The Doctor's Runaway Bride

Sharon looked horrified. ‘How—? What makes you think he’s involved with someone else?’

‘Because I just met her.’ Tia dropped the bag and stared into the mirror. Her reflection stared back, her skin pale and streaked with tears. ‘I nipped along the corridor to talk to Luca’s mother half an hour ago, when you were in the bathroom. She was deep in conversation with a very stunning woman. Someone I’d never seen before.’

Sharon sank onto the nearest chair and stared at her with trepidation. ‘And?’

Tia fiddled with the silk of her jacket. ‘His mother was saying what a sad day it was. That he should have been marrying Luisa—that’s her name, by the way.’ She sniffed slightly. ‘And that he was marrying totally the wrong woman for totally the wrong reasons and it would never last.’

Sharon gave a soft gasp and lifted a hand to her throat. ‘And what did this Luisa woman say?’

‘That she and Luca had been so close for so long that things had just become confused. And that she’d seen him and spoken to him and he’d said he would always love her…’

‘No!’ Sharon groaned and shook her head. ‘I don’t believe it. Not Luca.’

Tia gave her a watery smile. ‘Why not Luca? Let’s be honest for a moment. This has been one of the fastest romances on record. I met him ten weeks ago. We barely know him, Shaz.’ Tia’s voice cracked and Sharon squeezed her arm.

‘Luca’s not a teenager, Tia. He’s an adult male who knows exactly what he wants out of life. I can’t see him marrying someone unless he wanted to. Maybe he finished it—’

‘No.’ Tia rummaged in her bag for a tissue and blew her nose hard. ‘No way would any red-blooded male finish with a woman like this one. You didn’t see her. She was seriously gorgeous. And elegant. Nothing like me. When Luca met me I was backpacking, for goodness’ sake! I’m so far removed from his usual style of woman that it’s laughable. I’m a homeless, rootless waif who’s terrified of commitment. Believe me, there’s no contest.’

Sharon frowned. ‘You forgot to add that you’re also warm, funny and irresistibly pretty. Tia, men have been falling over themselves to get to you for years and you don’t even see it. Trust me, Luca is crazy about you—’

‘Novelty value.’ Tia blew her nose again and tucked the tissue up her sleeve. ‘There’s obviously a shortage of blonde women in Italy. But I’ve come to my senses now, and I’m relieving him of his responsibilities. He can go back to the woman he loves. Come to think of it, he’s probably never been away from her. Maybe that’s why he was spending all that time at the hospital.’

‘He’s an obstetrician.’ Sharon reasoned. ‘You know they work hideous hours.’

‘Do I?’

What evidence did she have that he’d been working? Only his word, and he seemed to be very selective about what he disclosed.

And she could never marry a man who wasn’t completely honest with her.

She stood up, slipped on her coat and picked up her bags.

‘Tia, wait!’ Sharon hastily followed her across the room and caught her arm. ‘At least talk to Luca about it before you leave. There might be a simple explanation.’

Tia shook her head. ‘For telling another woman that he would always love her? I don’t think so.’

‘But—’

‘He doesn’t love me, Shaz. He was just doing the honourable thing by offering to marry me and I was really stupid to believe otherwise.’

Luca had never once said he loved her. Not even when she’d told him about the baby and he’d proposed.

Sometimes, just sometimes, from the way he’d behaved, she’d thought that maybe—

But she’d just been kidding herself.

‘He doesn’t love me.’ Tia moved towards the door and Sharon grabbed her again.

‘He’s going to be furious, Tia.’

Tia shook her head slowly. ‘I don’t think so.’ She gave a painful smile. ‘I think he’ll be relieved that I’ve let him off the hook.’

Sharon looked at her anxiously. ‘So what are you going to do?’

Tia checked that her passport was in her handbag. ‘Take the first available flight back to England. With any luck you’ll give me my old job back and I’ll find somewhere to live…’

Sharon frowned. ‘Of course you can have your job back, and you can stay with Richard and me, but—’

‘No. I need to be on my own.’

Sharon bit her lip. ‘But, Tia, Luca is a very traditional Italian male. Do you really think he’s going to let you leave, knowing you’re pregnant? He’ll follow you—’

‘No.’ Tia gave a sad smile and shook her head. ‘If we were already married, then maybe, but Luca is still a single man and he’s free to lead his own life.’

Free to marry Luisa.

‘It’s over, Shaz, and I need to build a new life for myself.’

Without Luca.

CHAPTER ONE (#uf7e34d93-de31-5761-9f2d-b308f88592e0)

SHE wasn’t going to cry.

Tia clamped her teeth firmly on her lower lip and wondered if the day would ever come when she no longer felt like sobbing the whole time.

A soft sigh from the newly delivered mother by her side brought her to her senses and she stared down at the tiny bundle in her arms.

The child was beautiful.

Barely two hours old, dark lashes feathered her cheeks which were still slightly blotched from the rigours of birth. Lying passively in Tia’s arms, she gazed placidly up at the world, her blue eyes slightly unfocused.

Tia felt her throat close.

‘Isn’t she perfect?’ The proud mother gave a wide, self-satisfied smile and waited to be handed her daughter. ‘I can’t believe how beautiful she is. I mean, I always thought babies were supposed to be ugly.’

Ugly?

Tia stared down at the sleeping cherub, marvelling at the way nature had managed to produce everything in miniature.

No—the baby definitely wasn’t ugly.

‘She’s beautiful, Mrs Adams.’ Tia’s heart beat faster as the baby made little snuffly noises and turned her head searchingly. ‘And she’s hungry.’

Work. Thank goodness for work. It was the only thing that distracted her from her own problems.

She tightened the blanket around the baby and looked quizzically at Fiona Adams. ‘Are you ready to give it a try?’