Jack rolled his eyes. “Oh, no. Not another one of your plans. I knew it. I bet it involves me, right?”
His abrupt manner stunned Beth and she looked him square in the face. Finally, in a voice held tight with emotion, she said, “Yes. You could say that.”
“I knew it,” he exclaimed. “I knew the moment I walked through your front door that you had me involved in something. What is it this time?” he asked. He seemed so proud of himself for having been one step ahead of her.
Beth couldn’t really blame him for being so skeptical of her motives. Over the years her ideas had gotten him involved in some pretty wild schemes. But convincing him to let her tag along with him and his date the night of their senior prom when her own date had come down at the last minute with a bad case of poison ivy paled enormously in comparison to what she now had in mind for them. So did the time ten years ago when she’d convinced him to let her go along with him and a couple of other guys on a whitewater rafting trip. She’d almost drowned them all—or so Jack had said at the time. All she’d done was accidentally knock one poor guy out of the boat, but they’d gotten him back inside right away. He had forgiven her ages ago. It was time that Jack did, too.
Still, she grimaced at the thought that he was on to her already. “This time is different, Jack, really it is.”
He had dropped his hands down to his sides, but he immediately brought them back up to his hips and gave her an impatient glance. “Okay, Beth, I’ll take the bait. What exactly does different mean?”
Anyone else would have probably been intimidated by his cocky manner, but not Beth. In fact, she found herself following his movements and thinking of what nice hands he had. His palms were wide, his fingers long and lean and, of course, his nails were trimmed neatly. Knowing Jack as she did, she had little doubt that they were the kind of hands that were strong, yet gentle when he made love to a woman. She had always secretly hoped that her Knight in Shining Armor would have hands like Jack.
She took a deep breath after swallowing the sudden lump in her throat. “I’ve decided I want to get pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” he replied, dumbfounded. A moment later, he smirked. “You’re kidding me right?”
“No, I’m not,” she replied.”
A stunned expression framed his face. Tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he rocked back on his heels. “Jeez, Beth, when did you decide all this?”
“A couple of weeks ago. Right after you left town on business.”
“Why didn’t you tell me when I called the other night?”
Without meeting his eyes, Beth shrugged. “You were still overseas in France. It just didn’t seem like the right time.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “This is rather sudden, don’t you think? For heaven’s sake, you’re not even married.”
“I know,” Beth replied. “But I plan to remedy that. The fact is, Jack, whether or not you like my idea, I’ve already made up my mind to go through with it. I can’t just sit back anymore and wait for Fate to take its course. I have to take charge of my life now, before it’s too late.”
“Okay,” he said. “I can understand if you’re feeling that way about your life. We all do at times. But some things in life just naturally take time.”
“There’s nothing natural about not having my dreams come true. And as far as time is concerned, I’m quickly running out of it, even as we speak. I know I’ve already told you this before, but if I follow in my mother’s and grandmother’s footsteps, there’s a good chance that I’m going to go through menopause at a young age. All I may have left are two—possibly, three—good years. I can’t just allow those years to roll past me without even making an attempt to do something about it.”
Jack stepped back and regarded her intently. “Look,” he said, “I wish as much as you do that the guy of your dreams had shown up by now. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t. Who knows, he might be just around the next corner.
Beth gave him a dispassionate glare. “Come on, Jack, you know as well as I do that it’s unlikely he’ll ever show up in my life. And even if he were to show eventually, it would probably be too late by then for me to have my own child. I simply won’t let that happen. That’s where you come into my plan, Jack.”
Jack took a step back. “Me?” he said, as though surprised. A moment later, an enlightened gleam settled in his eyes. “Oh, I get it,” he said. “You need me to help you find a reputable sperm bank.” He shook his head affirmatively. “Well, don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll take care of that part. If you’re that determined to go through with this, it’s the least I can do to help you out.”
Beth swallowed the lump in her throat. “Jack, I’m not exactly planning to use a sperm bank.”
It took him a moment, but after giving her an astounded-looking grin, he finally said, “I don’t understand, Beth. Just how are you planning to get pregnant?”
Her heart began pounding with anticipation. “The good old-fashioned way.”
Jack’s grin widened. “What are you saying exactly?”
“I’m saying that I plan on getting pregnant by sleeping with a guy. Of course, he and I will have to get married first.”
“What?” Jack said, pulling his shoulders back.
Before he could say anything more, Beth hurriedly cut in. “And then as soon as the job is done,” she answered, “he and I will get a divorce. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?”
“Sounds crazy, you mean,” Jack exclaimed in his next breath. “Beth, have you lost your mind?”
