When she heard the tap on her door, she knew it wouldn’t be necessary for her to track down his family. Jason had returned to reclaim his phone for himself.
Drawing a deep breath, she set the water glass on the coffee table, then dashed a hand over her cheeks before movi
ng to the door. She only hoped she could bluff her way through the next few minutes without melting into a miserable puddle at his feet.
She had his phone in her hand when she opened the door. She tried to keep her face shadowed when she held it out to him, hoping to hide the ravages of her tears. “You forgot this.”
“I know. I just realized it.” He accepted the phone, then planted his hand on the door as if to keep her from closing it in his face. “Madison, could we talk for a minute? I really hate to end our time together on a bad note.”
“I don’t want to do that, either,” she confessed. “It’s just—well, it’s late.”
“I know. I won’t stay long. I just—” His words trailed off as he searched her face, seeming to really see her for the first time since she had opened the door. She looked quickly away, but it was too late. “Madison—”
“You’d better go,” she whispered. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
But he was already inside, the door closed behind him, his hand on her chin as he gently lifted her face. “You’ve been crying.”
“I’m fine.” She wasn’t, of course. She was a mess. And she wanted nothing more than to burrow into his arms and just lose herself there until she regained her usual equilibrium and self-sufficiency. But she wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t be like everyone else in his life, depending on him to solve all their problems.
“Madison, talk to me. What’s going on? Is it something with your family? Is there anything I can do to help?”
His obvious sincerity made tears hover again, but she blinked them back impatiently. She was not a crier! Her hormones must be in a real mess for her to behave this way now. “Thank you for your concern, but—”
Jason shook his head impatiently, though his tone was still gentle when he said, “It isn’t just concern. I care for you, Madison. I think I fell in love with you the first night I met you. And seeing you hurting like this—well, it’s tearing me apart.”
Her mind spinning dizzyingly, Madison had to make an effort to keep her jaw from dropping. Jason was in love with her? He couldn’t possibly be! There hadn’t been enough time for that.
But hadn’t she fallen in love with him in that same ridiculously short time?
His mouth twisted wryly as he studied her face. “I didn’t mean to blurt it out that way. I understand why you look stunned. You don’t know my family history. Haven’t heard the stories about how many of my relatives fell in love at first sight, and then turned that first infatuation into a lifelong commitment. I never expected it to happen to me—but then I met you. And there it is.”
“Jason—”
“Now I’ve really scared you off, haven’t I?” He shook his head in self recrimination. “I can’t seem to do anything right where you’re concerned. I’m sorry, this is all new for me.”
“It’s new for me, too,” she murmured. “You have no idea.”
Something in her tone seemed to give him renewed hope. “Are you saying you have feelings for me, too?”
She sighed. She simply couldn’t lie when asked a direct question.
“I’m crazy about you. But—” she added quickly, holding up a hand when he moved precipitately toward her “—there are still so many issues we have to discuss, Jason. Like I said, you have no idea.”
He stopped, but there was a new glint of determination in his dark eyes that made her a little nervous. “I understand. Your career is important to you, as it should be, and this is an awkward time for you. I told you before, and I meant it, I won’t get in your way. If you choose to train someplace other than Dallas because you think another program would be better for you, then I’ll back you all the way. I can practice where you are—there’s always a job for a primary care physician.”
She blinked. Had he really just offered to walk away from his life in Dallas for her? “You would do that? Give up your practice to be closer to me?”
“I didn’t say I would give up my practice,” he reminded her with a faint smile. “I said I’d practice somewhere else. The job’s important to me, the geography—not so much.”
She sank onto the couch, her knees threatening to give out on her.
Jason took a seat next to her, still looking at her rather anxiously. “We don’t have to make any hasty decisions. You’ve still got a couple of weeks to rank your programs, right? And then you won’t know your match until March, and it’ll be a couple months after that before you finish your residency.
“That will give me plenty of time to court you properly,” he added with an endearing smile. “To convince you we belong together. No pressure at all. But unless you send me away again for good, be prepared for me to wage an all-out campaign to win your heart.”
He probably thought he was helping by reminding her of those dates she already knew so well. Maybe he believed she would take comfort from being assured that he wasn’t rushing her, that there was plenty of time for their relationship to progress before any big changes had to be made. But then, Jason wasn’t aware of all the facts. He couldn’t know that the thought of those passing months, and the drastic developments they would bring, terrified her.
“You’re offering so much,” she whispered. “And it means the world to me that you’re willing to do so, not that I would expect anything different from you, considering everything I’ve learned about you. But I refuse to add to the burdens already in your life. I won’t be someone else expecting you to deal with my problems.”