CHAPTER 4
Brea
I was surprised Ryan showed up tonight. He had seemed interested in me at the party, but he was gorgeous. He could have any woman he wanted. I was so simple compared to the girls he was seen around town with.
That was why we were here on my terms. I needed to feel comfortable. It was my first date in years, and this place was perfect for me. I looked around as he took it all in, an easy smile on his gorgeous face. We’d already ordered some burgers and soda, and he asked me about the night before. “I slept on Lucy’s couch. We ended up talking late and she told me just to stay there. She even kicked Lewis out for that.” I saw him smirk as he sipped his drink, shaking his head.
“She’s loyal to the ones she’s close to. I don’t know that she’s close to Lewis like that. That’s just…sex.” Ryan looked at me as a frown crossed his face.
“I know how Lucy is. It’s okay. I know she’s careful about things,” I said as I reached for my own soda. “I mean, we’re adults.”
“She’s a free spirit. You seem a little more down-to-earth though,” Ryan said as I took a slow breath.
“I had a heavy life. I don’t know what it’s like to relax.” I knew I was going down the same road as before and cursed the fact that Ryan was so easy to talk to.
“I suppose I did too, but my parents had money. They gave me everything I wanted, and I have a perfect life,” Ryan joked as a bitter smile crossed his face.
“You’re not happy?” I asked. I couldn’t help but consider what it would be like to have that kind of money.
“I’m working on that,” he assured me as I tilted my head. “Tell me more about your job.”
“I like it a lot. It’s fun and the people are great, but I might need something else or a second job.” I sighed as reality hit me all over again. “I have a lot of debt from school that I’m going to have to face soon. I didn’t have the money to pay for it, and I fell just short of a scholarship with all the issues my dad was having. It was hard.” I shrugged as plates were put on the table in front of us and smiled at the waitress. “Thank you, Lorraine.”
“No problem, Brea. Do you need anything else?” She gave me a curious look, and I knew there would be a conversation about Ryan in the future.
“Everything looks great. Did you need anything?” I asked Ryan. He shook his head with a smile. Lorraine left us alone, and he tucked a napkin into his lap as he watched me.
“How much is your debt?” he asked. I bit my lip and played with my napkin.
“A lot.” I picked up a fry and nibbled on it. “I wish I could just win the lottery and pay it all off. Be done with it. Making payments is going to take forever.”
“I have the opposite problem.” Ryan looked at me with a thoughtful gaze. “My family has money and I can do whatever I want, for the most part. I just haven’t been happy with that, at least not completely. I feel like a child, always tied to them.” He ran a hand through his hair and looked at me. “There’s an inheritance I’m supposed to get, but my dad took control of it. It’s from my grandparents, but he is a little on the anal side.”
“What did he do?” I asked curiously. He gazed at me for a moment.
“He added a condition that I get married or have a kid, preferably a son. I don’t want to take over the family business, and it pisses him off. I want the inheritance so I can start something of my own, something to help people. I haven’t thought it all the way through since he told me when I was twenty-four. Who wants that at that age?” Ryan shrugged as he took a bite of his cheeseburger.
“I would love a family. I knew that at a young age, but I contributed it to having a broken family. I just wanted something that worked, something that was mine. I think being a mom would be one of the best things in the world if I didn’t have all this debt. Maybe I could just work at the coffee shop and have more time to spend with my kid.” I reflected for a moment before I shrugged. “What am I even thinking? A lot would have to happen for me to be ready for that, and this isn’t first date talk.” She shook her head. “I just babble endlessly around you.”
“I don’t mind. I enjoy talking to you.” He reached for his burger as I sipped my drink and slumped down in my seat. I was with a stunning man in one of my favorite places, whining about my life. Again. Way to ruin a first date.
I wondered if we had anything at all in common. I thought there was no way we’d have a second date as I glanced at him and saw his pensive expression. “I wanted tonight to be so good,” I murmured, and he looked at me.
“I’m having a great time. This place is great and you’re fun to talk to. I’ve talked to you a lot more than I have to anyone in quite some time.” Ryan took a drink of his soda and cleared his throat. “It just got me thinking.”
“What did?” I asked. He smiled uncertainly and played with a fry on his plate.
“So, my inheritance is based on marriage or a kid, right?” I nodded, scared of what he might say. “Let’s make a deal. I won’t force you into a marriage, but we can get you pregnant. I’ll give you half a million dollars from my money and you can pay off your loans and have some extra.” He looked at me and reached across the table as my mouth dropped open. “Brea, wait. Listen to my plan. I won’t be an asshole dad. I’ll support you and help you. I wasn’t into the idea when I was younger, but you’re different than the other girls I know. I could do this with you, and it would help both of us.” He shrugged. “We could just be parents.”
This wealthy, gorgeous man was suggesting that we have sex and I get pregnant with his baby. He was suggesting I could pay off my loans and have a nice amount left over to live on. I could work at the coffee shop and pursue my dreams of making films without the financial stress.
And I could be a mom. I’d always wanted that but kept it to myself. I didn’t think it could be a reality for me. Was I insane to consider this?
“Are you serious right now?” I asked as he wiped his mouth with his napkin.
“I think I am. My time is running out, and while I can live on the money I get from my parents, I’d prefer to break away and start my own business. I want to do something to help kids or the community. I want to get my own place and just be free of them.” He stared at me with a determination that spoke volumes, and I leaned back. “I’m not the guy who wants to party all the time and live it up. I’ve done that and I’m older now. I want to settle down. I want to be free.”
