Series: Texas Legacies: The Lockharts (Book 4)
A SECRET BABY BARGAIN?
Small Texas towns always have their secrets. Fortunately, no one in Laramie knows about Sage Lockhart's friends-with-benefits arrangement with hunky cowboy Nick Monroe. And now Sage wants something more from Nick -- something that could change the very nature of their relationship. She wants to have his baby.
Nick's always wanted to take things with Sage to the next level. Maybe this wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but having a child with Sage is an adventure Nick can't refuse. Of course, neither of them knew just how complicated things could get. With a baby on the way and all their careful plans unraveling, Sage and Nick must face the one secret they've been hiding from themselves…and from each other.
Good friends to lovers story. Sage and Nick have been good friends for months, adding "with benefits" not long after they met. Sage has wanted a baby for a long time, but her previous relationship didn't work out. She's decided to have one on her own, but isn't thrilled about using a donor - she'd rather know who the father is. She comes up with the idea of asking Nick.
Nick was surprised by Sage's request. He's always wanted more from Sage but went along with her wishes while waiting for his chance. A baby hadn't been in his plans just yet, but he's willing to go for it. At least it will guarantee that they'll have some kind of long-term relationship.
I enjoyed the development of Nick and Sage's relationship, even if I did spend a fair amount of time wanting to shake them both. Their friendship was strong, having taken the time to get to know each other. The addition of "benefits" suited them both at the time, when neither one was ready to move to anything permanent, and brought them closer still. There were times that I felt that they were getting too much satisfaction out of fooling their friends and families rather than being happy to share their contentment, especially once Sage found out she was pregnant. I did understand their desire to avoid the pressures from their families but felt they were strong enough to stand up to them. And everything would have likely gone the way they wanted it to if it hadn't been for unexpected interference.
At the same time all of this is happening, Nick is in the process of expanding his business, something he's wanted to do for a long time. Unfortunately, the lead contact for the venture capitalists that he is working with insists that Nick and Sage need to be married to portray the right image for the stores. He's willing to stand up to them, but Sage doesn't want to be the cause of his losing out on something so important, so she agrees. She has come to realize that she wants something more from their relationship, but she is afraid of making Nick feel trapped and ruining their friendship, so she insists that nothing about their relationship will be done differently.
From the moment the wedding takes place, Nick is as all-in as he is permitted to be. He has Sage right where he wants her and looks forward to showing her what they could have together. I loved the way that he takes such good care of her when she is ill. There are also some amazingly romantic moments that he comes up with. Sage is warier, still haunted by her fears. It doesn't help that there is constant interference from MR, the business contact. It was obvious to me from the beginning that MR had an agenda of her own, and it wasn't all business related. She was very good at manipulating both Nick and Sage, and it really affected Sage. I was a bit worried that Nick was blind to it, but he was more aware than I realized. I loved seeing him stand up to MR more and more often as the book went on.
As the book went on, both Sage and Nick realized that their feelings for each other had grown and that they wanted more out of their marriage. The problem was, neither of them was willing to take a chance and talk to the other about how they felt and what they wanted. I ached for them both as Nick felt that Sage was pushing him away, and Sage was desperately trying not to interfere with his business dreams. Unfortunately, their level of communication had dropped since they got married, and they no longer talked about the things that were important to them. This caused a dangerous situation near the end of the book that opened their eyes. I liked the ending a lot, especially the steps that Nick took. The epilogue was great. I loved seeing them a couple of years later and what they had accomplished.
I also enjoyed seeing the parts that their families played. There was no question about the love that was there, even if there was occasionally some tension. I liked the way that Sage's mom wanted the best for her, even if she didn't always agree with the way Sage went about getting it. I also liked that Nick's siblings were behind him in his ambitions, though it took Sage to get them to express it. I adored Sage's reaction to MR's plans for the grand opening and loved seeing her stand up for what was right.
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