Or more truthfully, I hadn’t paid enough attention to the man who’d done so much for me in order to see anything out of the ordinary. In my defense, I honestly thought the old cuss would outlive me.
A cool breeze blew, making him shiver. I got up and grabbed the blanket he always kept nearby and put it around his shoulders. Shoulders that had once been as broad as mine, but now were narrow and bony.
I tried not to notice that as I smoothed the fabric out over them. “Maybe we should head inside since the evening breeze has kicked up, Grandad.”
“No, I want to see the stars first. Even if it’s just a few of them, I want to see them. And not through a window either. I want to see them in all their glory.” He took in as deep a breath as he could, and it made him cough like crazy.
I didn’t know what to do. He hated it if I touched him when he had a fit like this. So, I could only stand there waiting for it to end and hoping it would end soon.
His eyes watered after the fit ended. He wiped them with the back of one hand. “Oh, hell. I hate this. I truly do.”
Patting him on the shoulder, I knew he did. “Well, hopefully, the medicine will soon make this all a thing of the past.”
He didn’t say a word to agree with me. “So, how’s the search for a surrogate mother coming along?”
“Poorly.” I took my seat again and picked up my beer to take another drink.
“You haven’t found anyone with good genes to do this for you? Are you offering enough money?” he asked. He seemed genuinely surprised that I hadn’t found anyone yet.
“I’m being tight-lipped about the exact amount I’m offering because it will depend on the woman and how badly I want her to be the one.” I had to take another drink to push Aspen’s face out of my mind.
She’d called me a playboy. She’d said I wasn’t the kind of man she’d leave a kid with. Who the hell was she to think anything about me?
“Not one of these women have caught your eye?” he asked.
“No.” I was lying. And he always knew that too.
“That was a little too quick,” he said as he looked at me with narrowed eyes. “You do have at least one you like.”
“I don’t like her. She said something kind of shitty to me.” I took another drink to drown the anger that was firing up inside of me. “She called me a playboy and told me I didn’t have any business with a kid all on my own.”
“Ha!” he laughed hard, triggering another coughing spell.
I felt bad for making him laugh like that. I hadn’t meant to. And I was kind of exaggerating what she’d said. Those weren’t her exact words, but they were implied.
Aspen Dell didn’t think I had any depth to me. She didn’t think I should have a kid on my own.
Who the hell is she?
She didn’t know me from Adam. She didn’t know a damn thing about me. Not the real me. Not the man I was. Or could be.
I usually wasn’t into women as gorgeous as her. Women with perfect bodies. Women with smiles that make your heart swell up and feel like it might burst if you don’t kiss those pretty pink lips.
My chest deflated as my grandfather said, “She’s right, you know.”
My jaw dropped. “If she’s right, then why are you demanding that I give you an heir?”
“I told you,” he growled. “For your sake. I don’t want you left here all alone. But you’ve got some changing and growing to do. I’m hoping a baby will help you make those changes. A good woman would help too. What’s this girl’s name and what does she do?”
“Aspen Dell and she’s a grad student in petroleum engineering,” I let him know.
I was braced for the fireworks when he burst out, “What? She sounds perfect for this family, Ransom. What are you waiting for? Woo her, boy. Give her the moon if she wants it.”
“She thinks I’m no good, Grandad. Didn’t you even listen to what I said?” I went to take another drink but found my beer empty. “Damn. I’ll be right back.” Stalking to the fridge that was just inside the door, I mumbled, “He thinks it’s so easy. He hasn’t met the woman. She’s mean. Downright mean. And she thinks she knows it all. She knows nothing. She thinks I’m a playboy. And who even says that word anymore? Playboy. Not me. Not anyone I know. She’s a frigid bitch is what she is. Well, bitch is a bit harsh, and she wasn’t that cold. But she’s something, alright. Something I don’t need or want.” Taking the beer out of the fridge, I slammed the door shut, popped the top and took a long swallow before going back outside to find my grandfather smiling his old ass off at me.
