“You most certainly are.” His words spew like venom. “If you ever lay a hand on her again, I’ll bury you so deep in a sexual harassment suit that you’ll never touch a scalpel again.”
Bauer chuckles. “Oh, you’re picking the politically correct route now.”
“How about this? You so much as look in her direction again and I’ll slice you up and throw you into the shark tank at Mandalay Bay and let the tourists watch you get eaten alive.”
“Take care of this one, Roman. I’d hate to see Madison end up like the first Mrs. Molanari, wouldn’t you?”
Roman cocks his arm back and then punches Bauer with a resounding pop that echoes off the walls. It knocks him backwards, hitting the ground; I cover my mouth, watching blood spew from Dr. Bauer’s nose.
“Let’s go.” Roman interlaces his trembling fingers in mine and pulls me to the door.
Oh my God. I can hardly believe what just happened. My fight with Bauer. Roman punching him. It all seems like a nightmare as I follow Roman out of the event hall and toward the business of the casino.
I’m so distracted that I don’t even notice anyone is following us until I hear my father’s voice.
“Madison.”
It stops me in my tracks, and I whirl around, all the air sucked right out of my lungs. “Dad.”
“So this is why you’re turning the position down? Because you’re dating this guy?” He stalks toward us with a familiar, condescending look on his face.
“This guyhas a name.” Roman glares. “Roman Molanari, and I suggest you think very hard about the way you’re about to speak to your daughter.”
I can feel every muscle in Roman’s body tighten through his hold on my hand, and he looks at my dad, like he might tear his head off right here.
My dad laughs. “Why? Because you’ll hit me, too?”
“Dad, please,” I beg, stepping in before things get out of control. “I’m not turning it down because of Roman. I’ve thought a lot about it and—”
“Don’t expect me to believe that, Madison. You’re doing this to spite me, aren’t you? I had to beg them to take you on short notice. You never would have got in without me.”
My stomach drops, tears stinging my eyes. Tensions are always high and this is going down quickly.
Roman takes a step toward my dad with a heinous look on his face, and I pull him back. “Don’t, Roman. Please.”
He catches my gaze and pauses. I can see the confliction flash across his face, but eventually he backs down.
“I didn’t do it to hurt you, Dad, and I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“You’ve never been cut out for this, Madison. At least now you realize it.”
I bite back my tears and turn toward the front door. I pull Roman’s hand, but he doesn’t move.
Oh, no. Please don’t do this.
“You’re wrong, you know.” Roman stares at him, so harshly that it gives me chills. “Madison is an incredible doctor. She’skind and steady and she has more compassion in the tip of her finger than you do in your entire body. And she actually cares about her patients, not just what her stats are. I feel sorry for you that you can’t see that side of her because…” He glances back at me. “Your daughter is literal perfection, and she’s so fucking good at what she does, and someday, she’s going to make an incredible trauma surgeon.”
Roman’s words obliterate any hope I had of keeping it together. Heavy tears stream down my cheeks as realization sets in. I can’t even be mad at Roman, because no one has ever defended me the way he did tonight. No one has ever cared enough to. And the feeling is overwhelming.
Maddiedoesn’tsaymuchon the way home and neither do I. I don’t really know what’s appropriate at this point. I knocked her boss out, made a stellar first impression on her dad, and we had to leave the gala right as she was starting to enjoy herself. Tonight will forever go down as one of my biggest fuckups.
Usually, when Maddie is angry, it’s easy to see. She’ll fight and yell and argue, so it’s this silence that scares me. When I pull the truck into the drive, I’m prepared to get down on my knees and grovel.
I lock the door behind us and head into the kitchen with Maddie a few steps in front of me. I reach for her hand and spin her back around, sweeping her into my arms.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit your boss and I shouldn’t have mouthed off to your dad. I’m sorry I fucked up our night.”
Maddie’s brow creases. “You’re sorry? Roman, you have nothing to be sorry for. No one has ever defended me that way, and you took on my boss and my dad on the same night.”
