from you, I would have already been infected by now.’