Читать книгу Her Baby, His Proposal - Teresa Carpenter - Страница 11

JESSE propped an elbow on her knee and her chin on the heel of her hand. She eyed Brock as if he’d lost a few of his marbles.

“Why is it I’m the one that was dehydrated but you’re the one that’s delusional?”

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “It’s a legitimate proposal. One of my sailors asked me to be his best man today. He decided to get married before he leaves so his wife will have his benefits. The conversation got me to thinking. If we got married, you’d have the medical care you need for yourself and the baby. I’ll be gone, so you can stay here in the condo. I’ve got all the expenses covered on automatic payments.”

She held up a hand to stop him. “Brock, I can’t let you pay for me.” She swallowed hard. “There must be a state program that helps women in my situation.”

He reached for her hand. “I’d have to cover the expenses whether you lived here or not. You can take all the time you need to get back on your feet, then go back to work, go to school, take a trade course, whatever you want.”

Lord, his offer sounded heavenly.

Anyone else and she’d worry about a sexual price tag being attached to the proposition. But this was simply Sullivan helping out in a crunch. It’s what he did. That knowledge didn’t keep her pride from rebelling, but her pragmatic side demanded she see the advantages.

Could she do it? Marry a stranger?

Damn straight, if it meant saving her child.

His offer meant she could take her time recuperating, then find a job with better hours where she wasn’t constantly on her feet. And with no rent to pay maybe she could pursue her education. She’d always dreamed of being a kindergarten teacher and had been saving up to take classes before Tad had cleaned her out.

Tears welled up at the thought of going back to school. It was something she’d wanted for so long.

“Jesse.” Brock squeezed her fingers. “What do you think? Will you marry me?”

Jesse blinked away the tears, bringing his handsome features into focus. Nobody had ever done as much for her as he had, and yet here he was offering to do so much more.

Okay, time for a reality check. Such an important decision deserved more than ten minutes’ deliberation.

She reached out to cup his cheek, felt the bristles from his five-o’clock shadow. She met his blue eyes straight-on. “Thank you so much for that beautiful proposal. You said I could take tonight to think about it?”

“Of course.” He covered her hand with his, his warmth enveloping her. Was it her imagination that he lingered over the caress before releasing her? “You can’t take long though. I leave in five days. I’ll take you home. Or would you like to stay here tonight?”

Because she very much would, she shook her head. “Thank you, but I need to go home.”

He nodded and stood. “Will you be rested enough to go with me to the ceremony tomorrow?”

“I’ve slept the entire day away. And I confess I feel better. The doctor said twenty-four hours. So, yes, I’d like to go with you.”

“Good. You can give me your answer then. And if you agree, we can get married right away.”

Jesse sat on her bed and looked at her watch for the fourth time in two minutes. Another ten minutes before Brock would arrive to pick her up.

And she wouldn’t be coming back.

A half hour after walking through the door last night she’d made up her mind to accept his proposal.