by Sky Winters
Buck finished getting dressed and walked toward her, putting his hands softly on both shoulders and looking at her with his steel blue eyes in a way that made her wonder if he also had some sort of calming powers, in addition to being a large cat in his spare time.
“Listen. I know it is a lot to absorb. I understand if you want to think through it. You should know that I also have a four-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. There were no complications with her birth and she is a perfectly healthy little girl, as would be a second child. I just want to give her a sibling like herself to grow up with. There aren’t a lot of my kind around and it’s a terrible secret for a little girl to bear. I think it would help her tremendously to have a sibling she can confide in and share experiences with.”
Lorna nodded. He had mentioned his daughter earlier during their discussions, but not why it was so important to him for her to have a sibling nor why he couldn’t just adopt one. Now it all made more sense.
“As for me, I love children, and would welcome another child. However, it is up to you whether you want to sign on for this. There will be absolutely no hard feelings. Do know, however, that if you choose to help me, you will be taken care of very well from the moment you sign the contract and you will be paid quickly when it is done. After that, we both go our separate ways without any strings, per the contract.”
“I’ll do it,” Lorna replied.
She was surprised by the words coming out of her mouth. A moment ago, she had been near shock and disbelief, but how could she give up a chance to explore the life of someone so unique while giving them an offspring like themselves. She had to look at it merely as she was providing a service while learning something incredibly interesting that she might not have ever encountered otherwise. Plus, she really needed this money for a fresh start. So, why the hell not?”
“Not to beat a dead horse but are you sure? I want no doubts,” he said, taking his hands away.
“I have no doubts. Let’s have a baby, shall we?”
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
They finished signing the paperwork and Lorna walked out with her first advance, ten thousand in cash stuffed in a brown envelope. The car that had brought her to the clinic was waiting to take her home. She was all smiles as she climbed in, solvent and ready for an adventure, despite an underlying feeling of anxiety about what was to come.
Chapter 5
Lorna had become a little concerned when the first insemination didn’t take, but the clinic assured her it wasn’t abnormal. Some fertility clinics did things a bit differently, harvesting eggs and doing inseminations outside the body, regardless of her biological ovulation, but the nature of the child she was to carry prevented that for reasons she didn’t fully understand. The end result was that she would have to wait until her next ovulation cycle to try again, a whole month. Worst case scenario was that this wouldn’t pan out. She would keep the initial fees she had been paid and walk away, but ten thousand really wasn’t that much money in the world today, especially not in L.A.
“Don’t worry about it. You weren’t on fertility boosters for hardly any time before the first attempt. It rarely ever takes a third time with shifter conceptions, but no one is going to call off your contract just because it doesn’t happen right away. There are a lot of biological markers that have to be met in order to even be compatible, so they are going to give you the time your body needs to conceive.”
“Thanks,” Lorna had told her, still a bit concerned, but rather than trying to pick back up with her dying acting career or get a job, she decided to just enjoy the next month. She decided to be bold, for a change. Turning in her thirty-day-notice, which was really a forty-five-day-notice, as she was already halfway into the current month, she put everything in storage and booked a few short flights to her favorite locations in between fertility treatments.
A month later, everything looked completely different, as she went to the clinic for a follow up checkup after her second insemination to find she was pregnant. Squirreling her next advance away in her bank account, she returned to the extended stay hotel she had rented just a few days earlier and packed. No time would be wasted now that she was pregnant. Per the terms of the agreement, she would be moved to Buck’s place a couple hours outside L.A. in Big Bear.
Rather than tell anyone lies about her pregnancy, she had chosen to just let Sharon know that she was going away for a while to “find herself” and that she was going to steer clear of social media and contact while away. Of course, Sharon was concerned for her, but she assured her she would be just fine and not to worry, arranging to just send her a text from time to time to let her know she was well. She would miss her friend, but what she was doing felt important, more so now than it had before.
Not only was she helping Buck with his desire for another child, but she was getting herself in a better position to enjoy life. She could find nothing about this situation that wasn’t positive, outside her fear of ruining her figure or ending up with unsightly stretch marks, but she knew that was just vanity. It was something she had to consider in her line of work, but she also had to consider that her career might not be salvageable at this point. This was the better option, at this time.
The following morning, a driver arrived to pick her up for the trip to Big Bear. The driver loaded up her bags onto a cart and took them out to where he had parked by the curb while she checked out of her room. She joined him a few minutes later, settling into the cool leather back seat of the dark SUV he had brought to retrieve her. They drove away, leaving L.A. behind her for a while as she watched the road stretch out on either side of them, the city streets becoming highways and the bright lights becoming empty space.
With traffic, the two hour drive was closer to three, but they finally arrived, pulling up to a large lake house situated on the edge of a gorgeous water scape. There were no other houses in sight, though they had passed a few along the way. This one was surrounded by trees that separated it from the others that could be seen at other points around the big lake on which they all sat. It wasn’t quite the place she would have expected from such a rich man. It was large for the kind of house you’d expect to see out in the middle of nowhere, but not the usual thing that came to mind when you thought of the rich.
