THE BARGAIN

(Daniel’s POV)

I stared at the annulment papers sitting on my desk for a long time without touching them.

Fourteen days.

Fourteen damn days, and I still hadn’t signed them.

James leaned against the doorway flipping through my sketchbook like he owned the place. “You’ve drawn her every day since Vegas,” he said, stopping at another page filled with Rosa’s face. “That’s not normal, man.”

“I’ll sign them today.” I picked up my pen without looking at him.

“You said that yesterday too.”

My jaw tightened.

James tossed the sketchbook onto the desk. “Just admit you can’t stop thinking about her.”

“It was one night,” I said coldly. “A mistake.”

Before James could answer, my intercom buzzed.

“Mr. Gosling?” my assistant said carefully. “There’s a message from a Rosa Park. She says it’s urgent. From Las Vegas.”

Everything inside me froze.

The pen slipped from my hand and clattered across the desk.

James straightened immediately, eyebrows shooting up.

My throat went tight. “What did she say?”

“She left a number.”

Silence filled the office.

Then James grinned slowly. “Fate’s knocking, brother. You going to answer?”

I didn’t call her.

I went straight to Queens.

James insisted on coming, mostly because he enjoyed making my life harder.

The car moved through busy streets while I stared out the window trying not to think too much.

Why now?

Why urgent?

The annulment papers sat unsigned because every time I reached for them, something stopped me.

Excuses.

Paperwork delays.

Busy schedule.

Bullshit.

“What if she’s pregnant?” James asked casually beside me.

“Don’t.”

“I’m serious. You didn’t use protection, did you?”

I stayed silent.

James let out a low whistle. “Jesus Christ.”

I rubbed a hand over my face.

“If she is,” James continued carefully, “what are you gonna do?”

The answer came too fast.

“I won’t let my child grow up like I did.”

James went quiet.

I kept staring out the window. “No father. No love. No stability.” My voice hardened. “I won’t be him.”

“Your father?”

“Yes.”

James studied me for a second. “So what? You’d stay married to a stranger because of a baby?”

“For the child? Yes.”

“But you don’t even know her.”

That wasn’t true.

I knew the way she smiled after two glasses of champagne.

I knew she hummed softly while falling asleep.

I knew her eyes looked almost gold in chapel light when she said I do.

The car stopped outside a tiny bakery squeezed between two rundown storefronts.

Sophie's Bakery.

Warm light glowed through the windows.

It looked nothing like my world.

For some reason, that made me nervous.

James noticed. “You look terrified.”

“I’m not.”

“Sure.”

I ignored him and got out.

The bell above the bakery door chimed softly when I walked inside.

The smell hit me immediately.

Bread. Cinnamon. Sugar.

Behind the counter, Rosa froze with a frosting bag still in her hands.

She looked exhausted.

Pale.

Beautiful.

A woman I assumed was Sophie stepped protectively beside her, eyes narrowing the second she saw me.

“You’re him,” she said flatly. “The Vegas mistake.”

“Daniel Gosling.” I didn’t take my eyes off Rosa.

Sophie's expression hardened. “She called your office hours ago. Took you long enough.”

“I came as soon as I got the message.”

Rosa swallowed hard and set the frosting down carefully, but I noticed her hands shaking.

Sophie squeezed her shoulder before retreating toward the back room. “I’ll be listening,” she warned me.

Fair enough.

Rosa gestured toward a tiny table near the window. “Sit. Please.”

I sat across from her slowly.

Up close, the dark circles under her eyes looked worse.

So did the nerves.

Her fingers twisted together in her lap while she avoided my gaze.

Then I noticed the cheap wedding band still on her finger.

Something tightened painfully in my chest.

Mine was still in my pocket.

“You never sent the annulment papers,” she said quietly.

“No.”

“Why not?”

I met her eyes finally. “Why did you call?”

She took a shaky breath.

And suddenly I knew.

Before she even spoke, I knew.

“I’m pregnant.”

The words hit me like a punch to the ribs.

Pregnant.

My child.

For a second, everything around me went completely silent.

I should’ve panicked.

Instead, I felt something terrifyingly close to relief.

“You’re certain?” I asked roughly.

“Three tests.” Her voice trembled. “All positive.”

I leaned back slowly, my mind racing through possibilities, consequences, responsibilities.

A child.

