by Holly Rayner
Besides, if Filipe did leave her cold, she’d be screwed. If she was going to raise a baby, she wanted a house outside the city. She would need a car. And, since she’d never get approved for either purchase upfront, she’d have to buy them outright. And then, boom. No more money.
It was enough to get her started. But it would never be enough to get her through it. A million dollars was a lot of money for one person—but not for a family.
If she was going to do this, she had to do it all the way. She had to conceive the baby, put her body through pregnancy and delivery, sign the papers, and relinquish her rights as a mother. She had to come to terms with the idea of someone else raising her child. She had to accept that her baby would be a prince or princess.
She had to understand that her child would never be part of the world she lived in.
Eva wasn’t sure she could do it. Not even for a million dollars.
Maybe I don’t need to be sure, she thought.
She’d been pacing back and forth for the last half an hour. Her feet were tired. She collapsed onto the couch and grabbed her laptop.
Eva opened her email account. She was slightly disappointed that Filipe hadn’t attempted to contact her.
Can you blame him? You told him you never wanted to see or hear from him again.
She opened a new draft.
“I need you to call me,” she wrote, including her phone number as an afterthought.
She entered Filipe’s email address, listed the subject as “urgent”, and hit the send button.
What would happen next? Only time would tell. If he didn’t respond by tomorrow, she’d have to go job hunting. There was a chance he’d already found someone else. He was right, after all. There were plenty of women in the city who’d be willing to accept such an offer.
Luckily, Eva didn’t have to wait to find out. Her cell phone rang just moments later. The number was unknown, but she knew who it would be.
“Eva?”
Her heart leapt in her throat. It was good to hear his voice.
“Hey,” she said. “I need to see you.”
“Did you change your mind?”
His voice was every bit as smooth and handsome as he was. She couldn’t help but smile, even though everything was falling apart.
“Did you already find someone else?” Eva asked.
“No,” he said.
“Hoping I’d call?”
“Maybe,” he said. “Are you saying yes?”
“I’m saying maybe,” Eva said. “I want to ask you some questions. And I want you to be straight with me.”
“Fire away.”
“No,” she said. “Not over the phone. In person.”
She easily could have had the conversation over the phone, but any excuse to see Filipe was worth it. She found herself missing everything about him—his eyes, his hair, his skin. How had she gotten so attached? A few days ago, she’d hated him.
Her father always used to say there was a fine line between hate and love. Eva realized, as an adult, that he was talking about himself and her mother. But she carried the words with her. Maybe she hated Filipe so much because was starting to fall for him.
Don’t do that. You can’t get attached. He’s married.
“Sure,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. “Anywhere you want.”
“Central Park,” she said. “Tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’ll be there,” he said. “Is noon okay?”
“Noon is fine.”
“I’ll see you them.”
Eva moved to hang up the phone, then had a revelation.
“Wait a minute,” she said.
“What’s up?”
“How do I know this is legit? How do I know you’re actually going to pay me?”
“Well, you know I’m an actual prince.”
“That’s not enough. If it came down to my word against yours, people would think I’m crazy.”
It was quiet for a few seconds. For a moment, she thought he might have hung up.
“You there?” Eva asked.
“Yeah,” Filipe said. “How about this: I’ll pay you half after conception and half after delivery. That way, you know I’m legit.”
“And you promise you’ll pay up?”
“I’ll tell you what,” he said with a chuckle. “Send me your bank account information in an email and I’ll prove it—right here on the phone.”
“If you say so,” Eva said.
She turned to her computer, opened a new draft, and entered her bank information.
“Okay,” she said. “Sent.”
“Give me a second,” Filipe said.
She heard him shuffling around papers. Then, he was typing on a computer. Less than sixty seconds later, he was back on the line.
“All right,” he said. “Check your account.”
Eva opened a new window and signed into her online banking.
She gasped when she saw her new total.
“Did you just give me ten thousand dollars?” Eva asked, her eyes even wider than when she’d been fired. “Filipe, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Something must have changed your mind,” he said. “You need the money. Even if you end up saying no tomorrow, I want you to have it. I’ve put you through a lot.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything,” Filipe said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He hung up. Eva stared at her computer screen.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said to her empty apartment.
She really couldn’t.
With her future in Filipe’s hands, what will Eva decide?
The Prince’s ASAP Baby is available on Amazon now
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Also by Holly Rayner
Sheikhs and Princes
Bought By The Sheikh
Stealing From The Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Captive Woman
Marrying The Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Make-Believe Fiancée
The Sheikh’s Accidental Bride
The Sheikh’s Irresistible Proposal
The Sheikh’s Secret Princess
The Sheikh’s Illicit Affair
The Sheikh’s Purchased Bride
The Sheikh’s Tempted Protectress
The Sheikh’s Captive Love
The Sheikh’s Green Card Bride
Bought For One Night: The Sheikh’s Offer
Wifed By The Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Online Bride
Single Mom And The Sheikh
The Sheikh And The Cowgirl
The Sheikh’s Stolen Bride-To-Be
The Sheikh’s Scandal
Secret: The Maid and the Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Uninvited Lover
Secret Baby Romance
The Tycoon’s Triplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Quadruplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Triplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Quintuplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Secret Love Child
The Prince’s Scandalous Baby
Hassan: The Bad Boy Sheikh’s Baby
The Sheikh’s Twin Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s American Baby
Baby Maker
The Prince’s Triplet Baby Surprise
Merry Christmas Romance
The Billionaire’s First Christmas
The Sheikh’s First Christmas
The Billionaire’s Christmas Bundle of Joy
The Billionaire’s Lessons in Christmas
European Billionaire Romance
An Heir For Alexandros: The Greek Billionaire’s Baby
A Baby For Kristos
The Greek Billionaire’s Marriage Matchmaker
Poker Face
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