The Baby Interview

by Robbie Terman

  Besides, they came from two different worlds. Even without his mother continuously telling her, Lucy knew she'd never fit in.

  So in a moment of pure sensation, she had still been able to keep her head on straight and stop. She'd hated the pained expression on Cole's face, the look of confusion, and then acrimony. In the end, though, she had done what was necessary to preserve what was left of her heart.

  The only thing she could do now was move on with her life. Before meeting Cole, Ben had been the most important person in the world to her. When she got to Ann Arbor, Lucy intended to make sure Ben knew he could always count on her.

  Amber answered the door when Lucy arrived. Glancing indiscreetly at her watch, she saw it was only ten in the morning. Amber must have spent the night.

  Lucy forced a smile anyway. After a mental reminder that Ben was old enough to do what he wanted, she asked, “Is Ben awake?"

  "Sure.” Amber moved aside so Lucy could get in the door.

  "Hey, Luce!” Wearing his boxers and a T-shirt, Ben was standing at the counter of his kitchen/living room, mixing ingredients in a bowl. “I'm making pancakes."

  "Great.” Lucy forced out the words, trying to hide her disturbance. The scene was so domestic with Ben cooking breakfast and Amber setting the small table. Occasionally, they gave each other goofy grins.

  She was happy Ben was dating, really she was. But now was not the time for him to be in a serious relationship. What if he ended up going to Stanford? Would Amber follow him there? And if so, how would that affect his studies? There were so many questions, and when she had time alone with him, she would express them.

  "Let me help you with breakfast,” Lucy offered. Now was not the time to get into a big discussion. “You shouldn't be on that leg."

  Ben waved her off with a spatula. “I feel great. Leg's not bothering me at all. Sit."

  "At least let me finish setting the table."

  "Not necessary,” Amber said. “I'm just about finished. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

  "Sure,” Lucy murmured. She sat at the table while Amber poured her a cup.

  It felt odd. She had never just sat around with nothing to do, being waited on. Her life had been about movement. Taking care of Ben and their dad. Running the flower shop. No one had taken care of her since her mother's death.

  Until Cole, her annoying little conscience reminded her.

  She pushed the thought out of her head. Cole wanted something from her. He had been nice to her simply because he wanted her to agree to the surrogacy.

  But he didn't have to defend you to his parents, the annoying little voice shot back. Or drive you to the hospital to see Ben. He certainly didn't have to eat a fish-fly covered candy apple with you at the Fish Fly Festival.

  She snorted on her laughter, and Amber and Ben looked at her. “Sorry. Just thinking about something else."

  The three of them shared a pleasant breakfast of pancakes and eggs. After Amber cleaned up—she insisted that Lucy not lift a finger—she left to do some work at the library. Finally, Lucy and Ben were alone.

  "How are you really feeling?” Lucy asked. She sat beside Ben on his dilapidated couch.

  "I told you I feel great. Honest, Luce. You need to stop worrying."

  "I've been thinking. Maybe you should come home with me for a little bit. I don't think you're giving your leg enough time to heal. Do you really think you're ready to go back to work tomorrow?"

  He gave her the same annoyed look he used to give her when he was little, when he'd want to play football in the middle of January without a winter coat. His head tilted back, his eyebrows lifted and his lower lip hung slightly. “I'm twenty-one years old. I can't come running home every time something goes wrong."

  "You were hit by a car!"

  "Yeah, and I feel fine now.” His voice was stern, a tone she'd never heard from him before. “You have to let me live my own life, Lucy. I want to stay here. And you don't have to worry about me being alone. Amber is with me."

  "You can't be serious.” The words were coming out all wrong, but she couldn't seem to stop them. “What about medical school? You're going to California. I hope you're not going to give up your dreams for a girl."

  Ben looked at her, his face softening, and he put a hand on her shoulder. “Amber got into Stanford's Law School. We'll both be there together. I love her, Lucy. And she loves me."

  Lucy choked on tears. She couldn't help it. “This is it.” She wasn't sure how coherently the words were coming out of her quivering mouth. “You really don't need me anymore."

  Ben pulled her to him and enveloped her in his arms. They were strong now. Not like the skinny, scrawny arms that held her when their parents died. “You're my sister. I'll always need you."

  Lucy sobbed openly now. But while she felt the pain of losing the brother she'd practically raised, she also felt proud. She had raised a good man.

  After a few minutes, the tears abated. “Sometime soon I'd like you to bring Amber home for dinner. I'd like to get to know her better."

  Ben nodded. “We'd both like that, too."

  Lucy stood up. “Thanks for breakfast. I think I'm going to head home now and let you rest that leg before your big day tomorrow."

