Read Online The Marriage Contract by Lisa Mondello - Free Book Online Page A

don’t think so.”
    He laughed. 
    “Besides, it
was a piece of plywood, and all I did was seize the moment.  You would’ve done
the same thing.”
    “True enough. 
So what do I owe you for the win?”
    She waved him
off.  “We didn't bet anything.”
    He pulled off
the sweatband on his head.  “So we'll bet now.”
    She thought
about it a minute until her expression lit up.  “The Portuguese Festival is in
a few days.  It would be a miracle to get Roger to go.  He hates those things.”
    He frowned. 
“You mean, just the two of us?  Wouldn't Roger be jealous of you spending the
evening with another man?”   
    She sputtered. 
“Roger doesn't have a jealous bone in his body.  He'd probably be relieved I
wasn't nagging him to go.  You saw the pile of paperwork he brought with him,
didn't you?”
    Devin eyed her. 
“What's with you two?”
    She didn't say
anything for a minute and looked out into the bay, clearly uncomfortable with
discussing her personal affairs.  He didn't like that.  But then he had to
remind himself that seventeen years lay dormant between them.  She had a new
best friend to share her hopes and dreams with. 
    And it wasn't
him.
    “Roger is a very
kind person.  We never argue.  He's stable and predictable, and everything a
woman would look for in a husband, really.”
    “Except you.” 
    She sighed,
closing her and chuckling wryly.  “I should want to marry him, shouldn't I?”
    “Not
necessarily.  Some people just don't want marriage and family.  You never did.”
    She shook her
head.  “That's not it, Dev.  I should want to marry a man like Roger.  He's
hard working, considerate, and faithful.  It's not like he's asked or
anything.  In fact, I don't think he'd ever consider it.  And to be quite
honest, I think that's part of the attraction.”
    “Then what is
it?”
    “God, I hate to
admit this.”
    “Come on.  It
can’t be that bad.  Just blurt it out.  It’s just you and me here.”  A warm
smile lit up her face and his breath caught in his throat.
    “Have you ever
looked at your life and thought, yeah, I have everything I ever wanted.  I've
reached all my goals.”
    He nodded.
    “But I want
more.  Life is changing.  Everything around me is changing.”  Her hands flew to
her face as if she was trying to hide.  “And now my biological clock is out of
control.” 
    His eyes widened. 
“A baby?  You want a baby?”
    When she pulled
her hands away, he saw the unmistakable color that stained her cheeks.  She was
blushing as if she were almost embarrassed to admit it.  Embarrassed! 
    “Not just a
baby.  I want a family of my own.”
    “You always
said you never wanted kids.”
    “I know.  Think
how shocking this is for me to suddenly be getting the urges my mother has been
hoping for.” 
    She was
laughing now and he couldn't help but laugh himself.
    He thought
about Cara as a mother.  Yeah, he could see it, although until that moment he'd
never thought of her as the motherly type.  She'd always focused so much on her
goals when they were kids that it hadn't occurred to him to look past that.
    “I've achieved
every goal I've ever set for myself.  I keep thinking, I've got a great life, a
solid career, a wonderful condo and lots of friends.”  She reached around
herself and hugged her middle.  “But then my arms feel empty and every time I
take a good look at what I have, I wonder if that is what I really want.  Maybe
I'm missing out on the best part of life.  I believe that's family.”
    “And Roger
doesn't want that?”
    She blew out a
quick breath.  “We've never talked about it.” 
    “Maybe you
should be talking with him about this, instead of me.”
    She lowered her
voice as if she were confessing some deep secret meant only for him to hear. 
“I don't know.”
    “If he's not
all that keen on the idea you could always have a baby by yourself.”
    “Oooh, what you
just said,” she said, crinkling her nose as if