Mine.

I thought about my mother walking out when I was eight years old.

I thought about my father treating love like weakness.

I thought about years spent learning how not to need anyone.

“We stay married,” I said immediately.

Rosa’s head snapped up. “What?”

“I won’t sign the annulment.”

She stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I won’t let my child grow up broken.”

Something flickered across her face.

Pain maybe.

“You don’t want me,” she whispered. “You made that clear with your note.”

I ignored the guilt clawing at my chest. “This isn’t about want.”

That hurt her.

I saw it instantly.

“This is about the baby,” I continued before I could stop myself. “I grew up without love, Rosa. My mother abandoned me. My father cared more about his empire than his son. I’m not repeating that cycle.”

Her eyes filled with tears she clearly hated showing. “So what am I? An incubator?”

The word landed hard.

“No.”

“Then what?”

I leaned forward, forcing myself to stay cold. Controlled. Practical.

“You need stability. You lost your job. You’re living in your friend’s spare room.” I kept my voice even. “I can provide security. Medical care. A future for the baby.”

“In exchange for what?”

I pulled out my phone and opened my notes app.

“Terms,” I said.

Rosa stared at me in disbelief.

“You move into my penthouse. You attend necessary social events as my wife. We maintain the appearance of a real marriage.” I looked up at her. “In exchange, full financial security. Prenatal care. A trust fund for the child. And after the birth, if you want to leave, I’ll make sure you never struggle financially again.”

Her face hardened with every word.

“A business arrangement.”

“A practical solution.”

“And what about what I want?” she demanded suddenly. “What about me?”

I stayed silent.

Rosa laughed bitterly. “God. You really can turn anything into a contract.”

“Feelings complicate things.”

“There it is.” She stood so quickly the chair scraped loudly against the floor. “You really are dead inside, aren’t you?”

I stood too, anger flashing hot in my chest. “I’m offering you everything you need.”

“No,” she shot back. “You’re offering me a cage with better furniture.”

“You’re pregnant with my child.”

“And I’m still a person!”

Her voice cracked on the last word.

People in the bakery turned to look.

Behind the counter, Sophie appeared instantly.

Rosa wiped angrily at the tears spilling down her cheeks. “I want you to admit this scares you. I want you to admit Vegas meant something.”

For one dangerous second, my control slipped.

Because it had meant something.

Too much.

That was the problem.

But I shoved the feeling back down hard.

“It was one night,” I said coldly. “This is about the baby. Take the deal or don’t, but decide now.”

The hurt in her eyes almost made me take it back.

Almost.

The bakery door opened behind me.

James walked in, immediately reading the tension in the room.

“Rosa?” he said gently. “I’m James. Daniel’s friend. Can I talk to you for a second?”

I shot him a warning look.

He ignored me completely.

Rosa hesitated before letting him guide her a few feet away.

I watched them talk quietly while my jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

James kept glancing back at me like he was trying to fix damage I’d already caused.

A minute later, Rosa returned.

Her face looked calmer.

But sadder.

“Fine,” she said quietly. “I’ll move in. For the baby.” Her eyes locked onto mine. “But don’t expect me to be grateful for a cage, no matter how gilded it is.”

I reached into my pocket and handed her a key card.

“My driver will pick you up tomorrow morning. Bring whatever you need.”

Her fingers brushed mine as she took it.

The contact sent heat straight through me.

Vegas flashed through my head so fast it made my chest tighten.

I pulled away immediately.

“Tomorrow, then.”

I turned toward the door.

“Daniel.”

I stopped.

Rosa stood beside the table clutching the key card tightly.

“Do you regret it?” she asked softly. “Vegas?”

The same question from the chapel.

The answer should’ve been easy.

Instead, I heard myself say, “I don’t believe in regret. Only consequences.”

Then I walked out before she could see the lie on my face.

Back in the car, James looked at me carefully. “You really think you can do this? Live with her, raise a child with her, and keep it transactional?”

“I have to.”

“Why?”

I stared out at the Queens streets passing outside the window.

“Because if I let myself feel something real,” I said quietly, “I’ll destroy her the same way my father destroyed my mother. Better to keep her at a distance.”

James went silent for a moment.

“And if you can’t?”

I didn’t answer.

In my pocket, my fingers closed tightly around the cheap Vegas wedding band I still couldn’t throw away.