A Pregnancy Scandal by Kat Cantrell Page B

if she and Phillip set up a custody agreement. Things he would miss. The baby was half his, no matter what, and she wanted her baby to have a father. A present father, not one that swooped in on weekends.
    Panic fluttered her pulse. How in the world had she got here?
    â€œOr...” He reached out then and captured her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “We have a marriage with no expectations other than divorce isn’t an option.”
    No expectations.
    It was an intentional echo of their singular night together, when passion had been the only thing that mattered.
    Her gaze flew to his, caught and held. His blue eyes were mesmerizing as he tilted his head slightly and let that smile she loved spill over his face. Breath tangled in her lungs as he brushed her thumb with his.
    â€œTell me what a marriage with no expectations looks like,” she murmured because her throat had gone completely dry.
    â€œIt means we take love out of the equation. That’s what causes all the hurt. The loss of it is what drives people to end things. If we start out as friends and partners with no expectations of anything more, we can have the kind of marriage that lasts. Then divorce doesn’t even come up.”
    The logic flowed over Alex like a balm. She’d never understood the hoopla over moonlight and candles, but Phillip had figured out how to romance her with reason. It was extremely affecting.
    â€œI like you,” Phillip continued, his smile deepening. “And I think you like me. We’re obviously a match in the bedroom, which not even couples in love can always say. If we establish some ground rules from the beginning, no one gets hurt. We’re just two people raising a child and living our lives together.”
    Rules for marriage. How...safe. And clear. She did like rules.
    Never in a million years had she imagined he’d find a way to get her to consider this insane idea. But here she was...thinking about matrimony. His point made a brilliant sort of sense. Her baby would have a father. She’d never have to miss a thing.
    Somehow, she’d found a man who didn’t have one single emotional demand. She’d have someone by her side to help raise the baby, and they’d have a deal up front to stay together. No one was making any promises they couldn’t keep.
    â€œSo no expectations.” She rolled it around in her head. “You don’t care if we never fall in love? Because I don’t even know if I have that capacity. Nor the desire.”
    Since she’d never even come close to feeling giggly and romantic about a man, she’d always assumed she didn’t have the right temperament for it.
    He was quiet for a moment. “It’s not that I don’t care. It’s that I don’t want to be in love with anyone other than Gina. Most women wouldn’t put up with that in a marriage. Fortunately for me, you’re not most women.”
    It should have been the final argument that won her over. She’d never have to question whether love would become a factor in their relationship because his heart wasn’t available. But something wasn’t adding up here.
    â€œJust out of curiosity, why marriage, then? Why don’t we just live together?”
    â€œSimple.” He shrugged. “I don’t want to. It serves many purposes to marry you. I’m a senator. Marriage is something my constituents would expect. I believe in family values, which will be a central part of my platform when I run for president.”
    â€œPresident? Of the United States?” Her voice might have gone up a full octave but she couldn’t tell for sure around the sudden rush of blood from her head. “When were you going to tell me that part?”
    She couldn’t be the First Lady. She didn’t have the flair for it. Or the ability to talk to the press. She’d rather eat bugs than have that kind of attention dogging her for the