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Hearing him say these words is making me grow emotional because I never imagined him being the one to come up with an idea like this. And of course, I miss our friendship too. The closest we got back to that was after my father’s heart attack, but then he left again and the distance he worked so hard to put between us returned.

Uh, you played a part in that distance too, Lennon. Remember?

“I—I need to think about this,” I manage to reply just as his hand drops from my jaw.

Nodding, he takes a step back, but the softness in the lines of his face remain. “Okay. But don’t take too long, please. My boss wants me to leave on Monday.”

“You want me to decide something like this that soon?”

“I don’t really know why you need to think about it, but yes, I need an answer tomorrow.”

I shake my head. “You’re insane.”

“No, I’m just a man, standing in front of a woman, asking her to marry me so I can take care of her.”

***

“He actually said that to you?” Nora whispers, her eyes wide as saucers.

I couldn’t even respond to Easton’s final words because I was so overcome with emotion. So instead, I told him I would call or text him later and ran inside unlike the brave person my sister believes me to be.

“Yes. I mean, this is crazy, right?”

My sister taps her chin. “Honestly, it’s actually sort of genius.”

My face falls flat. “You can’t be serious.”

“But I am,” she says, smiling proudly. “It’s a marriage of convenience.”

“A what?”

Nora rolls her eyes at me. “You seriously need to read more romance novels.”

“Sorry. I’m too busy reading textbooks about life and death to make time to read about fantasy.”

“I’m going to let that comment slide since you’re stressed out, but romance novels deserve respect, Lennon. They change people’s lives.”

“So you and Mom keep telling me. Now, back to why you think this is a good idea.”

Lifting one finger, she says, “Well, for starters, you’ve known Easton practically your entire life, so it won’t be that awkward to pretend that you’re in love.” She holds two fingers in the air now. “Second, it would solve your health insurance dilemma, as Easton explained.” One more finger joins the others. “And last, it would allow you to finish the nursing program and give you some time to adapt to your new role as a mom before you would need to figure out your next steps. This isn’t going to be a quick and painless transition in your life, Lennon.”

“I’m aware. But that’s what I’m unsure about. Is this a forever thing? Or are we only going to stay married for a few years…”

“Well, did you ask him that?”

“No. Him saying he wanted to take care of me short-circuited my brain.”

Nora chuckles. “Well, you guys can figure that out later. But like Easton said, time is of the essence here, especially if you are going to pass the baby off as his.”

I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“I mean, it would help explain the rush to get married, and Adam doesn’t want anything to do with the two of you anyway. So, if you ended up with someone else down the road, the hope is that man would treat your child like his own nonetheless, right?”

My head feels like it’s spinning. “This is a lot.”

Nora rubs my shoulder. “It is, but I think it’s smart. I mean, you’d finally be able to move out of Mom and Dad’s house.”

I shoot up from the bed. “Oh God! I’d have to live with him, wouldn’t I?”