Page 151 of The Baby Bargain
"Eventually." I take another bite. "I promise."
He nodsokay.
"I… I don't know if I can do that?"
"Tell your brother?"
No, I can do that. I have to do that. If I don't find a gentle way to break the news, I'll crack and spill and make it a million times worse.
But I can handle that.
I've been my brother's sister for a long time.
This? This is a whole new challenge. "Make a home like that. What if I become like my mom? Or yours?"
"You won't."
"How do you know?"
His eyes meet mine. They fill with certainty. "Ariel, you're the most tenacious person I've ever met."
"That doesn't mean—"
"Yeah, it might not stop a health problem. Or an accident. But nobody can stop that."
That's true. "I just…"
"You're gonna be a great mom."
I press my lips together. I want to believe that. I do.
"You're caring. You're smart. You're creative. You brought a whole grocery store here just to make me dinner."
"It was only a few things." Okay, a dozen. But it was easy to grab them.
He nods to the massive bag on the counter. "The way you treat me—"
"Am I too involved?" God, is it obvious I want to help him?
He shakes his headno. "You believe in me. You believe I'm capable of being better. And it makes me want to be better."
"You can—"
"But you don't bullshit me either. You're incapable of bullshit."
"You mean I can't lie?"
"Yeah." His lips curl into a smile. "You might be a little quirky, sure. Maybe you're not the most tactful. But your heart is full of love. This honest, pure, unafraid love. Anyone would be lucky to have that."
"Any kid?"
He blinks. Shifts back in his seat. "Anyone."
I swallow hard. "Phillip didn't want that." I asked him to do this with me, and he said no. He didn't want it.
"You gave him an ultimatum. You left."
What? No. "He didn't want kids with me. He didn't think we could do it."
