Tears welled up in my eyes and threatened to spill over as Evan continued talking. He had really thought about this a lot. “I’m wealthy, very wealthy, actually, and I could pay for your entire medical school education without putting even a dent in my portfolio. I know you’ve said you’re not interested in dating, so being married would keep the vultures away from you because honestly, Blaire, you are so gorgeous, the men will be coming out of the woodwork for you,” he said as he toyed with the ends of my auburn hair.

I turned my head toward the window, my eyes tracing the narrowing circle around the Burger King sign. “Evan, I don’t even know what to say. There’s no way I could let you pay for my schooling. I wouldn’t feel right about it at all.” I looked back at him to find his gentle face smiling sweetly at me.

Taking my hand, he spoke quietly but passionately. “Blaire, what I would get in return from you would be intrinsically more valuable than money. I would get my grandfather’s business. He was the finest man I’ve ever known, and I want to keep his company in the Cavanaugh family. That’s what he would have wanted, but my father is threatening to sell the company off when he retires.” Squeezing my hand, he implored me with his mellow brown eyes. “It would make us a fortune if I became CEO, of course, enough to offset the cost of medical school several times over. But that’s not what is most important to me. It’s my legacy. You would be giving me something I’ve always wanted.”

My heart was torn in two listening to Evan talk about his grandfather’s company. He wanted this so much. “But Evan, how can you ever find who you’re meant to spend your life with if you’re tied down with me and a child?”

“First of all, I don’t think of it as being tied down. You’re my best friend, Blaire, and this baby… God, I already know she’s going to be the most special person in my life. It would be my honor to have both of you in my home… for you to be my family. Of course, I will always want to be a part of her life, but when either of us finds our ‘someone special’ a few years down the road, then we will just divorce and part as best friends. I’ll be the cool uncle the little princess gets to hang out with. Just think of it as a mutually beneficial marriage between friends. Trust me, I’ve known marriages built on less.”

“So, just a temporary solution until your dad hands over the company to you?”