Page 22 of The Green Card Baby Deal

Her mother carefully placed another slice of pie on her good china. “Tell me you’re happy. This is all so sudden, and I’m pleased for you. I am. But I need to know you’re not just marrying him for the money. Your father and I can help you out with anything you need. You don’t have to give up your chance to find love.”

“I’m not,” Clara lied, but she didn’t sound convincing. So she went back in her head to the first time she’d met him in the bar. She thought about the man who made her laugh, who made her respect him, who took her home and made her feel things she never thought she’d feel before. Then she looked her mother dead in the eyes and said, “I’m so happy, Mom. He’s everything I ever wanted.”

She must have been convincing this time because her mother took her in her arms and squeezed her tight. “I’m so glad, honey. We were all hoping you’d find someone nice to start a family with.”

A week ago, that would have hurt. She never had told her mother about the bad news she’d gotten. But now that bad news seemed so far in her past, she could barely remember what it felt like to get it. She was pregnant. Right now. And knowing that made everything she was sacrificing worth it. Was it even really a sacrifice? It’s not like her husband wasn’t handsome and rich and nice, too. Obviously, it would have been best if she’d fallen madly in love with him, but as long as he knew where they stood, everything would be okay. She’d always wanted to be a mother. The whole being a wife part was incidental to her.

They brought the slices of pie out to the rest of the family. Dawn seemed to have finished her interrogation. Her smirk definitely indicated that not only had she won, she’d had a good time doing so and was beginning to warm to Clara’s surprise fiancé. Luis was deep in conversation with their father, who seemed to be asking him about his family.

“Six,” Luis answered a question Clara hadn’t heard.

“No kidding!” her father responded. “Six siblings is a pretty big family. I bet you all kept your mother busy, eh?”

Luis laughed a warm laugh. “We did, but she did have help. The elder kids helped bring up the younger ones. It’s traditional, you know. I was the eldest, so I have a lot of experience raising kids.” He turned to Clara and winked.

With that, Clara nearly dropped the plate she was carrying. He wasn’t about to tell them, was he? Not after they’d agreed not to. But he continued talking about his own family, and Clara breathed a sigh of relief.

“The truth is, I’m here for them,” Luis admitted. “That’s why I originally came to America. Every day was a struggle for my family with so many mouths to feed. Both my parents worked hard, but it never seemed to be enough. So when I took over my father’s business, I decided to make it so my family never had to worry about money again.” His face fell, and Clara realized he was allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of her family. “I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, but to do so, I had to subtract myself from the equation. I rarely see them anymore. All my time is spent in meetings, traveling, inspecting. I have so many people who work for me, but they all need instruction and supervision. Sometimes, more assistants just means more work.”

Clara’s father swallowed a bite of his pie and washed it down with wine. “Well, I’ll tell you something — if it were me in your shoes, I’d say it wasn’t worth it. I’d say walk away and spend some time with your family.”

“Easier said than done, unfortunately.” Luis frowned. He looked so dejected, Clara instinctively wanted to go over and give him a hug. But it would have been a display of genuine affection, and they both knew that was not allowed. “There are shareholders to worry about. It isn’t just my own wealth on the line anymore. And if I break their trust, everything could fall apart.”

“I didn’t say it would be easy,” Clara’s father said. “It’s never easy, but balance is balance. And if everything you’ve just told us is true, I’d say your next big challenge should be finding the right balance for yourself and your family. Especially now that my daughter is going to be part of it.” His smile was warm, but there was a harshness in his tone, too.

Luis didn’t seem too bothered by it. In fact, he appeared to be considering her father’s words carefully. “I think you may be right,” he said quietly. “That’s very good advice.” Then he smiled back at Clara’s father. “Thank you, Dad.”

CHAPTER 12

LUIS

On the way home, Luis sat quietly thinking. Clara’s father had many good points, and he hadn’t really considered them before. To him, what he had to do was obvious, and the sacrifices he’d had to make were inevitable.

Sitting opposite him in the limo was Clara, who looked to be just as deep in thought as he was. She had begun chewing her thumbnail, which was a habit he hadn’t picked up on until now. It only made him like her more. The fact that she was worried because he was worried meant she cared about him. Maybe it wasn’t love… yet. But Luis was hopeful that they could get there eventually. “My dad can be kind of a know-it-all,” she finally said.

Luis sighed. “He’s not wrong, though.”

Even though she was shrouded in shadows, Luis could see how beautiful his fiancée was. Her blond hair, flushed cheeks, and plump lips beckoned him from across the limo. His heart broke when he thought about their arrangement, how she would pretend to love him in public and perhaps grow tired of him when they got home after a long day of faking it. He was feeling less and less confident in his plan to win her heart. What would she think of him when she knew what kind of man he really was? How frightened he was. Then again, showing a little belly might be just the ticket.

“Seeing you with your family reminded me of my own,” he began. “And then your father asked about them, and — don’t get me wrong — I love talking about my family, but I’m scared for them. If this fails… if this country rejects me, what will become of them?”

“You’ll still be a billionaire,” Clara reminded him. “I think you’ll be fine.”

“But surely none of my brothers or sisters will ever be welcome here after my disgrace. I hoped they might have the same opportunities that I had one day. Now I feel like I could be spoiling everything for them.”

Clara laughed, and her laugh was like a balm to his heart. “Luis, I think you’re underestimating how much America loves billionaires. Like, we worship them here. Have you seen any of those mini-series about organized crime? It doesn’t even matter how you make your money. You say the word billionaire, and this entire country will be kissing your feet in no time at all.” She moved across the limo to sit beside him. Then, she took his hand, and it was all he could do to keep from melting into the seat. “Trust me. You won’t bring shame to your family. I guarantee you’re making them proud.”

He squeezed her hand. “It was good to meet your parents. I don’t think I could bring myself to marry a woman who didn’t love her family, no matter what kind of business arrangement we had.”

“Well, same,” she said. “Knowing how you feel about your family makes all the difference in the world. At the very least, we have that value in common, right? Now that you’re not just paying for my fertility treatment, it matters doesn’t it? You’re the father of this child just as much as I’m the mother. I know we’re in an unconventional situation here, but I do hope we can both make a good family for the baby.”

Luis could hardly believe what he was hearing. “You want me to be in the baby’s life?”

“Um, yes!” she said like she was just as shocked that he didn’t already know as much. “You’d better be. I’m not bringing a kid into the world who won’t even know his father.”

Luis raised an eyebrow. “Or hers.”

“Or hers.” She shrugged and blushed. “It’s not fair to leave them without a parent. Not when you’re still here and alive and the opposite of a deadbeat.” She stared down at her lap for a moment. “Especially not when I can easily see how good of a father you’ll be.”

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