Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1757

Winona swallowed hard, her gaze locked on his face. "What exactly happened to make you act so impulsively?"

"I'm not being impulsive," Keaton replied with absolute certainty. "I've thought this through completely."

"But there's no benefit in this for you," she pointed out, highly suspicious.

Keaton countered immediately. "Of course there is. I get a kid out of thin air. I'm happy, and my parents will be thrilled." More importantly, if he claimed the baby, people would stop whispering about Winona, and he wouldn't feel the constant urge to hit someone. That alone was a massive win for him.

Winona reminded him of the social reality. "But if we don't get married, people will say you're irresponsible. They'll call you a deadbeat."

Keaton just laughed. "Do you think I care? My reputation is already in the gutter. I couldn't care less what people say about me." He only cared about what they said about her. No matter how many people he threatened, he couldn't stop the private whispers.

Giving this child a father was the only way to tear the problem out by the roots.

Winona furrowed her brow, studying him in silence.

She wasn't stupid. Keaton was willing to go to these extreme lengths for a child he didn't even know was his, all because of her. A man who vehemently opposed marriage was willing to swallow a lifetime of insults, happily claim another man's baby, and even walk down the aisle—just for her sake.

That had to be love, didn't it?

It was impossible not to be moved. Yet, her feelings for Keaton were purely platonic. She would take a bullet for him, but she didn't love him romantically.

Taking a deep breath, Winona exhaled heavily. "Keaton, the baby I'm carrying is actually..."

Terrified of an outright rejection, Keaton quickly cut her off. "You don't have to give me an answer right now. Take your time. Think it over and let me know. I've already made up my mind, and I'm totally serious!"

Ridley knew he was lying but didn't call him out. "Then at least come inside to chat. It can't be comfortable crammed in this car."

"We were just wrapping up," Keaton said. He had laid all his cards on the table. The rest was up to Winona. He reached for the bags Janelle had sent. "Take these inside. Let the security guards carry them for you, they're heavy."

Winona glanced at the heavy gift bags and instantly recognized that the contents were incredibly expensive. Before she could protest, Keaton spoke up.

"My mom asked me to bring these. They're good for both you and Caroline, so just accept them. It's her way of showing she cares. If you refuse, she'll probably overthink it."

Hearing that, Winona couldn't refuse. "Please thank Janelle for me. I'll come visit her when I have some free time."

"Will do."