Page 81 of The Baby Bargain
"But for us. I know your heart is locked. I know you won't fall for me. And I won't fall for you either."
"Okay."
"I know you want a family. But, um, I don't think it should be like this. I mean, it's your life, do what you want. But I'm only asking for a donation."
"What if I want more?"
Her dark eyes meet mine. "More how?"
"We're gonna stay friends."
"I hope so."
"Am I supposed to pretend this kid is a stranger?"
"Oh. Right." She presses her palms to her dress. "I haven't really… I mean, if it was someone else, you'd be Uncle Chase, right?"
"Yeah."
"I want that. You're Uncle Chase. If you want drop off a teddy bear or see him on his birthday, great. But I don't want to confuse him. I don't want him to think you're—"
"More than Uncle Chase?"
She bites her lip. "Yeah. If that's not okay—"
"My mom's an alcoholic."
"I know." Her eyes bore into mine. "You're not."
"But I'm genetically predisposed."
Her lips press together. "No one has perfect DNA."
Maybe. But this is far from imperfect. "What if your kid inherits that?"
"Are there any other illnesses in your family?"
Nothing off the top of my head. "No."
Her gaze shifts to the concrete. "If you're not interested… You don't need to break it to me gently or make an excuse. Just tell me you're not—"
"Can I sleep on it?"
"Yeah. Okay. But I, uh…"
"Want to start tomorrow?"
Her cheeks flush. "You remember?"
"You text me updates every day."
"Oh. Right." Slowly, she meets my gaze. Holds out her hand to shake. "Sleep on it. And if it's a no, I understand. I just…"
"Need a firm answer."
"Yeah."
I take her hand.
