bottom lip began to tremble. “I don’t expect you to understand,” she said as tears sprang to her eyes. In truth, she had been expecting him to understand, and she couldn’t even begin to acknowledge how disappointed she was that he obviously didn’t.
“Hey, come on now,” he said, pulling her against him. He was so solid...so dependable...so much what she needed right then in all aspects of the word. Why couldn’t he see that? Especially since he already knew all there ever was to know about her.
Hugging her tight, Jack looked down at her and said, “What’s with all the tears? Look, I’m sorry if I said something to upset you. I’m just a little shook up by all of this, okay? It’s not every day that you tell me you want to get married and get pregnant, all practically in the same breath. Give me a moment for it all to sink in.”
Beth nestled her body against his, savoring the warmth, the security of being as close to him as possible. He was her security blanket. Her shoulder to cry on. He knew her like no one else did. Finally, in spite of her desire to stay snuggled against him, she sucked up her tears and stepped back so she could gaze directly into his face.
“Jack, I’m really going to need your help with this one. I can’t do it alone.”
“Hey,” he said, looking deep into her eyes. “You know you can always count on me. I’m your best friend, remember? Don’t we always help each other?”
She nodded.
“Then what can I do to help you?” he asked point blank, suddenly cutting right through all the bull and getting to the heart of the matter.
Beth licked her lips again. “Well, Jack,” she said, “it’s really quite simple. I need you to marry me. I need to get pregnant.”
His grin broadened momentarily, then wilted away in two seconds flat. In a grave tone of voice, he said, “You’re joking, right?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along. I need you to father my baby.”
Jack gaped at her.
“Look,” she continued in a hurry, “before you give me your answer, let me just say one thing. There’s no one else I feel I can trust with this. No matter what, I know I’ll be safe with you, Jack.”
“You can’t be serious about this,” he said.
“Oh, but I am,” she replied.
“In that case, let me just say one thing. If you think I’m the guy for the job, you’ve lost your mind.”
“I know I’m asking a lot—”
Taking a step back from her, Jack gave her a thawing glance. “You can say that again.”
“Even though we’re the best of friends, I really have some nerve putting you on the spot like this.”
“You bet.”
“You’re right, you know,” she said haughtily. “I should simply ask someone else, regardless of the consequences.”
“Now wait a minute,” he said, coming up straight. “I didn’t say for you to do that.” He ran his fingers through his hair, then paused for a long moment. “Jeez, Beth, do you have any idea what you’re asking me to do?”
“Yes, I think so,” she replied evenly. But her heart was pounding like mad. “Look, it’s only for a temporary period of time.”
Jack shook his head. “B-but I don’t understand. What about all our years together as friends? You’ve always said—”
“I know what I’ve always said. And I haven’t changed my mind about that,” she replied, placing her hands flat against his chest and feeling the beating of his heart beneath her touch. “All I want is for us to get married and stay married only for as long as it takes to get me pregnant.”
Once again, Jack stood, gaping at her. “In other words, Beth, because it now suits your purpose, it’s okay for us to have sex together. Frankly, after all you’ve said over the years against such a thing ever happening between us, I’m floored that you would even consider doing it now—under any circumstances.”
Suddenly Beth’s eyes filled with tears, and she realized in that moment that deep down inside she had been hoping all along that Jack wouldn’t offer any resistance to her plan. That he would simply say yes right away and that would be the end of it. As it was, she didn’t know if she had the stamina to continue trying to talk him into something as serious as fathering her child when he obviously didn’t want any part of it.
She turned from him and plucked a tissue from a box on a nearby table, but she didn’t have to use it after all. Miraculously she regained her composure.
By now, Jack had come up behind her and had placed his hands on her shoulders. “Beth, let me make sure I’m getting this straight before I say any more. You want me—I mean us to have sex together for the sole purpose of getting you pregnant, right?”
Recognizing her last chance in convincing him to her way of thinking, Beth whirled to face him. “Oh, Jack, yes, that’s exactly what I mean. And as soon as I get pregnant, I promise, we’ll get a divorce and then everything can go back to normal. I’ll have my baby, and you’ll have your freedom again.”
Jack frowned. “Look, Beth, even if I were to agree to this crazy idea of yours—which I haven’t done yet, you understand—then why go ahead with a sham marriage and an inevitable divorce? Why not keep it simple? Why not just crawl in the sack together and get the job done? Other couples do it that way?”
Beth gaped at him as if he should have already known the answer. Obviously he didn’t know her as well as she thought. She drew in a deep breath and said, “Just because others do it that way doesn’t make it right for me. Look, I’m not passing judgment on anyone else, but I can’t just have an illegitimate child. It’s not me.”
“No, I guess you’re right,” he agreed. “But don’t you see? It’s not me, either. I happen to like being a bachelor. I don’t want the responsibility of a wife and kid.”
Beth felt a sudden pressure building within her. “I know that,” she said quickly, “but that’s what makes my plan so fantastic. I’ll be the parent of this child, not you. You’ll be...well, you’ll be to him what you’ve always been to me. You’ll be his best friend.”
Folding his arms across his chest, Jack grew quiet and increasingly thoughtful over the following moments. Beth knew he was contemplating her words, and she wondered frantically what the outcome would be. Taking a deep breath, she held it and waited.
It was strange what occurred between two people when a little pressure was put on a long-standing relationship that had ages ago been taken for granted by both parties, she thought during Jack’s silence. Scary, in fact. She had a lot to gain by what she was asking of Jack, but she also had a lot to lose, too, if she wasn’t careful.
But she would be, she told herself. If he agreed to father her child, she would be very, very careful. Of that much she was certain.
“Look,” she said, swallowing the umpteenth lump in her throat, “if you don’t feel you can do this, I’ll understand.
