Chapter One
Sondra dressed with care, knowing Jake planned to take her to a fancy restaurant this evening. It was their fourth date in the two weeks since she had discovered her pregnancy, and he had made his insane suggestion they get married.
She still couldn’t help snorting aloud every time she remembered that. Getting married for the sake of a baby in this day and age? To a man she hardly knew? It had been preposterous, and she hadn’t budged on her determination to avoid that outcome. Sometimes, she couldn’t believe she had actually agreed to date him as a compromise.
Dating Jake was a diverse experience. Their first three outings had all been different—a movie and fast food; an afternoon at Coney Island; and a day out on his yacht, sailing the harbor as they talked and ate pasta he’d cooked himself.
Tonight was daunting, and she didn’t know which bothered her more. Was it the idea of going to the opera and an elegant restaurant that cost more than her share of the rent each month, or simply seeing Jake again in any circumstance? It was getting harder to remind herself she wasn’t going to go back to bed with him again. It was the sensible thing to do, because passion clouded her judgment when it came to Wallace Whitcomb Jacobi, but it was difficult to remember that when she was too close to him.
Sondra was honestly surprised that Jake had been such a gentleman on their previous three dates. She had braced herself to fight him—and herself—every seductive step of the way, but the most he’d done was hold her hand. It was a relief, but also disappointing.
As she stared at herself in the mirror, certain she wasn’t imagining the slight swelling to her tummy in the midnight-blue dress, she accepted he had probably stopped finding her attractive. Being pregnant had changed everything. It was good that he viewed her as the mother of his future child, not a one-night stand. Right?
Right. That didn’t mean it couldn’t sting a bit that he had moved on so quickly. Sondra rolled her eyes at herself in the mirror, annoyed by the self-pitying thoughts crowding her mind. If Jake had lost interest, she should be doing handstands of joy while she was still flexible enough to do so. It would make her goal of having a friendly, amicable, and non-romantic relationship with him—the best possible outcome to facilitate raising a child together as partners—that much easier to attain.
Had she been a little tempted by his proposal? Sondra paused in the act of applying a coat of red lipstick to her full lips, meeting her dark brown eyes and refusing to look away. Yes, she had been tempted. Who wouldn’t? The idea of being Jake’s wife, the center of his universe, and his cherished companion? What woman wouldn’t go for that?
That was precisely why she had said no, aside from the more practical reason that they hardly knew each other. It would have all been an illusion. She was sure Jake meant well with his offer, and he considered it the honorable thing to do, but he didn’t love her. In her heart, she knew he would treat her well, but any love would be an illusion. They both deserved better than a marriage built upon providing stability for a baby brought about by shared irresponsibility.
Dating had seemed more logical. It gave them a chance to get acquainted and build a friendship. She knew Jake was expecting their relationship to be more than friendly, but she was reluctant to give in to that impulse. Sex would only complicate things, and when the liaison failed, hurt feelings on both sides would only make co-parenting more difficult.
Her doorbell ringing interrupted her reverie, and Sondra cursed quietly as she swiped on a layer of mascara, miraculously not making any mistakes, and grabbed her purse and wrap on her way to the door. She threw it open in a rush. “Sorry, I was finishing…”
Sondra trailed off as the sight of Jake in a tuxedo burned into her retinas. Oh, god, he was just too much for
Sondra dressed with care, knowing Jake planned to take her to a fancy restaurant this evening. It was their fourth date in the two weeks since she had discovered her pregnancy, and he had made his insane suggestion they get married.
She still couldn’t help snorting aloud every time she remembered that. Getting married for the sake of a baby in this day and age? To a man she hardly knew? It had been preposterous, and she hadn’t budged on her determination to avoid that outcome. Sometimes, she couldn’t believe she had actually agreed to date him as a compromise.
Dating Jake was a diverse experience. Their first three outings had all been different—a movie and fast food; an afternoon at Coney Island; and a day out on his yacht, sailing the harbor as they talked and ate pasta he’d cooked himself.
Tonight was daunting, and she didn’t know which bothered her more. Was it the idea of going to the opera and an elegant restaurant that cost more than her share of the rent each month, or simply seeing Jake again in any circumstance? It was getting harder to remind herself she wasn’t going to go back to bed with him again. It was the sensible thing to do, because passion clouded her judgment when it came to Wallace Whitcomb Jacobi, but it was difficult to remember that when she was too close to him.
Sondra was honestly surprised that Jake had been such a gentleman on their previous three dates. She had braced herself to fight him—and herself—every seductive step of the way, but the most he’d done was hold her hand. It was a relief, but also disappointing.
As she stared at herself in the mirror, certain she wasn’t imagining the slight swelling to her tummy in the midnight-blue dress, she accepted he had probably stopped finding her attractive. Being pregnant had changed everything. It was good that he viewed her as the mother of his future child, not a one-night stand. Right?
Right. That didn’t mean it couldn’t sting a bit that he had moved on so quickly. Sondra rolled her eyes at herself in the mirror, annoyed by the self-pitying thoughts crowding her mind. If Jake had lost interest, she should be doing handstands of joy while she was still flexible enough to do so. It would make her goal of having a friendly, amicable, and non-romantic relationship with him—the best possible outcome to facilitate raising a child together as partners—that much easier to attain.
Had she been a little tempted by his proposal? Sondra paused in the act of applying a coat of red lipstick to her full lips, meeting her dark brown eyes and refusing to look away. Yes, she had been tempted. Who wouldn’t? The idea of being Jake’s wife, the center of his universe, and his cherished companion? What woman wouldn’t go for that?
That was precisely why she had said no, aside from the more practical reason that they hardly knew each other. It would have all been an illusion. She was sure Jake meant well with his offer, and he considered it the honorable thing to do, but he didn’t love her. In her heart, she knew he would treat her well, but any love would be an illusion. They both deserved better than a marriage built upon providing stability for a baby brought about by shared irresponsibility.
Dating had seemed more logical. It gave them a chance to get acquainted and build a friendship. She knew Jake was expecting their relationship to be more than friendly, but she was reluctant to give in to that impulse. Sex would only complicate things, and when the liaison failed, hurt feelings on both sides would only make co-parenting more difficult.
Her doorbell ringing interrupted her reverie, and Sondra cursed quietly as she swiped on a layer of mascara, miraculously not making any mistakes, and grabbed her purse and wrap on her way to the door. She threw it open in a rush. “Sorry, I was finishing…”
Sondra trailed off as the sight of Jake in a tuxedo burned into her retinas. Oh, god, he was just too much for
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