Still, it was a beautiful house, very modern, with glass and metal panels rather than the urban woodsy exterior you’d usually find. One side of it jutted out above the water and opened up onto a massive deck that hovered above the lake itself. She stood outside looking up at it as the driver began unpacking her things.
“Miss Dunne?” a woman said from nearby, jostling her from her trance.
“Yes. Lorna, please.”
“Very well. Lorna. My name is Holly and I’m the caretaker here. Mr. Wilson was called away unexpectedly and asked that I express his regrets at not being here for your arrival. I’ll get you settled in and he will be in a little later in the evening.”
“Oh. Okay. Yeah. That’s great. Thank you so much,” Lorna replied, stumbling through her words.
She followed the thin, stern looking woman as she continued to speak to her with a distinct Jamaican accent.
“We’ve prepared the guest room that overlooks the water for you. Mr. Wilson thought you might enjoy that more than staring at the trees all the time, but there is one available on that side if you prefer. They tend to be cooler, but don’t get as much light.”
“The water will be great,” Lorna told her nervously.
She was really here. This was really happening. It was going to be strange being pregnant, even stranger to be living with the father, whom she had no relationship with other than an agreement on paper. He seemed like a nice enough guy in the meetings, but how was she to know whether he was a good guy outside the watchful eyes of the agency?
“Have you worked for Mr. Wilson for a while?”
“Yes. Quite a long time,” the woman offered, but nothing more.
“I guess that means you li
ke it here then,” she added, fishing.
“If you are asking if he’s a nice man, then yes. He is a very good person and you are safe here. You’ll be taken very good care of while you are in this house.”
“Good to know,” Lorna said with a smile that wasn’t returned.
The woman was polite, but not overly friendly. Perhaps she had her reasons or maybe it was just how she was, but it was just a tad unnerving. Hopefully, it was just her being more formal to a new guest and she would loosen up after she was here for a bit.
“The driver is bringing up your things. I will give you the afternoon to settle in. Dinner is promptly at six, so you are on your own until then. Feel free to explore the grounds and the house. Mr. Wilson wants you to feel at home here.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, and a nurse will be by after dinner to talk to you.”
“A nurse? For what?”
“I don’t know. Nurse things. She will tell you,” Holly replied dismissively before excusing herself back to the lobby.
Holly left and the driver brought her bags in, sitting them on one side of the room and leaving quietly. Once he was gone, Lorna closed the bedroom door. She considered unpacking, but felt tired, so she took a nap instead. When she awoke, it was nearly four o’clock. Climbing from the bed, she made her way to the guest bath in her room to splash some water on her face and freshen up. When she was done, she put her shoes on and made her way out of the room to look around the house.
It was quiet, with the exception of the kitchen. Wandering in, she found a young man, who introduced himself as Thander, preparing food for the evening meal. He was quite animated in his chatter but sent her on her way after a brief discussion of what she did and didn’t like so he could finish dinner.
“Honey, I’ve got to get this into the oven if we’re going to eat on time. Holly will flog us all if we don’t stay on schedule,” he said, his commentary accompanied by a laugh and an eyeroll.
Lorna laughed too, though she wasn’t so sure he wasn’t serious. She had gathered from Holly that she might very well be the type that would do just that if anyone stepped out of line. She vacated the kitchen and wandered out to the lake, where she stood looking out over the water, enjoying the fresh air. It was nothing like being in L.A. In fact, it was good. It was very good.
Chapter 6
“Christina June, this is Lorna. Lorna, my daughter,” Buck made in the way of introductions upon his return.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Lorna said, addressing the four-year-old girl clinging to her father’s leg shyly.
“What do you say, C.J.?” Buck encouraged.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” a tiny muffled voice replied.
Buck smiled and shrugged, an indication that it was the best they could hope for as they stood in the front foyer of the house. Lorna had already been standing there, looking at the framed photos on the walls when they had come in through the front door.
“She’ll warm up to you. Very shy around strangers,” Buck said.
“I’m sure we’ll get along fine soon,” Lorna said.
She smiled down at the little girl, who had begun to peek around her father’s legs, checking out the strange woman that was now in their house. Still, she stayed out of sight.
“I didn’t realize you knew so many people,” Lorna replied, waving a hand in the direction of the photos.
“Yeah. Hazard of the business, networking with people ad nauseum.”
“You were in the film business?” she asked.
Buck laughed and smiled. “I might have dabbled a bit. Retired now, though.”
“You’ll have to tell me about it sometime,” Lorna replied, curious as to what he had done, if anything. He seemed to know a lot of famous people, but she had never heard of him.
“I will. Sometime. For now, I need to get this one to bed. She’s had a long day. We’ll talk in a bit when I get her settled in.”
“Okay. Goodnight, Christina June,” Lorna replied.
“You can call me C.J.”
