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“I do,” I reassure her. Taking her hand, I give it a squeeze.
She licks her lips. “I doubt it. Having a family is all I’ve ever wanted. And if I want to have more than one kid, I have to get pregnant in the next year. Basically…” She looks at me, flushing. “I need a sperm donor ASAP.”
She grabs my hand and bites her lip. She arches a brow. Is… is Pearl asking me to be her sperm donor?
“Are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”
She looks nervous. It takes a few seconds for her to answer. “Maybe.”
A slow smile spreads across my face. A sperm donor? Well, this sure makes will you be my fake fiancée sound a lot less wild.
“We should talk about it.” I slide my hand up to Pearl’s face and cup her chin. “Somewhere private.”
Pearl’s cheeks flush. But at the same time, I can see a glint in her eyes. We both have something we need from each other. And when that happens in business, it’s time to make a deal.
Eight
Pearl
“Are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”
As River drives me home to talk in private, I can’t get his words out my head. They replay and replay every time I sneak a peek at him.
He’s still tall, dark-haired, and very handsome. Swoon City, if you ask me.
When River pulls into my front drive and looks out the window, I can see him look at my Airstream trailer with a calculating expression. It makes me worry that he's wondering if he underestimated our class differences.
If he is like every other man in my life, he’ll let me down soon. Every single man I’ve ever known has eventually proved a disappointment. Except my loving little brother, that is.
But I don’t need River in my bed forever.
I just need him for a few months.
Without waiting for his reaction, I fling open the truck’s passenger side door and bail out of the cab. I’m nervous and I might be mildly running away from the entire situation. As River hurries to catch up with me, I zoom up to my front steps and push the front door open.
It’s never locked, because who would bother to come all the way out here to steal something?
Nervous energy is driving me as I step inside the Airstream. I hang my keys up by the front door and shed my coat, placing it carefully on the dinette bench.
River has to duck his head as he steps inside the trailer. He looks comically large in here, where the fridge and bathroom door are two-thirds the size of normal ones. He looks around with a curious expression.
God, what must he be thinking? Nothing good. I’m not ashamed of having less than he does. It’s just a fact of life.
Not all of us were born with a silver spoon in our mouth.
“Welcome to Chez Moi,” I say. I shoot him a nervous smile.
River zeroes in on the tiled kitchen backsplash, which feature hand-painted UFOs. His lips twitch.
“Alien-themed kitchen?” he asks.
“Actually, the whole place has a UFO theme.” I flush and spin around to point at the little green men-shaped pillows resting on the banquette of the dining area. There are pictures of UFOs hanging on the walls, a fun alien themed shower curtain and bath mat in the bathroom, and tiny UFOs hanging in the corners of the bedroom.
“Interesting.” He looks around, taking it all in. “It fits you.”
“I suppose.” I smooth my hands over the front of my dress. Why are my hands shaking ever so slightly? I need to do something comforting right now, something familiar. Given the option of places to go, I blurted out that he should come home with me.
Was it the best choice? Maybe not. But it puts me at ease knowing I hold a lot of power here.