“You’re talking about a baby, Ryan. That’s a huge commitment. The biggest commitment of our lives,” I reminded him as he sipped thoughtfully from his glass.
“I could ask you to marry me for a few months and get the inheritance. We could split up when my Dad is satisfied and go that route. But you said you want a baby, Brea. I could give you that, and you could pursue your dreams without the worry of debt. Either way”—Ryan leaned forward—“I know I’m attracted to you. We could do this slowly and get to know each other, but it would benefit us both to move this along a little.” He reached out and covered my hand with his. “I felt something for you when we met, and I still do. I want to go out with you on dates and talk and laugh together. I want to make a baby with you as soon as you’re ready, but time is of the essence. I’d prefer to go about this with my lawyer and cover all the bases for the sake of my father.”
I felt weird as I thought it over. I knew I was attracted to Ryan in a way I’d never been to anyone else, and sleeping with him was something I wanted to pursue. Dating him was something I’d enjoy. I might even want marriage after a time, but he only had a few months to work with.
Maybe we could do this and see where it led. Jesus. I was insane, but I was considering his idea. It could work out for us, and if we ended up parting, we could be parents. We could handle that for the next several years, and I knew the child would be supported. I didn’t know Ryan well, but he seemed like he had a big heart. I could already tell he would be a great dad.
“I can’t believe I’m considering this,” I whispered as I looked at our hands.
“I didn’t think I’d find someone I’d want to do this with. I like you, Brea. That’s all I can promise you right now, and I know it’s not much, but I’ll make this legitimate for you. Everything will be covered.” He stared at me as I smiled slowly, shaking my head.
“This is crazy. You know that, right?”
He nodded slowly. “I like to think of it as fate. The timing is perfect for both of us.” He winked at me, making me laugh as he eyed my plate. “You look done there. Do they serve dessert here?”
“Yeah. They have great cake if you like chocolate,” I told him as he reached for his glass. He raised it in the air, and I smiled as I picked mine up.
“A toast?” I asked, and he nodded.
“For now, until we sign the papers. I’ll have that done as soon as I can, but let’s enjoy tonight.” He raised an eyebrow, and I laughed as we clinked our glasses together.
“Are you clean? I mean, have you been tested?” I asked him.
He nodded. “I’ve never had unprotected sex and I get tested once a year. I just had a test and I’m clean. How about you?”
I nodded. “I haven’t had a lot of partners and I’m always careful. I’m not on any birth control, so I didn’t want any accidents.” I looked at him. The second we had unprotected sex, we would be risking our futures. “I can get tested as well.”
“We can do it together,” he offered. “I haven’t been with anyone in a while. I got tired of that life and the girls I was hanging around. They had no depth, not like you do.”
“Okay,” I agreed, finding this situation to be very surreal. Lorraine popped by the table, and Ryan ordered two slices of cake along with water as she looked at me.
“You two seem like you’re celebrating something,” she said, her eyes demanding an answer of me.
“We are,” Ryan replied with a wink that made me blush. Planning a baby with someone shouldn’t feel so right to me, especially when he was a stranger, but it did. I felt perfect.
“Huh. Take care of this one. She’s a good girl.” Lorraine patted me on the arm and turned to head toward the bar as I blushed.
“Don’t mind her,” I assured him as Ryan stacked our plates up for her to pick up easily.
“She’s right. You are a good girl, and you’ll make a great mother. The compassion in your eyes is overwhelming at times. That baby will be loved with everything you and I have, which is a lot,” Ryan said. I felt tears well in my eyes.
“You want this?” I checked, and he nodded.
We enjoyed our dessert and talked some more about the idea and just life in general. I could see that Ryan was a protective, alpha male by the way he talked, but he had a sweet side as well. I thought he’d make a good dad for a little girl, even though his family wanted a son to carry on the family name.
The only part I wasn’t sure about was any relationship my child might have with Ryan’s parents. I was wary of how well they’d take care of their grandchild, if they even wanted to be a part of the child’s life at all. Was a baby just a means to an end for them?
“Where do you see your relationship with your parents going regarding a baby? Will they be a part of your life?” I asked him. He frowned for a moment.
“I would like to see Mom quit drinking before she gets to see the baby. I’d like to see Dad change, but I am not going to hold my breath for that. This is our life. It’s not theirs, even if we are doing this for them in a twisted way. I am willing to have it be just the two of us and friends like Lucy in the baby’s life, it that’s how it works out. How about your mom?” Ryan asked, and I thought about her.
“She’ll be a good far-away grandma. She’s tied up in her life in Minnesota, but I can see her calling to check in on us.”
He frowned. “She wouldn’t be at the hospital?”
I shrugged. She kind of checked out on me once she met Bruce and moved away.
“She might think I’m crazy.”
Ryan walked me home that night, giving me a long kiss at my door before he told me good night. I knew that anything else with him was going to be amazing as I returned his passion. I was wrapped safely in his arms, and I hadn’t felt so protected in years. He told me he would contact me about the lawyer and kissed me again.
I was wondering if it was all a dream as I sat on my bed that night. My head was spinning. I wasn’t sure what exactly I’d gotten myself into, but I knew my life was about to get a lot more interesting.