Beth licked her lips. She had known this wasn’t going to be easy. “I know it sounds crazy. Karen already told me as much. But, frankly, it makes perfectly good sense to me.”
“Well, Karen’s right,” he said. “You can’t do something like this.”
“And why not?”
“Because...well...because it isn’t like you.”
“You know something,” she exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips, “maybe I’m tired of being like me. Maybe I want to be different. Maybe I want to be someone who is willing to take a chance in order to get what she wants in life.”
Stepping forward, Jack took her by the shoulders. “Look, honey, I think it’s great that you feel that way. But do you have to take such a big, flying leap the first time out of the nest?”
Beth’s 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. Truly I will.”
Giving a low, frustrated whistle, Jack ran his fingers through his hair. His gut was now boiling with an acid that was eating him alive. Beth was the one woman in the whole world who could turn him inside out like this.
He didn’t particularly want the job of fathering a child for her, but then he didn’t want anyone else to have it, either. Suddenly he couldn’t stand the thought of her going to bed with some guy, just so she could get herself pregnant. Uh-uh. No way. He couldn’t let something like that happen. Not to his Beth.
His real problem was, he’d never learned to refuse her anything. For better or for worse, he generally gave Beth what she wanted at some point. Why? Because it made him happy. But until today, she’d never before asked anything quite like this of him. Without question, this request was in a league all its own.
Drawing in a deep breath, Jack shook his head.
Of course, if he were going to be completely honest with himself, he was going to have to admit that the idea of sleeping with Beth wasn’t all that foreign to him. She might be his best friend, but that didn’t stop him from seeing her as a very attractive woman. He was, after all, a healthy male. Fortunately, though, he had always been able to keep his fantasies under control. Beth trusted him to be her best friend. He never, ever planned to betray that trust. Not for any reason.
Parenthood had always been her gig, not his. In fact, he didn’t want the responsibility of being anyone’s father. Not even to please Beth. So it was safe to say that if he did decide to go along with her idea—which he doubted he would—that she was right in thinking the child would be hers, not his. Of course, if he were to agree to her plan, he would always be there to lend a supporting hand when it came time for Beth to make all those tough parental decisions. He was her best friend, after all. She would need someone to lean on from time to time. And if she or the kid ever needed anything—anything at all—all they would have to do was ask.
Tossing Beth an anxious glance, he said, “Have you even thought of what will happen to us if I should decide to help you?”
Beth’s heart began to pound. “What do you mean?”
“Us. You and me. We’ve been close friends a long time. How is that relationship going to be affected?”
She frowned. “Why should it be affected at all?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. It just seems to me that it would be.”
Beth gave him a smug look. “Well, it won’t. The way I have it planned, we won’t be married long enough for it to affect anything. I figure I’ll be pregnant in two months, tops.”
“Oh, really,” he replied incredulously.
She could feel the adrenaline flowing through her veins as she sensed the rhythm of the moment chang
ing in her favor. It made her feel flushed...excited. “I’m in good health. You’re in good health. I feel quite certain that you’ll have me pregnant in no time at all.”
Stepping back in astonishment, Jack gave her a starded, though cocky grin. “Is that a fact?”
Beth beamed with renewed confidence. “That’s right. Two months tops. I ought to be pregnant by then.”
And what makes you so sure?”
She shrugged. “Just a feeling I have.”
Jack searched her eyes for a long moment. “You’ve got this all figured out, haven’t you?”
Every detail,” she said proudly. ”I knew it was imperative to our existing relationship that we set up the ground rules from day one.”
Jack shook his head. “You and your damned rules, Beth. One of these days, those same rules are going to backfire on you.”
She sucked in a hopeful breath. “Does that mean that you’re thinking of helping me, Jack?”
He gave her a skeptical glance. “Do you really believe that this is the only way for you to get what you want?”
“Yes,” she said, keeping a firm hold on the tidal wave of emotion suddenly raging through her body.
Using the tips of his fingers to rub his temples Jack rocked back on his heels for what seemed like an endless moment. Finally, after releasing a heavy sigh, he said, “What the hell...I’m fighting a losing battle anyway. Besides, if it’s what you need me to do... if you’re sure it’s what will make you happy in the long run, then what’s a couple of months out of my life? You’d do the same for me.”
“Oh, Jack,” Beth said, biting back the flood of sudden tears. “Are you sure about this?”
“No...yes.”
She gazed at him, her heart evident in her eyes.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said at last, and in spite of a growing anticipation inside of him, he actually managed a grin.
“Oh, Jack, I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much.”
Beth couldn’t contain her joy a moment longer. She threw her arms around his neck and planted a big, grateful kiss right on his mouth. It was just because she was so happy and wanted him to know it.
Shotgun Groom Page 3
