Sasha the cat winds lazy figure-eights between my ankles as my fingernail slices through the expensive envelope. With trembling hands, I reach inside and withdraw a small packet of papers and start reading.

Jeremy’s lawyer is good. Really good. She’s written a contract that not only lays out the reason Jeremy and I would be getting married, but also goes to great lengths to make sure that the contract is easy for someone like me, who has no understanding of legal jargon, to understand.

Grateful tears burn the back of my eyes by the time I finish reading the three sheets of paper the envelope contained.

Whatever doubts I’ve had about Jeremy dissolve, replaced with a warm, bright glow that starts directly behind my breastbone.

With regards to our marriage, should we decide to marry, everything is in my favor. The only rule I have to follow is that I won’t cheat for as long we’re wed and that same rule applies to him as well. If we get divorced, not only does Jeremy promise to not go after my business or personal possessions/wealth, but he’ll also pay an enormous alimony.

But the part that really causes my heart to race, that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, is what he says about any children we conceive together. He very clearly states that no matter what happens with regards to our relationship, both of us will share equally in our children’s lives and that we’ll set aside any personal differences we might have and do whatever is in our child’s best interest.

Sasha’s rumbling purrs fill the room as I place my palm against my flat stomach. Since I wasn’t having sex, or even interested in sex, before Jeremy blasted into my life, I’ve never paid much attention to my cycles, something that would have changed if I’d decided to go through with my half-baked idea to become a surrogate.

Now I try to count backwards to my last period. Based on what little I remember from my high school health class, it seems like it’s possible that the timing could be right, that somewhere deep inside of me, one of Jeremy’s little swimmers is getting cozy with one of my eggs and taking the first steps in what will become a life-changing event for everyone.

I hope so.

The thought startles me almost as much as the sound of my bedroom door swinging open. I spin on my heel, my wide eyes meeting Jeremy’s guarded expression.

“Hey,” he says as his eyes drop to the papers clutched in my hand. “Oh.” His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. “I guess there’s a few things we still have to discuss.”

Nerves pulsating under my skin, I turn and cross the room to the small desk on the opposite side of the room. Jeremy’s stare practically drills holes in my back as I rummage through the drawers until I locate a dark blue pen.

I carefully sign my name on all the dotted lines I can find. I sense more than hear Jeremy approach. He leans close, reading over my shoulder.

“Are you sure?” His voice is whisper-soft and strangely vulnerable.

“Yes.” The single word rings with confidence. Not only is this contract the answer to my money problems, the best answer I could have possibly come up with, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Jeremy is a good man, an honest man, and that’s something I may never find again.

I step back away from the desk. “What about you?” I hold my breath. Just because Jeremy took the steps to have the contract drawn up, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t changed his mind in the several hours he’s hung out with me.

Jeremy picks up the pen, twirls it around his fingers a few times, and stares down at the contract. His expression is unreadable.

My pulse pounds against the side of my throat and a whole herd of angry frogs romp around in my stomach.

He taps the pen against the desk and slants a sideways glance in my direction. “There’s something I should have told you before you signed.”

“What?” It takes all my willpower not to cover my ears to block out bad news.

“I made arrangements to put your father on Caldwell Industries’ health insurance plan. Whether you agree to marry me and have my baby or not, his medical treatments will be covered. Anything he needs, he’ll get.”

One of the frogs leaps straight out of my stomach and lodges in my throat. “Seriously?” I can hardly believe what I’m hearing.

Jeremy reaches out and brushes the back of his knuckles against my cheek. “Seriously,” he echoes with a somber nod.

“But why?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

His words swirl around my brain. Just like that I’m free. Free to stop worrying about what’s going to happen to my parents. Free to focus on building my business. Free to have a baby whenever and if ever I choose.

I blink at Jeremy. He’s not free, I realize. The weight of everyone who works at Caldwell Industries, everyone in the community connected to his business, rests on his shoulders. In order to protect them, he needs to beat his brother in a bizarre baby race his father set in motion, and the only way that will happen is if I agree to the terms of the contract. This contract, the one that’s right in front of us.

Now it’s my turn to reach out. My hand brushes against his arm and slides lower until my fingers thread through his. He looks down at our joined hands and I realize that, aside from casual, almost accidental, touches, this is the first time I’ve initiated contact with him.

“The contract still stands,” I whisper. My words, my decision, effectively calms the horde of angry frogs. They’re replaced by a sense of calm, of rightness.

Jeremy blinks owlishly at me. “Are you serious?”

Smiling serenely, I stand on my toes and brush a light, closed-mouthed kiss across his lips. His hands settle on my waist, supporting me.

“One hundred percent serious,” I tell him, meaning every single word. “I’m yours, as long as you still want me.”

He releases his grip on my waist so quickly I stumble, and turns to the desk. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabs the pen and starts signing, wrinkling the paper in his haste. Once the last signature is in place, he turns back to me, a familiar light burning in his two-tone eyes. His mouth bends into a lusty smile and he leans close, nibbling the side of my neck.

“Now that that’s done…” His words are hot against my skin and send a shiver coursing through me. “How about we get started on the making a baby part of the deal?”

He cups my face between his massive hands before crushing my mouth with his. I moan against his lips before closing my eyes and leaning into his hard body. His intimate taste chases away all my doubts and inhibitions. Right here, in this moment, I won’t deny any of his requests. If he asked me to, I’d follow him through the gates of hell.

But … there’s just one nagging little problem …

“That sounds great.” I laugh as he starts to bear me backwards towards the couch, “but there’s something you’re forgetting.”

“What?” he growls.

I pat his chest. “The dinner at the special needs school. You helped me with the floral arrangements, which I’m supposed to be putting on the table in—” I rotate my wrist and glance at my watch “—about twenty minutes.”