“You like her!”
“No. I kind of hate her as a matter of fact.” I plopped down in the chair and put the bottle to my lips again.
“Tell me what she looks like,” he pushed me.
“Long, dark, spiral curls. They go all the way to her perfect butt. Her eyes are light brown and they sparkle with dark green and gold flecks. She has these high cheekbones that remind me of a painting of an American Indian woman I saw once. Her lips are plump, and there’s the sharpest cupid’s bow at the top that I’ve ever seen. Her teeth are naturally perfect. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” I took another drink.
“She’s the one, Ransom. She’s the mother. If she’s nothing else, she’s that.” He tapped his chin as he pondered the situation. “Offer her more money than a sane woman can refuse. Make sure she knows that she can stay here at the estate with us. Make sure she knows that she gets to be this baby’s mother in every way. That she won’t lose him to you.”
“She won’t?” I had to ask. “What if I find someone I love and want to marry? That partner would become my kid’s mom?”
“You won’t.” He laughed again but stopped before he got all choked up on it. “If you do, then you can figure that out when the time comes. If she’s a good woman, and my bets are that she is, her biggest setback to this whole thing is walking away from a baby.”
“Yeah, I kinda got that vibe too.” I put the beer down to think more clearly. “But, I don’t know, Grandad. She might not ever come around to my way of thinking.”
“Make her.” He gave me a stern look. “I mean it. You’ve got to make her see that this is a great idea, and she will only gain from it. She won’t lose a damn thing. You make a contract that will make her feel secure about this. She’s a smart one if she’s going after that degree, I can tell you that. And frankly, you need a smart girl to be the mother of this baby. Your mother, God rest her soul and love her, wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack. You got a little of that dimness from her. Not all of it. Your daddy was one smart man. But you got some. You need another healthy dose of brains in any child you sire, Ransom. She’s the one. Don’t let her slip away.”
“She hasn’t called me. She may have already slipped away.” I wasn’t about to call her and beg her to be my baby’s momma. No fucking way in hell.
She’d insulted me!
Humiliated me!
Stomped all over my pride and dignity too!
“You have her number, I am sure,” he reminded me.
I did still have it. She was in the contacts list on my cell. As a matter of fact, I had looked up her name a few times each day, wondering if I’d missed a call from her.
But I hadn’t. And I wasn’t entirely sure that I would’ve taken the call if she had made one. Making her sweat might be nice.
Might? No, it definitely would be nice.
She was so perfect. So right. So responsible.
I was sure she would be a pain in my ass. But my grandfather was sitting there, staring a hole in me. “Call her, Ransom Whitaker. Make her an offer she can’t refuse.”
“I’m going to give her one more day to call me first. I’ve got some pride, you know. And then, if she doesn’t call, I’ll send her flowers and candy. Then maybe a nice bottle of wine to relax her a bit before I swoop in and sweep her off her feet.” I thought it was a great plan.
“You will do no such thing. She’s smart. You’ve got to
make this a business deal. She’s never going to fall for your bullshit. Not if she’s as smart as I think she is.” Grandad’s smile got cocky as he thought he knew how to play this girl. I knew he was in over his head. “Do things my way and watch her bend to our will, boy.”
Oh, I would love to watch her bend to my will. Grandad’s will? I wasn’t keen on that, but mine, oh hell yeah.
Am I really as nice as I think I am?
Chapter Ten
Aspen
Lubbock, Texas – May 19th
Heading into the registrar’s office, I had made my pact with the devil and was about to apply for financial aid. Student loans were never supposed to be in the cards, but I was desperate.
Sure, twenty thousand dollars would turn into thirty thousand, then forty thousand, and even fifty thousand dollars before I could pay it all off, but I had to finish my degree.
“Miss Dell, there you are,” the woman at the desk said as I pushed open the door to her office.
