Chapter Nine
April
Pregnant. Six weeks had passed in a blur from that night Maxim showed up on my doorstep with a contract for me to sign agreeing that I would be the surrogate for a man named Roman Stephens.
I also agreed that I wouldn’t mention his name, which would make it damn hard to explain this to Jacob and Kelsie.
But Mr. Stephens would have nutritionally balanced meals delivered to me twice a day to make sure I stayed healthy so that his baby would be healthy.
There were three dozen other bullet points that I needed to adhere to throughout the course of the pregnancy—and beyond—but as a show of good faith he’d given me one hundred grand up front so that Jacob’s treatments could begin.
Today, according to the contract, I would get the remainder of the balance because I was now carrying the baby of a man I had never met.
I was excited, not about the baby but about this adventure, at least that’s how I was thinking about it.
An adventure that would allow me to save my brother’s life.
He and Kelsie were all I had in this world, and I would do anything I could to protect them.
But first, I needed to inform Mr. Stephens of the good news.
“Congratulations Mr. Stephens you’re gonna be a daddy!
” I bit down on my bottom lip and held my breath as I wondered if he would even answer.
Sometimes he responded to texts but usually at all hours and whenever he felt like it, which was fine.
I assumed he was a busy man if he could afford to pay out what I asked to be his surrogate.
“I’d say congratulations are in order for us both. How do you feel?”
I smiled and made my way back to my car. “Weird. But only mildly nauseous. I just wanted to let you know that I’m pregnant.”
“Excellent news,” he answered immediately. “Thank you, Ms. Stone.”
He was so proper, so formal at all times.
I imagined that he was a man in his late forties who wore tailored and patterned suits, and probably colorful socks.
I had no idea if he was handsome or not, tall or short.
I knew nothing about him other than his name, which I’ve refused to Google.
He’s kept himself hidden for a reason and I’ve chosen to respect that.
“Thank you, Roman. You have no idea how much this opportunity is going to change lives.” That sounded cheesy, didn’t it?
“I could tell you the same thing.”
“I know you’re busy and I don’t want to keep you. I just wanted you to know that the clock is tickin’ and you better add baby books and nursery items to your ‘to do’ list immediately.” I dropped my phone back in my bag and slid behind the steering wheel with a heavy sigh.
I knew I was pregnant about two weeks ago when my nipples started to ache and my stomach turned at the scent of coffee. It was obvious but since this wasn’t some happy occasion for me and a special man in my life, I decided not to buy a home test and just wait until today.
Today was the day that would let me save Jacob while giving a rich man the kid he’s always wanted. Or maybe this was just a whim for him, maybe he wanted this baby to impress a woman or claim an inheritance. I had no idea, and I didn’t want to know.
Not really.
Okay, not much.
The drive home was mostly uneventful, except for the stop I made at the best bakery in Atlanta for a celebratory cupcake and white chocolate dipped croissant.
I walked up the steps to my door with a bit more energy, filled with joy at the idea I was the one helping people.
Jacob and Roman would both benefit from this.
I felt good.
“Excuse me, miss.”
The deep voice sounded behind me, scaring the hell out of me.
I gasped loudly and jumped in the air, banging my head against the door as I spun to get away from the unknown man.
He was blond. No, he had pale, almost white-blond hair and clear blue eyes.
He was attractive in a way, but I was unsettled.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?”
He took a step back and flashed a smile that was supposed to charm me, but it only put me on edge. “I am Mikhail and Maxim asked me to drop this off for you.” He held a familiar black bag out to me, waving it back and forth.
I took the bag. “Oh. Right. Thank you.”
“No problem.” This time his smile was more genuine, and I relaxed slightly.
“Try not to sneak up on me next time, yeah?”
He nodded and left without another word.
Mikhail wasn’t a name you heard every day down here in the south, which only made me more curious about Roman Stephens.
Who was he and what did he do for a living?
No! You don’t care. In fact, you don’t give one single damn about who he is or what he does for a living. You don’t care who his friends are or anything else.
This was a business transaction and nothing more.
I settled into the kitchen to eat the delicious meal Roman chose which consisted of sweet potatoes, sauteed spinach, salmon, and caramelized vegetables. It was delicious and I sighed with contentment while I ate, determined to enjoy this one moment of pleasure today.
I still had to tell Jacob and Kelsie what was going on.
My brother would wonder how I’d gotten the money to pay for his treatments or why I wasn’t freaking out over the bills that would arrive in the mail any day now.
And I was completely incapable of keeping anything from Kelsie, I’m amazed I’d kept it from her this long.
Since I had the rest of the afternoon off, I washed the dishes and looked to see what was in the fridge so that I could whip up a casserole or two for Jacob.
I’d just decided on lasagna to start with when my phone chimed. It was a notification from my bank. Roman made the deposit, along with an extra fifty thousand dollars.
“I think you made a typo,” I texted him. “There’s an extra fifty grand.”
He responded immediately. “That’s so that you can do something just for you.”
“Holy shit.” I smiled down at my screen like an idiot. Had Maxim told him what I said or was he just that intuitive?
Does it matter, my conscience asked.
No, it didn’t.