"Think of it, Libby. The baby could be legitimate even before we find out he's on the way."

I sat, just breathing, unable to sort the conflict in my mind. I had enough on my plate with the procedure this morning, thinking, knowing I was right on the edge of a life altering, body altering experience. But this pretend marriage deal had come out of the blue. Everything was happening too fast…

"Damn it, Jack. Pretend words on a piece of paper won't make her legitimate." Tension and lack of sleep had left me with a few ragged edges. "Sooner or later, someone would find out that the whole thing had been just one more lie, and I don't want to bring an innocent baby into the middle…" He cut me off.

"I never suggested the marriage would be a lie, Libby." He held my hands tightly. "It would be as legal and binding as the surrogacy contract you've already signed."

"But you said we'd have to make them believe it was real…"

"No differently than we already have," he answered, his voice confident. "My family accepts you as my girlfriend now. So will everyone else, in our business and social circles. And now, they'll accept you as my wife. It's the next step, Libby. A man in my position has a certain appearance to uphold. I know it's old fashioned, but it's how things are done."

"So the marriage would be for real…?"

"Legally, yes. For my family's sake. For the baby's, too. But I wouldn't expect anything more. The marriage would be for their benefit. That's why our arrangement is so perfect, sweetheart. It's clear, simple and meets everyone's needs. Neither one of us was ever looking for the complications of a relationship… I finally become a father, and you have financial freedom for life."

"Everyone's happy…" My words trailed off. "And the baby is born to a properly married couple."

"And there would never be any need to tell anyone that he was born from anything other than love. He could grow up feeling no different from any other child…"

"Not feeling different," I muttered softly, letting the words sink in. "With a dad who loves her more than anything… and would do anything to give her the perfect start in life."

Jack chuckled softly. "Still so sure, that's it'll be a girl?"

I smiled, seeing the kindness in his eyes, the excitement he was feeling. I'd never met anyone who'd given so much time and thought and effort into parenthood, and the baby wasn't even here yet. So many men just became fathers by accident. But Jack was charging in, eyes wide open, with nothing but the best of intentions. He was the kind of man who would make the very best father and I knew in my heart, I could trust his judgement. Being a fake wife couldn't be much harder than being a fake girlfriend. And what he'd said about neither of us wanting more had gone a long way in sobering up my hormones… "Yes, Jack," I said slowly.

"Yes, she's going to be a girl?"

"Yes.

That, and I'll also marry you."

* * *

He called his parents within the hour. But not until after he'd fed me the best lunch I'd ever had. Freshly grilled salmon on a bed of salad greens. Cranberries and pecans sprinkled over the top. He had served me in bed. I patted my not-yet-round belly and sighed, replete. A girl could get used to this…

"I know it's happened fast," he said into the phone. "But when a man knows, he knows…" His eyes met mine and he smiled in a way that warmed my whole body. "I've never met a woman in my life that I felt this way about. Like she's the beginning of a whole new world for me… And I can be that for Libby, too. I only know I don't ever want to let go…"

My heart was pounding away in my chest, even though I knew the words were all for show. But they were believable enough to make even me wonder, just for a moment, if maybe there was a chance he could feel something more than appreciation toward me…

I dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it formed. This wedding really didn't change a thing. We'd go on acting like the happy couple until the baby was born. And shortly after that, there would be a ‘break-up' too painful for him to talk about. I would disappear, and we would both move on with our lives.

I smiled back at him, unable not to. His eyes were so bright… he looked so fucking happy. But it was the baby he was happy about. She was the one who really made him smile, not me. I'd be wise not to forget that…

"Two weeks, no longer. I'll call India right after we hang up and we'll leave the details up to the two of you." He paused, listening. "Libby wants to choose her own dress, that's all." He nodded at me and I absently nodded back. "I'm going to keep her entirely too busy for the next week helping me plan our honeymoon for her to be able to help with the wedding details," he said. "We're both putting our trust in you and it's going to be beautiful." He listened again. "Thanks, Mom. Dad. I love you guys too."

He hung up and ran his hands through his hair. It stuck out in a dozen directions at once. I smiled. "Do you think they suspect this is a shotgun wedding?"

"Maybe. Probably…" he said, coming to sit next to me. "But I can tell when they're happy and they are. They took to you, Libby. They really did."

"You're lucky, to have a family like that, Jack. All the love, all that support. I feel uncomfortable about deceiving them, when they've been so kind to me."

"They're going to be your family too, two weeks from Sunday. And it's not so deceptive, not really. They desperately want grandchildren. And we're going to give them that." He put his warm, roughened palm to my cheek and I couldn't help but lean into it. "We're two good people, who want very much to have a child. It may be for different reasons," he said, looking past my eyes for a second. "But it's what we both want. And it's not as if we don't have feelings for each other…"

Something flared when our eyes met again. "We're… good friends, Libby. Even after the baby's born… I'll always be there for you if you need anything, sweetheart. I can't imagine experiencing all this together and then not knowing you were okay." He kissed me softly, sweetly. "You have no idea how important you've become…"

I kissed him back and let him hold me in his arms. He rocked me gently, like a parent holding a child. As much as his presence stirred my body, he calmed me too. And I relaxed, soothed, feeling like as long as he held me everything would be alright.

But somewhere deep down, there was something else too. The knowledge that despite the wedding, his family would never really be mine. I could only borrow them, until the baby was born. And he would never truly be my husband, in spite of the vows we would soon exchange. There was his world, and there was mine. He had a family and I had none. Their family would move on… and I would go away on my own…

Once I gave birth and I left them all behind, the way I had already agreed to do, I knew that Jack and I would never see each other again.