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“A proposal.” He hinges his palms together like an engagement box. “Contractually, of course, not in the traditional sense.”
The blood starts pounding against my temples, and I feel dizzy again. How can he say this so matter of factly? There's no trace of humor on his face so this can't be a joke, can it?
“I'm sorry, what? Is this a joke? This is the oh-so-important thing you had to tell me?”
Our food arrives, and the waiter disappears as soon as our plates are in front of us.
The last thing my now-dry tongue wants is to taste anything. The last thing my now queasy stomach needs is food.
I push my plate away and search his eyes.
“Hear me out. You’re having a child, and it’s from the… bank. Doesn’t it make more sense to have a real-life father, one you know and trust, versus a random donor? This’ll simply be a different route, but with the same destination.”
“Why do you want to be involved in this?”
“I have my reasons. But I think it'll be good for both of us. We have a good rapport, no?”
I nod, still stunned. Cedrick continues. “So I suggest a year long contract. You get a baby with a father who'll be in the child's life forever. And he…”
“Or she.”
“...Will be royal. There are perks to that.”
He picks up a fork and stabs at his steak. I'm still stuck on his words that came so out of the blue. It occurs to me that I might be hallucinating from the medication.
“I might have to write that down as a possible side effect.”
Cedrick’s face shoots up at me. “Pardon?”
Shoot. I didn't realize I voiced my thoughts. “Sorry, just trying to wrap my head around all this. I just want to clarify. You’re serious?”
“We're both busy people, Ellie. I wouldn't waste your time just for the fun of it.”
He isn't joking?
He isn’t joking. He’s serious. In a way this is flattering, but at the same time, I’m utterly at sea. We're clearly not in love. Yeah, he’s altruistic, but I don’t think someone would volunteer to be a baby-daddy just out of the goodness of their heart. So what is his motivation?
I pick up a glass of water and gulp like it's the last one on Earth. “I don't know what you expect me to say. This is sudden.”
A part of me is weirdly excited, intrigued even. But the bigger side of me wishes the scenario were different and I actually had a man I love to plan a family with.
But it’s not like I love any of the vials stored at the fertility clinic. So.
My heart becomes raw at the thought. A picture of how I imagine my future family plays in my mind. I can vividly see laughing children, but the father is faceless. And that's the path I was ready for.
But the man in front of me, a super-hot man and a prince no less, has proposed to be tagged ‘it.’
His words slowly sink in, and my emotions tug at me from every which way. The waiter returns and swiftly clears Cedrick’s almost empty plate and my untouched one.
“So think about it. But I think it’s a good idea. And I’m sure you have questions.”
I open my eyes wide and nod. “Yeah, I have some questions. And I have to ask you the biggest one. Of all the women in the Kingdom… Of all the women in the world… Why me?”
9
CEDRICK
The waiter barges in as the question hangs in the air, interrupting Cedrick before he can give an answer.
