Thank fuck for that. The relief filling my body is swift, knowing she’s not the type of woman who hooks up for the hell of it. I’m being completely unfair because God knows when I was in college, I hooked up with my fair share of women only for sex.
“I know you’re not, Sare. So how long will it take you to save?”
“Another twelve months if I’m careful. This will have to be my last night out for a while.”
Shit, she must really want a baby.
“Doesn’t the clinic offer a payment plan or something?”
The brunette huffs out a breath. “I wish. Waiting another twelve months puts me on the cusp of needing to change to IVF, which is even more expensive.”
“I wish I could help you.” She rubs her hand along her friend’s back in comfort. “How about I get us another drink?”
The brunette, Sare, maybe short for Sarah, smiles and nods at her friend. The blonde stands and heads to the bar, leaving Sare on her own. I glance down at my bottle, noticing it’s empty.
“I’m gonna get us some refills. Be back in a minute,” Dylan says and I nod, digging into my pocket for my card, but he waves me off.
I glance at the brunette and decide this is my moment to chat with her, so I close the four-foot distance between us.
CHAPTER3
–sarah–
“Hi.”I turn slightly to face the owner of the deep voice. It’s the guy who asked to share our booth. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with your friend.” He gestures with a tilt of his chin toward Melanie as she heads to the bar.
I blush. Shit, I really should learn to keep my voice down. I thought our conversation would have been muffled somewhat by the music. How embarrassing that the guy I was checking out earlier overheard such a personal conversation.
He shrugs apologetically. “Sorry, I guess it’s because the booth is curved; your conversation traveled. Honestly, I’m not a creeper or anything.” He raises his hands in surrender. “I wanted to say how much I admire that you know what you want and you’re going after it.”
I blow out a relieved breath, the tension across my shoulders disappears. I don’t want people to think I’m some desperate woman. Well, I sort of am, but I don’t want other people to think I am. I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “Thank you. I’m not getting any younger, and I really want to have a baby.”
His eyebrows tilt down over his rich brown eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes. What is it with guys always having the best lashes? “Which fertility clinic are you using?”
I swivel my body around so I’m facing the guy directly. “I’m usingEastside Fertility.” He nods as if he’s familiar with them. “They’ve been great, but it’s a lot of paperwork and medical tests, not to mention expensive. But it will all be worth it if I have a baby. Though there are no guarantees, obviously. I’ve already had two rounds of the procedure with no luck.” My stomach sinks at the verbal reminder as to the reason we’re out tonight.
He twists his body so he’s facing me, raising his knee onto the seat and pressing against my hip. His arm rests on the back of the curved booth, bringing his hand close to my head. “Is there a way you can do it without all the expense?”
“Afraid not. I haven’t met the right person, and even if I met someone now, by the time I go through the dating process, get to know the guy, and figure out if the relationship will be successful … it all takes time. Time I don’t feel I have.” I shrug. “It would be a little weird on the first or second date to say …oh, by the way, I want to have a baby. Would you mind knocking me up?” We both chuckle. “I can’t imagine it going down well. He’d probably run a mile. And with good reason.” I take the last sip of my drink, then add, “And most guys don’t stick around long-term anyway. They’re generally not reliable so I’m happy to do it on my own.” Well, that’s what I tell people anyway.
“What if you found a guy who would be happy to help you?”
I wave my hand in front of me, brushing off his comment. “That’s never gonna happen. If I want a baby, I have to take matters into my own hands.”
He leans forward slightly, and his fresh citrus scent wafts around him. I move in slightly to inhale more of the fragrance. He smells so freaking good. “What if I said I’d be happy to help you?” The deep timbre of his voice vibrates through my body as he poses the question. He pulls back slightly with a smirk and my heart stops.What?
“Pardon?” Surely he didn’t offer to get me pregnant.
He leans back in and I mirror him. My eyes lock on his and the warmth in his chocolate gaze invites me to get lost. I do love a bit of chocolate occasionally. “I said I would be happy to get you pregnant.” He raises an eyebrow, and I swallow down the extra saliva that’s suddenly pooling in my mouth.
I chuckle uncomfortably. “It’s very kind of you to offer … your … uh … services.” Geez, Louise. This took an awkward turn. “But I don’t know you and you don’t know me. It’s a little weird.” Make that a lot weird.
“How much do you need to know? It’s not like you know the donors from the clinic.” He shrugs as if this is an ordinary conversation. He’s got a point, but at the clinic, I get to choose my baby daddy based on the extensive information they collect. “You only need my semen, right? You don’t actuallywanta guy to stick around?” He raises his eyebrows as he waits for my answer.
Well, Idowant a guy to stick around, but I’ve run out of options, and I feel my body’s running out of time, so that was taken off the table. I want a family like the one I grew up with; a mom and dad working together to raise happy, healthy kids. I never imagined I’d be going down this route to have a family. The whole idea would have been preposterous to me in my twenties, but here I am. “I’d at least need to know your medical history and if your semen is viable, and that you’re clean. Would you be prepared to do the necessary tests?” I can’t believe I’m even entertaining this stranger’s absurd offer.
“Of course. No point if I’m shooting blanks, right?” His answering smile is wide. He’s got beautiful teeth, straight and white. I scan the rest of his features. Tanned skin, thick dark hair. He looks healthy enough. He seems tall, but it’s hard to tell while he’s sitting down.
I shake my head. “No point.” I ponder his offer for a few moments. He doesn’t seem like a psycho, but I’m sure some psychos are good at hiding their true selves. Would it be any different from a hook-up? It’s not like you know anything about the guy you take home for a night. But this is different. Iwantto get pregnant. This is a big freaking deal, and he’s offering it to me like it’s of no consequence. Who does that? “This is a big deal. You know that, right?” He nods and a grin slowly slides across his perfect lips. “I’d pay for all the tests. It wouldn’t be fair to expect you to fork out money for my cause.”