Page 112 of Doctor I Do

Alex

When I go to her house, Maddison opens the door. Her face is tight and her lips thin. I deserve the hatred. I hurt her best friend.

“I know I fucked up. Let me talk to her,” I beg with a shaky voice.

She twists her head, looking inside the house, before bringing her icy gaze to meet mine. I’m slightly scared of this pocket-sized woman.

“If she wasn’t so sad, I’d tell you to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine, but because she needs you, loves you for some reason, I’m going to go out for a little bit. And when I get back, if you’ve hurt her more…watch out.” She purses her lips, and I like how protective she is of her friends.

“I promise. I won’t. I’m really sorry.”

“Let’s see if she’ll accept it. I can’t blame her if she kicks your ass out of the house.”

I nod. She barges past me and straight toward her car.

I stand there for a second, a wave of guilt hitting me. I’m such an asshole.

Not wasting another second, I stride inside and close the door. Walking through the house, I follow the blaring noise of the TV, knowing it’s an episode of Friends. I’m secretly happy she isn’t watching our reality show without me.

Catching sight of her on the sofa, my heart lurches. I take in her appearance. Her blonde hair is messily tied up in a loose bun on top of her head. She’s wearing a cream sweater and pants. Her knees are brought up to her chest…giving herself a hug.

And the sight of that makes me want to give her a hug and tell her I’m so fucking sorry. Even sad, she’s fucking perfect.

“Hey,” I say, staring down into her red-rimmed eyes.

The puffy bags under her eyes make me feel worse. She didn’t look like this yesterday.

I keep hurting her. She deserves better than me.

But I remember what Mike said, and I don’t want to lose her, or the baby, all because I’m scared.

“Hi,” she says hesitantly. I can’t blame her for being quiet. She probably thinks I’m going to storm off and have a tantrum, or stay silent, because that's how I’ve been acting.

Sitting down beside her, I inhale her scent deep into my lungs. I’ve missed the smell of her.

I just missed everything about her.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, keeping her voice low.

I shift closer to her, but she stiffens. My heart sinks. I did this. And I hate myself for it. I need to be completely honest with her.

“I’m so sorry for the way I reacted. I just needed time to process. Before you, I never wanted kids, but since being with you, falling in love, and wanting what my brother has…it’s what I want too. To be honest, I don’t know if I’m ready, and that’s what’s scaring me.”

“I’m not ready either,” she sniffles.

I nod. “I don’t want to let you down. I’m scared. So, fucking scared. But Mike said something before we got together that’s stuck with me.”

Her head tilts up at me, curiosity etched in her face.

“He said you’ll know she’s the one because she feels like home. Keeping you safe, warm, and loved. And that’s you. You feel like home.”

Her eyes meet mine, and a flicker of deep emotion stares back. The cavernous pain from her makes my chest squeeze, and I have to look away for a moment before returning to her green eyes.

“I trusted you to be there for me…” she says, her voice husky with unshed tears. “And you broke my heart.” She swallows and opens her mouth as she cries. “I don’t…”

The blood pumps in my ears. Her hands covering her face make her ring unmissable. My own damn eyes sting.

Seeing my engagement ring still on her hand makes my heart pump harder. I reach out, unable to stop myself from touching it. She looks down at me touching the ring on her finger.

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