Page 20

ROGER: I don’t know if you’re still working or asleep, but I’ve been up all night thinking about you. About your proposal. About us. I’m so sorry about the way I handled everything, but I think I’ve changed my mind. I’d like to see you, discuss options. Please give me a call when you see this.

I stare at it, more amused than anything else at this point.

“What’s funny?” Rage asks.

“Roger.”

He grunts. “Please tell me that little prick didn’t just reach out at—” He stops and looks at his watch. “Five ten in the morning.”

“He did.”

“And?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but he apologized for how he handled things and asked if we could talk. He said he’s changed his mind.”

“Changed his mind?” He puts down his fork and fixes me with an intense glare. “You’re not seriously going to give him another chance.”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Probably not, but I think I’ll at least listen to what he has to say.”

“Why? Not only did he turn you down, he was completely useless in an emergency. He didn’t even help you to your car.”

He has a point but I don’t have many options.

“Like I said earlier, I can’t afford to wait for the perfect guy.”

“Then your standards are too low.”

“A guy like you would never understand.”

“A guy like me?” He folds his arms over his chest. “What does that mean?”

“Look at you!” I wave a hand in his general direction. “All tall and muscley and gorgeous…women probably throw themselves at you. That doesn’t happen to me. With men, I mean. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll fuck the big girl—they just won’t marry her. Or even agree to have a baby with her.”

Rage is quiet for what seems like an inordinately long time.

He stares at me, his gaze growing increasingly intense. Like whatever he’s planning to say is extremely important. Finally, he slowly stands up and walks over to me.

Looming over me since I’m still in my chair, he’s a bit intimidating. He puts his hands on the back of the chair on either side of my shoulders, his voice low as he looks down at me.

“If you need someone to put a baby in you, then the only one doing that is going to be me.”

Chapter Eight

Rage

I should be back pedaling, but for some reason, I refuse. Somewhere deep down, I knew from the moment she told me about her plan that I would offer myself up. The idea that some jerk who has no idea how to handle a woman like her is going to be the one to get her pregnant is ridiculous. More than I can stand. She’s a hell of a woman and this Roger prick doesn’t deserve her.

Obviously, there’s a lot to discuss, and I haven’t thought that far ahead, but she’s not taking me seriously.

“This is a joke, right?” She demands. “We barely know each other!”

“Well, I guess that’s going to have to change.

“Rage, we can’t just randomly make a baby.”

“That’s what you were going to do with Roger,” I point out.

“Roger and I were actually in a relationship, even if it turned out not to be a good one!”