“Yeah? Okay. See you in the morning, C.J.”
The little girl smiled and pulled her father toward the stairs that led up to the bedrooms. He made a surprised face toward Lorna and smiled.
“Be back in a little while. Make yourself comfortable in the living room or den if you want or I’ll stop by your room and fetch you when I’m done.”
“I’ll be down here,” she replied.
He nodded and disappeared up the stairs with C.J. in tow. Lorna wandered into the den and had a seat, turning on the television and zoning out for a bit. She couldn’t even tell you how long it was before he came in. It seemed like no time at all.
“That stuff will rot your brain,” he said.
Lorna jumped at the unexpected presence and glanced toward the TV. Some reality show with the latest batch of housewives was on the screen. She laughed. It was nothing she’d ever watch if she’d been paying attention.
“I agree,” she replied, clicking the off button.
“So, you okay with your accommodations?”
“Yes. It’s a lovely place.”
“I like it. A bit secluded for some folks, but I like the privacy.”
“I suppose you would. Gives you a lot of freedom to, well…you know.”
“Yes. It does that. No need to worry about mentioning that in this household. It’s no secret among the staff.”
“No? Okay. Are they shifters too?”
“No. Not all of them. Just the nurse.”
“Yes. She came to see me after dinner. Melanie is her name?”
“Yes, Melanie.”
“She asked a million questions and told me all about what to expect. A lot of information to absorb in one sitting.”
“Yeah, well, don’t worry. She’ll tell you again and again,” he laughed.
“I take it you’ve known her a long time?”
“Yes. She’s my sister.”
“Oh. Wow. She didn’t mention that.”
“Sounds right too. She’s not thrilled about me doing things this way, but she’s supportive.”
“Why did you decide to do things this way? If you don’t mind me asking. I mean, I know it’s none of my business, so feel free to say so.”
“No. It’s okay. I know it must seem odd to you or anyone else, for that matter. As you know, it’s very difficult for me to find someone compatible. I spent years the first time finding a mate.”
“C.J. is from surrogacy as well then?”
“No. I was married to her mother. She was also a shifter. I lost her in an unfortunate accident when C.J. was only a year old. Anyway, that’s the reason I didn’t look for another mate. I wasn’t ready to attempt another relationship just yet. I just didn’t want C.J. to grow up alone like I did. I retired from my work to spend more time with her. As time went on, I found that it just wasn’t enough. So, here we are.”
“Makes complete sense.”
“In some regard, it does. Some folks think I’ve gone out of my mind.”
“Like Melanie?”
“Yes, like Melanie.”
“I’m sure she is just trying to watch out for her brother.”
“Yes, she is. She’s only a year older, but you’d think she was my mother at times.”
“Nothing wrong with that. Shows you are loved.”
“I suppose it does. How about you, Lorna? Who loves you?”
“I don’t know. My best friend, I suppose.”
“Your parents, they are still living, according to your paperwork, but you have no siblings.”
Lorna took a deep breath and squirmed a bit. It didn’t go unnoticed.
“I’m sorry, Lorna. You don’t have to answer that.”
“No. No. It’s okay. I just haven’t thought about my parents for a while. It’s sort of selective memory, I guess. I grew up in a not so nice place, what a lot of people would refer to as trailer trash. My parents both drank. My father took out his frustrations on my m
other and my mother, well, she took them out on me. So, I ran away to Hollywood where I could be someone else, anyone else.”
“That’s a hard story. Do you keep in touch at all?”
“I tried. They didn’t want to talk to me. I stopped trying.”
“It’s all you can do sometimes. So, about Hollywood. What made you give that up to become a surrogate? This is bound to interfere with your flexibility as an actress.”
“I wasn’t very successful at it in the first place and then this producer sort of blacklisted me, so everything dried up,” she confided.
“Blacklisted you? For what?”
Lorna took a deep breath and told him the story of Dallas Dalton, expecting the usual dismissal she got from men when she talked about it. After all, he hadn’t raped her or pinned her down. He had merely suggested they have sex and she had refused, then badmouthed him for it. She made him look bad simply for trying to make a connection. That was the way a lot of people saw what happened. Never mind that he had come for her career. That was perfectly okay, because she had gone for his first.
“Dallas Dalton, huh? I can’t believe no one has cut his junk off for him yet.”
“You know him?”
“Yeah. I’ve worked with him on a few of my films.”
“I see,” she replied.
“No. I don’t think you do see. No one approves of what he does, but he’s got a lot of money. I chose to stop working with him after I realized what a piece of shit he was, but not everyone is willing to do that.”
“But you didn’t speak up, either.”
“You think I should have.”
“Yes,” she said, being as honest as she knew how.
“How did that work out for you?”
“Not very well.”
“It would have been even less effective if I had said anything. I wasn’t involved in anything first-hand. It would have been dismissed as hearsay and, unless those women were willing to stand up beside me, there was little I could do.”
“You could have tried.”