But of course he would want to move in. Anything to protect his unborn child.
‘Before we start on this conversation,’ Sergio said, anticipating her mulish rejection of his offer, despite what the consultant had said, ‘let’s do the next patient a favour and vacate the room. We can talk about it on the way back to your house—and before you tell me that you’re fine, and that there’s no need for me to drop you home, forget it.’
‘I wasn’t going to say that.’
‘Good. In that case, apologies for wrongly jumping the gun. And instead of thinking about my staying with you, and getting hot and bothered about the prospect, maybe we should both be happy that everything’s okay?’
‘Of course I’m happy.’ Susie flushed, aware that he was right. ‘Overjoyed. Even though I still feel like an idiot for rushing down here.’
‘Like Mr Wilkins said, it’s good to not take chances.’
‘He was being polite.’
Heading towards the exit, Sergio controlled a frustrated smile. She always had an answer for everything. No one could ever accuse her of not being an everlasting source of challenge. If he pointed to the sky and told her that it looked blue, she would, given the right mood, argue that it was yellow, and she would continue arguing until she got bored and abandoned the conversation.
He had long ago congratulated himself on having reserves of patience that far surpassed anything he might have expected. Especially since now that she was pregnant she could be prone to being argumentative about nothing in particular.
‘He’s probably cursing at having to waste his precious time,’ she rambled on, taking her time as she manoeuvred herself into his car. ‘Pandering to a hypochondriac...’
As soon as they were both in the car, and he was slowly threading his way through the car park out into the busy road, she turned to him.
‘I realise, Sergio, that you’re worried I might end up back in hospital because I’ve done something to overtire myself, but there’s no cause for concern. I really am going to take things easy.’
‘What do you mean, you really are going to take things easy? I thought you already were?’
‘I’ve recently been doing some spring cleaning...’
‘Spring cleaning a new house? What the heck is there to spring clean?’
‘I brought some pictures down from Mum and Dad’s house a couple of weeks ago,’ she said vaguely. ‘I’ve had a burst of energy lately so I’ve been putting them up here and there. In my studio and such. You know... Getting things homely.’
Sergio raked fingers through his hair and spared her a glance of pure frustration. ‘Did that involve climbing on ladders?’
‘Pregnant women climb on ladders all the time! In fact it’s practically all they do.’
‘And have you been eating when I haven’t been there?’
Accustomed to living a life of complete independence—a life of frankly not giving a damn what other people thought of him—he was brought up short at the way it had been whittled away at the edges ever since she had announced that he was going to be a father. On the other hand, strength lay in the ability to adapt. He had adapted. It was a means to an end.
‘Of course I have.’
But in between the sudden burst of spring cleaning energy and tying up the final bits of her commission she realised that food had taken a back seat. Or at least robust meals had—because when she was on the go crackers and cheese or sandwiches were always a faster option.
‘I’ll be moving in tomorrow. You’ve been overdoing things. And you may be prepared to take chances but I’m not. Let’s get something clear right now. This isn’t just about you. You’re going to have to deal with that whether you like it or not.’
‘But it’s not necessary for you to move in!’
‘I’ll drop you back home and you can get some sleep. I’ll be with you first thing in the morning to make sure that you eat your breakfast.’
‘And do you intend to take time off work to supervise my lunches?’
‘Now that you mention it, I can work from the house—so, in answer to your question, quite possibly. You want to behave like a child, then expect to be treated like one, Susie.’