Page 37 of The Baby Bargain

---

Her brow furrows with concentration. She presses her glasses up her nose. "I've declined to spill the whole truth, but—"

"Isn't that the same?"

"I guess so." The light turns green. She looks both ways, steps into the street, moves quickly.

I follow her. "I'm not a fan either."

"If it's too much, keeping this from Forest, we can…" She steps onto the sidewalk. Stops in front of the coffee shop. "I like you, Chase. You're the only guy I trust for this. But I need to know you're all in. I don't have time for you to get cold feet."

"I'm in." I'm out of my fucking mind, but I am in.

"Are you sure?" Her eyes bore into mine. "If you have any doubts—"

"You begged me to do this."

"I know."

"Which is it?"

"I want you. If you're ready to commit, a hundred percent."

"We should decide what that entails."

"Isn't that why we're here?" Her voice is matter-of-fact. Like this is incredibly obvious.

Maybe it is. Maybe I'm missing something or dense. I can't say I've ever been in this position before. "When are you gonna tell your bothers?"

"When I'm sure." Her hand goes to her stomach. "After that—"

"The first trimester?"

"The likelihood of a miscarriage—"

"I know." I did my own research. A lot of it. My browser history is all baby, all the time. I'm going to get ads for diapers until the day I die.

"Oh. Good." Her gaze shifts to the shop. "It's only a few months of keeping the full story to ourselves."

There's something about her expression. Like I'm holding her heart in my hand. Like I have the power to crush her.

I can't.

I don't want to.

I really fucking like her.

In a way that means I want to help her. Not in a way that means I want her. Not like that.

I pull the door open for her. "Come on. Let's make a plan."

"Yeah?"

I nod. "I'll buy the coffee."

"Chai. But sure." She steps into the door. "Let's make a plan."

Chapter Nine

Ariel

---