‘So?’
He shrugged and decided there wasn’t any harm in telling her. It wasn’t as if he had a problem with it or anything. It was just the way things were. ‘I’m not against marriage in general,’ he said, serving himself a slice. ‘Just for me.’
‘Why?’
‘I’ve seen the damage that love can do. I am the damage. Or at least, I was.’
She nodded thoughtfully, presumably remembering the shocking stories about him that he knew Dan had regaled her with. ‘So you steer clear of love too?’ she said, taking a mouthful of tart and groaning softly in appreciation.
‘Yes,’ he muttered, giving his head a quick shake to dispel the faint feeling of dizziness. ‘Although it’s never been an issue because I’ve never been in love. But if I ever am I’ll resist it with every bone in my body because in my experience love is messy and tragic and who needs that kind of hassle?’
‘And that’s where we differ,’ she said, smiling wistfully and scooping up another bit of tart. ‘Because I’ve never been in love either but from what I’ve seen it’s lovely and so I’d like to experience it some day.’
Suddenly losing his appetite for pudding, Marcus sat back and ignored whatever it was that shot through him at the thought of her with someone else, because that she would be eventually was inevitable. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said gruffly.
‘For what?’
‘Putting you in this position.’
‘Oh, it’s fine,’ she said airily. ‘Now I’m beginning to come to terms with the reality of a baby I’ve mentally rearranged a few things.’
‘Love and marriage being amongst them.’
‘I’m not sure there’s a lot you can do about love, but marriage was only a very vague goal anyway.’ She grinned. ‘So you don’t need to worry—I won’t be hassling you on that front. Unlike some, I imagine.’
Marcus frowned. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘I heard you have a stalker ex.’
Oh. ‘Dan again?’
‘Yup. And I have to say I’m completely agog. So come on, spill.’
‘You want details?’
She arched an eyebrow. ‘Of course I do. Think of it as part of the “getting to know you” thing.’
‘OK,’ he said, figuring he had no real reason not to tell her. ‘I met her at a party and we went out for two months.’
‘A whole two months?’ she said dryly. ‘A record, surely.’
Marcus shot her a look.
‘Sorry,’ she added, not sounding sorry at all.
‘She wanted more. I didn’t. We stopped seeing each other.’
‘You dumped her?’
He shifted on his chair but he couldn’t get comfortable. The memory of Noelle the Nutcase giving him hives probably. ‘Yes.’
‘And then?’
‘She wouldn’t accept it.’
‘So what did she do?’
‘Kept calling, texting, emailing. She turned up here once or twice, and at the office a bit more.’