Page 12 of The Baby Bargain
Maybe. He picked me up at prom after my date made a move. He never told Forest or Holden.
If he kept that secret—
I nodokay. "I need to find someone."
"You're a beautiful woman. You don't need my help."
My heartbeat picks up. He thinks I'm beautiful. He thinks I'm a woman. Not a girl. Not a kid. Not his friend's little sister. A woman.
"That's what guys care about." He shakes his head. "Fuck, ignore that."
"Oh."
"You deserve better than some guy who wants a warm place to stick his dick."
My tongue slides over my lip. He's so… concerned. It shouldn't do things to me. But it does.
Maybe he is what I need. Maybe casual sex is what I need. One night to get over Phillip. To put me on the path to finding a… um, suitor.
"No, I… I want more than that," I say.
He tilts his head to one sidehuh.
"I don't want to find some guy to ease the loneliness." Well, that's not criteria number one.
He stares back at me.
"I need someone who will get me pregnant."
Chapter Four
Chase
Ineed someone who will get me pregnant.
My fingers dig into the glass. Find too little friction. Slip.
Ariel Ballard wants someone to get her pregnant.
What the actual fuck?
She's twenty-four. A kid. A good kid on a clear path.
She's getting a PhD in statistics.
She's living with her dad to save money.
She's crying over her doctor boyfriend dumping her.
But then—
The banner is a crumbled mess on the counter.Congratulations, Mrs. Nguyen.
Forest and Holden didn't have anything to say about why Ariel was expecting a proposal.
They had a lot to say about her boyfriend—I don't care if he's a doctor, he's not good enough for her. He spends all his time working—but they were convinced the proposal was imminent.
That Ariel was going to be Mrs. Phillip Nguyen in no time, flat.
