Leap Before You Look

Chapter 2

Holt smiled warmly and took my hands in his.

My head was spinning like an out of control top. I was out with Holt Bennett. We were holding hands.

Oh, wait. Too bad. It's not a date.

He wasn't interested in me that way. He wanted to borrow my uterus!

Peals of uncontrollable laughter erupted from deep inside of me. Holt grinned before bursting out in a loud roar. The people at the nearby tables stared at us. Eventually, we stopped, descending into silence.

My mind raced as I tried to comprehend his proposal. How was he planning to conceive this baby? Why he had chosen me? It didn't make sense. He didn't even know me.

"I need to get some air," I said as I slid out of the green plastic booth.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"Yeah. I just need to get out of here." I bolted for the door.

Holt paid the bill and joined me outside. The temperature had dropped significantly since we arrived. I wrapped my arms around my body as we walked side by side back to Holt's truck. He opened the door and handed me a grey hoodie from behind the seat. The sweater was too large for my tiny frame, but there was something exciting about wearing clothing that belonged to the guy you liked.

When Holt climbed in the driver's seat, he didn't put the keys in the ignition. He turned and looked at me with those delicious brown eyes. Serious eyes that belonged to a man on a mission.

"You would be well compensated."

"What does that mean?" Did he think I was actually considering this?

"My family is wealthy. You would be paid a large sum of money for having this baby. One million dollars to be exact. All of your medical bills would be paid. And the child would have a trust fund.

I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. The guy who had been cutting grass, collecting trash, emptying septic tanks, and other crappy jobs at a cottage park since he was fifteen years old, just confessed that he was rich.

What the hell?

"So, you expect me to believe you're a millionaire who works as a maintenance boy?"

"I didn't say that I was rich. I said my parents are rich. And more like billionaires.

He stared out the windshield, running his fingers through his hair. "My dad is strict. His father built the family business from the ground up. He wanted to instill the value of hard work into his son. My dad did the same thing to me. I had to pay my own way through school. They allowed me to live at home for free, but I have to pay for my tuition and my truck, and anything else that I want."

"That's pretty impressive. What kind of business does your family own?"

"Have you ever heard of the Bennett Group?"

I shook my head.

"It's a large company that owns a lot of smaller companies in different industries. We own a coffee shop chain, fitness clubs, some manufacturing businesses, shipping companies." His voice trailed off in a bored tone.

"Why don't you work for your father then?"

"I will after I graduate next year. I'm majoring in business and finance, so that I can take over the company someday. It's a family business, and it is an expectation that my sister and myself will work there. My passion is physical fitness, so I will probably look after the health clubs. My dad wants us to enjoy working there."