Page 13 of The Green Card Baby Deal

She giggled, still not believing what she was hearing. “What if I want a donor who went to Yale?”

“Ouch.” He took a chance and offered her a grape, which she playfully at out of his hand. “That’s harsh, Clare Bear.”

“Bad nickname,” Clara said. “Now I know I don’t want you for a donor.”

“Too late.” Luis winked at her, and her cheeks turned bright red. “But I’m serious here. We both have what the other one needs. I see no reason not to take advantage of it. I can easily pay for your treatments. Not only that. I can pay for the rest of your life if you like. You won’t have to be a working mom. You could focus entirely on raising your child, spend all your hours forming core memories with your baby, toddler, child, teenager. Get it?”

She narrowed her eyes, and Luis thought he hadn’t made the pot sweet enough yet.

“Or you can choose to have a career. Hire the best nannies money can buy. You’ll want for nothing. I swear it.”

“Just how rich are you, mister?”

Luis leaned in and murmured, “Very, very, very rich.”

“Lucky me,” she said with a wink.

“I’m not kidding.”

“Yeah, but you’re exaggerating for sure. Listen, I think it’s cute what you’re proposing, very like a rom-com movie. But I don’t think you know quite how expensive fertility treatments are. Clinics can bleed you dry for something like this.”

Luis waved her concerns away. “Impossible.”

She quieted then, thinking. He could tell she was trying to figure out whether she was being played or scammed, but he was more serious than he’d ever been in his whole life.

“And all you want from me is a marriage certificate?” she said.

“It doesn’t even have to last for the rest of your life, just long enough to stick legally. Then you can divorce me and keep the financial benefit. You will have fulfilled your end, and I will fulfill mine. I swear it. My word is my bond. And if you doubt me, spend one night at my place. I swear you’ll feel differently when you see how well I could provide for you.”

Luis’s mind was spinning while she thought about it, probably more than hers was. The question he couldn’t stop asking himself, over and over again, was just who he was doing this for. He stood to benefit some, obviously, but she stood to benefit far more. Even if everything went south for Luis now, the worst that would happen was he would be sent back to Colombia. He would never have to work again. He could still provide for his family for the rest of their lives, as well as their children, and their children’s children, and so on.

No, the one who stood to benefit most here was Clara. So why did Luis feel so uneasy when she didn’t take the deal right away? Why was he so scared she was about to turn him down? When he realized the answer to his own question, he was even more stunned than she was.

Luis didn’t want her to walk away. He didn’t want this one-night stand to stay a one-night stand. He wanted to get to know the beautiful woman sitting across from him so much better. He wanted to see her face cradled by the pillow she had stolen from him every morning when he woke up. And it occurred to him, once again, that there was a chance he might actually be falling for her.

Finally, Clara gave her answer. “Well, if you’re not pulling one over on me, then I’d be an idiot to turn you down. So… sure, I guess. But we’ve got to lay down some ground rules first. This is a business arrangement, a trade, and we don’t treat it as anything else. We don’t get emotionally involved. I’m not in a good place for relationship drama right now. Honestly, that’s what I think may be appealing about your proposal…” She paused and then burst out laughing. “Proposal. That’s funny.”

It was funny, but then again, it wasn’t. This was no joke. Luis mentally slapped himself. He knew better than to fall for a woman so quickly — to fall for a woman at all, really. He would never know whether they loved him back or just his money. But suddenly, he found, he didn’t care. He just wanted her near. She made him smile more. She made his world a little brighter.

She finished her answer. “I may never be ready for a relationship, but I’m ready to be a mother, and you’re sitting there offering me just that. No strings. How could I say no? You’re making me an offer I can’t refuse.” Her Godfather impression was admirable.

Luis leaned back and folded his arms, trying not to laugh too hard at her joke. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s a we’ll see,” she said. “Let’s take a look at that house of yours first. You’ve gotta sell me on it a little.”

“Well, obviously.” Luis tried not to let his excitement show. Selling his lifestyle to her was going to be a breeze. He’d done it accidentally a thousand times before. People wanted to be him, marry him, and have everything he had. What they didn’t know was how lonely it was to not know where anyone truly stood. No one told him they thought his beer tasted like cold piss, and Luis hated it. He wanted to know people spent time with him because they enjoyed his companionship, not because they were hoping he’d kick the bucket sooner rather than later and — surprise, surprise — leave everything to them.

With Clara, he had no such doubts. She hated his beer. She had no idea just how rich he was. He only wished he could take the time to woo her before she found out. But it was looking more and more like he was going to have to use his wealth and position just to get her to stick around. If things went his way, she’d fall for him for real. If they didn’t, at least he’d have someone around who was willing to give him an honest opinion.

“All right,” Clara was saying. “Let’s see this house of yours. Does tonight work for you? I’ve got nothing going on, and I’m probably more intrigued than I should be.”

“Oh, it’s not a house,” Luis admitted.

“An apartment, then.” Clara frowned. “Already starting off so strong.”

Luis noted her sarcasm. “Oh, I think you’ll like it. And if you don’t, I’ll just buy you another one.”

She rocked back and laughed, and Luis just shook his head. She still thought he was kidding. Well, she was in for a shock at the very least. The look on her face was going to be something he would remember for years to come, regardless of whether this even worked out. He just had to focus on that, and then maybe he could get his mind off how badly he wanted her to get to know the real him and love him despite his wealth, not because of it.

---