Between You and Me by Jennifer Gracen

Author:Jennifer Gracen [Gracen, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-10-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Logan’s heart started pounding in thick, heavy beats as he trailed behind her. The fire blazed in the fireplace, Bubbles seemed to be asleep in the corner, and he sat with Tess on the long, rust-colored couch. She sat on one end, facing him, tucking her long legs beneath her as she pushed her wild mane of curls back from her face.

“So,” she said. “Talk to me. I’m sure you have questions.”

“Yeah . . .” He cleared his throat. “Couple of things.”

“The legal stuff?”

“Well, sure, we can start with that. I assume you’re going to have papers drawn up by your top-notch New York lawyers. What exactly am I signing?”

“You’ll be waiving all rights to any claim of paternity. I’ll put your name on the birth certificate, for my child’s sake. Every child needs to have that; a blank space would be mean. But as far as legal or financial rights or responsibilities, custody, anything of that nature, you’ll have to agree to give up all of that. To be blunt, this won’t be your child, Logan. Only mine.” Tess paused, searching his face. “You sure you’re all right with that?”

“One hundred percent,” he said firmly. “I’d like to look the papers over, just to see what I’m signing, but yes, I’ll agree to all that. C’mon, Tess. You can give a child everything in the world. Me . . . not so much. But . . .” He hesitated, not wanting to offend her, but he had to ask. “That goes both ways. You won’t change your mind at some future point? Come after me and demand that I be a dad, start asking things of me? Sue me over it?”

She blinked and her jaw dropped. It was crystal clear to him those things had never even crossed her mind, which reassured him. “No,” she said. “I won’t. But if you want me to sign something swearing to that, I will. Reciprocation is fair play.”

He only nodded. He trusted her. Then he said, “Reciprocation. . . Funny you bring up that word. Because I have a request of my own. Separate from this.” Shit. What he’d thought of made sense on the drive over here, but now, saying it out loud filled him with apprehension. He’d sound like an idiot. Well . . . too bad. “I’m not saying my agreeing to be your donor is dependent on what I’m about to ask of you—it’s not. Okay? I agree to do this, and on your terms. No worries there. But . . . yeah, some reciprocation of goodwill would be appreciated. I need a favor.”

She smiled and said, “Okay, I’m listening.”

“This might sound crazy,” he admitted. “Yeah, it probably is. But I’m going to ask you anyway. Because I realized tonight, you’re in a position to help me out with something too.”

“Go on. How can I help you?”

He sighed. Was he really going to do this? Yup. Yup, he was. It was worth it. “My mom’s dying. There, I said it.

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