I couldn’t recall her name and had to look at the nameplate on her desktop. “Here I am, Miss...” I had to take a second to read the name. It couldn’t be right. There were too many Zs and even some Ks. Is that three Ys?
“They call me Miss Z,” she helped me out. “Please, take a seat. I’ve got a lot to talk to you about.”
I was optimistic that maybe there was good news ahead for me. Maybe she’d found some scholarships after she looked up my stellar grades? Maybe even some grants? I was all set to hear something great for a change. “Great. I’m all ears.”
“Okay, it seems that you don’t qualify for any grants,” she said as she removed her thick, black-rimmed glasses. She held then with a loose grip under her chin. “Or scholarships. And I’m afraid that without a guarantor, you don’t qualify for any student loans.”
“None?” I couldn’t believe what she’d said.
“No, ma’am.” She put those glasses right back on then set to tapping on the keyboard of her computer. “But you have a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering. My advice to you is to get a job using that degree. Once you’ve worked six months, you will qualify for a student loan.”
She thinks she has it all figured out.
Well, she didn’t. “I don’t have a car. Nor do I have a place to live in any of the cities where the jobs are. And at this time, I don’t even have a job to be able to save up to get a car. I need this financial help. I. Need. It.”
“Enunciating each word is an annoying habit you kids have,” she mumbled as she tapped away at her keyboard again.
“I’ve got one internship at a refinery here in Lubbock.” She stopped what she was doing and leaned in close to the computer screen. “Oh, that one doesn’t pay any money.” She looked back at me. “You do need to make money, right?”
Duh!
I didn’t say that. That would’ve been rude. I was never rude. “I have to make money. If I get a full-time job anywhere, then can I get the financial aid I need, before the fall semester starts?”
“Honey, you’ve got to have a job for six months,” she let me know. “There’s not that much time between now and September. I’m sorry. I really don’t know what else I can do for you.”
“I will do anything. Please. Anything at all,” I pleaded with her. “Give me anything you can. Please. I will crawl through fire to finish this degree.” I felt like an idiot.
Really, I’m begging to get into debt that will take me years and years to pay off?
Begging?
Her eyes closed as she seemed sad for me. At least there was that. Miss Z was sad for me. “Honey, you need to go do that begging to someone who can guarantee this loan for you. Do you know anyone at all who could do that? Any member of your family that’s worked a job for at least six months? A friend who trusts you to pay the money back, so they don’t have to?”
I had Cher. She’d worked for three years. “I know someone!”
“Great.” She got ready to tap away on her keyboard again. “What’s the job and how long has she had it? Oh, yeah, and it is full-time, right?”
“Wrong.” I felt sick. “It’s just part-time. She’s an art major here.”
“That means she already has her own student loans, and she couldn’t sign for yours anyway. Sorry.” She did look sorry; I had to give her that. “If you find anyone else, then all you’ve got to do is come back here, and I’ll make it happen for you. Don’t forget, we have to get this all squared away before September the first.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I got up, left her small office, and went straight to the nearest ladies’ room to bawl my eyes out.
I was done. Finished. It was all over.
My dreams had been squashed.
Not one of my roommates had a car for me to borrow to get to those out-of-town interviews.
I didn’t have money to take a bus. And even if I borrowed some, then what?
Take the bus to an interview, maybe get a job, and then what?
The companies I’d seen that might hire me were in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. Where would I live if I got a job?
My future had always been bright; now it was as black as a moonless night. Now it was like stepping off a cliff into the deepest water on Earth. Crocodile-infested water.
Yes, it was that bad.
My feet weighed a thousand pounds as I walked back to my apartment. The sun baked my body. I didn’t care. Cook me alive, you stupid sun!
At least then I wouldn’t have to worry anymore.
If I’d been a drinker, I would’ve poured myself into a bottle and never come out. Life seemed that bleak right now.
