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“What if I could provide you with the right situation?” he says, making my brows shoot up my forehead.
“What?” I say with a sharp huff of laughter. “What does that even mean?”
“My mother is dying,” he says, sending a flash of pain through my chest. “It’s cancer. Inoperable. She doesn’t have much time.”
“I…” I swallow. “I’m sorry. My mom died a few months ago. Also cancer. It fucking sucks.”
“It does,” he agrees. “So does feeling helpless to comfort the only person who really matters to you in the world. There is literally nothing I or my money or my influence can do for her. There’s only one way I might be able to ease her passing.” He pauses, his already penetrating gaze boring into mine before he adds, “All she’s ever wanted is to see me settled down and starting a family.”
My breath catches and my heart beats faster. But surely, he doesn’t mean what I think he means. “And what does that have to do with me?”
“You want a baby,” he says. “I need a fiancée, preferably one who’s pregnant with my child, ensuring my mother dies believing I’ll have the family she’s always wanted for me and someone who adores me by my side once she’s gone.”
I shake my head, my stomach churning. “That’s twisted, Hunter. She wouldn’t want you to lie to her.”
“Not if she knew I was lying,” he says. “But she won’t. You’re good with people. Charming. Likeable. I firmly believe you’re capable of convincing her we’re in love and eagerly anticipating the birth of our first child. And, if you succeed in that, once she’s gone, I’ll make sure you and the baby never want for anything.”
I blink faster. This still sounds crazy, but a part of me is also…intrigued. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean ten thousand a month in child support until the child turns eighteen and all other expenses paid.”
I’m grateful I don’t have beer in my mouth because I’m sure I’d be spitting it out. “Ten thousand?”
“Fine, fifteen,” he says, clearly mistaking the shock in my tone. “And I’ll pay off the loan on your building. But that’s all I’m willing to offer.”
I laugh. “You’re crazy.”
“It’s a generous offer.”
“Still crazy,” I say, even as my wheels turn faster. “And what if I would rather move to New York? To be closer to friends?”
He frowns, but after a beat says, “I can get you a place in the city, but not on the Upper West Side. We’ll have to find you a place in Lower Manhattan. Or, better yet, Brooklyn. Once my mother’s gone, I don’t want to see you or the child. A clean break will be best.”
My eyes widen and pain locks around my ribs again, but after rolling his words over in my head for a beat, I realize it’s a good thing he wouldn’t want to be in the picture. After all, I don’t have feelings for Hunter or respect Hunter or want a man like him in my life for the long haul. I turned out just fine without ever knowing my father. I’m sure I can provide the same kind of loving single-parent home my mom gave to me.
Knowing our connection has an expiration date—and that I’ll be able to raise my baby in peace, close to the friends I love, in a place I could never afford to live without a financial boon of some kind—could actually be…pretty amazing.
A dream come true.
Maybe even the miracle I didn’t see coming my way fifteen minutes ago.
It’s still crazy and risky and possibly something I’ll come to regret if something goes awry, but I’m not stupid. If we decide togo through with this, I’ll get all his promises in writing before I take a single step toward the OB-GYN to get rid of my IUD.
“We’d need a contract,” I finally say, fighting to keep the excitement from showing on my face when he says, “I’ve already had one drawn up. It’s at my rental. If you like, we can go take a look at it now.” He glances over my shoulder. “Assuming you’re done at the wedding. I was planning to come by your place in the morning to speak to you about the proposal. I didn’t expect you’d be available tonight. Weaver told me your friend was getting married.”
“She was. She is. Married, that is,” I say. “And she won’t mind if I leave the reception a little early. I’ll text her on the way to your place. I think it’s better I see the contract now, before I have a chance to sleep on this and talk myself out of making a deal with the devil.”
“I’m not the devil,” he murmurs, his hand settling on my hip, setting my skin on fire. “If I remember correctly, you enjoyed the time we spent together. Very much.”
“And I’ll enjoy saying goodbye to you forever even more,” I say with a smile.
It’s true…sort of. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to baby-making with Hunter. The thought of him inside me with nothing between us makes me wet and my nipples are still scandalously hard.
The man knows exactly what to do with his body and with mine.
He’s so good, in fact, that I won’t mind if it takes a few months for us to get pregnant. I haven’t had a reliable lay in my life for way too long. And as much as I loathe Hunter’s smug personality, his skill at delivering earth-shattering orgasms will allow me to overlook that…for a time.
“You will say goodbye this time, right?” I add, as his hand slips down to cup my ass, drawing me against where he’s alreadyhard, proving I’m not the only one vulnerable to the chemistry between us.
“I will,” he says, his voice husky. “And I’ll mean it. For keeps.”
“Good,” I say.
It is good. It’s great.
And pretty soon, I could have everything I want, every dream for my life falling into place, save one…and who needs a husband anyway? As long as I have my girls and my freedom and a precious little one of my very own, I can’t imagine wanting for anything else.
Right?