‘Don’t I?’
‘No. Because I happen to agree with you.’
She blinked. Sat back. A little bit stunned and a whole lot relieved. ‘You do? Really?’
He nodded. Once. ‘Really.’ He leaned forwards and looked at her, his gaze intense and unwavering. ‘You wanted to know my take on it? Well, this is my take on it. I don’t want a child either. It’s not something I’ve ever wanted. While the timing is neither here nor there for me I think we’re both well aware I’m hardly father material. We’re not in a relationship. And when it comes down to it I’m not sure we really even like each other.’
Oh. That took her aback, although she didn’t really know why, because he was right. She might still be fiercely and annoyingly attracted to him but did that constitute like? She didn’t think so.
‘So what kind of people would we be bringing a child into that situation?’ he continued.
‘My thoughts exactly,’ she murmured, and wondered if he’d somehow been able to read her mind because so many of his arguments were hers.
‘We’d both end up miserable and God only knows what effect that would have on a child.’
‘Not a good one, and I should know.’
‘So that’s it, then,’ he said briskly. ‘Decision made.’
Thank goodness for that. Celia blew out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding because this conversation had gone a lot more smoothly than she’d dared to hope. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I’m as sure as you are.’
And she was one hundred per cent sure. She’d employed every resource she had and had thought about it for so long and hard that how could she be anything but? ‘I’m sure,’ she said firmly, then she sat back, every single one of her muscles sagging in relief. ‘You know, for a moment there I was really worried you’d want it,’ she said with a faint smile.
‘And have to curb my lifestyle?’ he said dryly.
‘Well, quite,’ she said, her smile faltering for a second as it struck her that, while much of his behaviour recently had surprised her, some things were still the same. Such as his love of chasing after anything in a skirt. Or bikini, if those press reports of his antics over the past month, complete with photos, were anything to go by.
But she pushed aside whatever it was that was needling her—disapproval, most probably—because what did she care what he got up to, and instead focused on the tiny arrow of guilt that was suddenly stabbing at her conscience. ‘Are we being terribly selfish?’ she said, suspecting they were, but if they were at least they were in it together.
Marcus shook his head. ‘I’d say we’re being sensible. Realistic. Responsible.’
‘That sounds more palatable.’
‘It’s true. You know it is.’
He was right. She did. ‘I know.’
‘So what happens next?’ he asked after a moment.
‘I’m going to take the rest of this week off.’
‘Can you do that at such short notice?’
She shrugged, for the first time in her career not giving a toss what her boss would think. ‘They’ll just have to live with it. I nearly killed myself pushing that deal through. They can spare me for a week.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Deadly.’
He shot her a quick grin that flipped her stomach. ‘I’m staggered.’
‘I know,’ she said dryly, reminding herself that her stomach had no business flipping since he’d clearly moved on to pastures new. ‘A temporary shift to my work-life balance. Who’d have thought? But seeing as how I’ve made an appointment to see my GP this afternoon—and presumably there’ll be others—it makes sense. Having my boss wonder what’s wrong with me is not something I’d want to encourage.’
‘Want me to come along?’
She shook her head. ‘I should be fine this afternoon,’ she said and then, trying not to think too much about why she wanted or needed his support, added, ‘But maybe you could come with me to the clinic or wherever I have to go.’