No one had asked me to even one interview. I’d turned in seven applications, I’d made calls to each place, and was told over and over again that I was overqualified for the available position.
I told them I would do anything. Sweep. Mop. Clean toilets. You name it, I would do it. But each time the respectful answer would be ‘no’.
What was I supposed to do?
I couldn’t expect my new roommates to carry me. I couldn’t expect them to let me stay past the end of the month if I couldn’t contribute to any of the bills for the next month.
Hell, I only had enough money to buy one more week’s worth of Top Ramen.
Top Ramen!
I’d hit the bottom, and it was hard.
I found only Margo home when I got there. Of course, she was the only one there. Our other roommates had jobs!
“I’ve got great news,” she shouted as she met me at the door.
She hugged me and started jumping up and down. I didn’t join her. My shoulders slumped, my body deflated, I asked, “What is it?”
“I’ve got a job!” she shrieked.
“That’s great,” I said without a bit of sincerity. “I’m so happy for you.”
Letting me go, she stepped back to look at me. “Really? Cause you don’t seem that happy for me.”
I went to flop down on the sofa. “I am. Where did you get a job at?”
“The cleaners down the street.” She came to sit on the end of the sofa, by my feet.
I’d applied for that job too. Funny how I didn’t get it.
“I’m really happy for you, Margo. I am.” It didn’t sound like I meant it but I sort of did. “I applied for that too. Apparently, I didn’t get it.” I said drolly.
“I’m sorry. Something will come up, Aspen. I’m sure it will.” She pulled one of my flip-flops off to rub my foot for me. She was a great friend like that. “At least I’ll be there if anything opens up, and I’ll bring you in.”
“Yeah. Cher said the same for Chick-fil-A, and even Anna said the same for Long John Silver’s.” I stopped to make a long sigh. “A woman with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, and my biggest prospects are in fast food and laundry. What a winner I am.”
“What about that financial aid thingy you’ve been talking about this morning? From what I hear, you can get more money than you need for your classes, and you can liv
e off that until you find something.” Smiling brightly, Margo thought she’d said something that would make me happy.
“I can’t get financial aid. I’m not eligible for any scholarships or grants either. The lady at that office told me to use the degree I’ve got to get a job.” I had to pause to huff; I was so depressed. “Only those jobs are in other towns. Towns I can’t get to. Even if I could, I wouldn’t have a place to live.”
Margo got up to go into the kitchen without saying a word. I next heard her talking on the phone for the better part of an hour. I did nothing other than breathe and stare at the walls.
When she came back to stand in front of me, she sounded upbeat. “Okay, I’ve called everyone I know. I’ve got the solution for you, Aspen Dell.”
Sitting up slowly, I wondered if she’d found me something to do. It wouldn’t get me back into classes in the fall, but it might keep a roof over my head and food in my stomach. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She took a seat next to me, put her arm around my shoulders, and hugged me tightly. “You see, you have this option. It’s not the most favorable or the most popular, but you’ve got one. And it may allow you to finish your degree on time.”
“I don’t understand.” I really didn’t. “What are you talking about?”
“Ransom Whitaker.” She smiled like she’d said something that would actually work.
“Are you nuts?” I had to ask. Sometimes crazy people will admit to their breakdown.
“No, but you’re desperate, and I think this is your only hope.” She reached over and took my phone out of my pocket. “Call him.”
“I don’t think he wants me anymore.” I was sure he didn’t. “He hasn’t called. Nothing. Not even a text. I went too far. I made him not like me. Maybe even hate me.”
“You’re gorgeous, and you’ve got excellent genes. He still wants you. Believe me, he does. He might make you sweat a bit, but you can take the heat.” She pushed the phone into my hand. “Make the call. I’ll be right here for emotional support.”
“And if he tells me to fuck off, then what?” I asked her because I wasn’t sure what I would do if he said that to me.
The Virgin's Baby_A Forced Marriage Romance Page 6