  Moving like an expert on his crutches, Ben followed her to the door. “Thanks for checking on me. I love you, Luce."

  She hugged her brother. “Love you too, Bennie."

  "Hey Luce,” he said as she stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  "Yeah?"

  "Say ‘hi’ to Cole for me."

  "He's not ... we're not ... I'm...” She didn't know how to finish.

  Ben just grinned. “Don't worry. He'll be back."

  * * * *

  Nausea rolled through Lucy's stomach before she even opened her eyes. With a hand over her mouth, she ran to the bathroom, barely making it before losing last night's dinner. After emptying the contents of her stomach, she fell against the tiled floor, too dizzy to move.

  "It's the flu,” she whispered to herself. “I must have caught the flu.” But even as she tried to convince herself, she knew it was a lie. She hadn't picked up the flu in mid-July. Her nausea was caused by something else. Or someone else.

  When she was able to stand, she dressed quickly in jeans and a tank top and drove to a nearby drugstore.

  She came home with a home-pregnancy test.

  Less than five minutes later, Lucy's life changed forever.

  She was pregnant.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Ten

  "What do you want to do?"

  Lucy looked up at Sarah and gaped.

  Sarah had made it over in record time after Lucy's frantic phone call. Now Lucy was huddled on the couch, her friend's comforting arms around her.

  "Do? I want to go back to that night and use a condom. No. I want to go back to the afternoon of Cole's party and tell his mother off instead of letting her goad me into showing up that evening.

  "Since my time machine is broken, I guess you'll have to deal with this instead of wishing it never happened."

  Lucy hated when Sarah was sensible. She could have spent all day, weeks really, playing the coulda, woulda, shoulda game. But Sarah was forcing her to accept the situation and decide what to do. As if she had a choice.

  "I have to have it, don't I?” Lucy pondered, more to herself than Sarah. “Cole wants a child so badly."

  "You never agreed to carry his child,” Sarah argued. “And you're under no obligation to him. You need to do what's best for you. Have you ever thought about having kids?"

  "Some day I imagined having a baby. Not like this, though.” Lucy thought she was cried out, but another stream of tears ran down her face. “I thought I'd be married, with a husband who loved me.” Her voice broke on a sob. “Cole doesn't want me. He just wants a child."

  Sarah's arm tightened around her. “If you don't want to have it—"

  "I do.” The words ripped from Lucy's mouth. She looked at Sar
ah, startled by her own fiery response. “I don't know where that came from."

  "From your heart, I would guess.” Sarah's face brightened. “I'm going to be an aunt! Or godmother. Or both!” She gave a little squeal. “Lucy, you're going to be a mother!"

  For the first time since getting the results of the pregnancy test, Lucy grinned. “It is kind of incredible, isn't it?"

  Sarah nodded. “When are you going to tell Cole?"

  Lucy's grin fell into a frown. “Do I really have to tell him?” She wasn't serious, just wishful.

  "He's going to be thrilled."

  "Of course he is. He got what he wanted,” Lucy said with bitterness. “I'm scared, Sarah. I'm scared he's going to try to buy this child from me, or force me out of the baby's life. He's a millionaire. I have no money to fight him in court."

  "You're putting the cart before the horse, as usual. Talk to Cole before you start freaking out. You said you've become friends. Don't assume his motives haven't changed."

  "We didn't part on very good terms last weekend. I got the impression he'd given up on me.” She told Sarah the edited version of what had happened. “I was still upset about his mother's visit.” Lucy covered her eyes and groaned. “Oh, god! His mother. She's going to take this so badly, her face might actually move!"

  She and Sarah started laughing. Then Sarah's face sobered. “You have to tell him, Luce."

  "I know. I will."

  Maybe.

  * * * *

  "Call her."

  "I'm not calling her."

  "Call her."

  "I'm not—” Cole bit his tongue, stopping the exchange with Nanny Hilda. He was having flashbacks to his youth and the fights they had over him eating his vegetables. “I couldn't convince Lucy to be a surrogate mother, so it's time to move on."

  Nanny Hilda planted her hands on her large hips. “We both know your spending time with Lucy had nothing to do with wanting a child. You fell in love with that girl."

  "I did not."

  "Did too."

  "Did no—I'm not starting this again.” He could argue with Nanny Hilda until the end of time and he'd never be able to convince her she was wrong.

  Which she was. Very wrong. He was not in love with Lucy.

  Sure, he had feelings for her. Friendship, certainly. She was fun, sweet, loving. He was concerned about what happened to her. He wanted to take care of her. That wasn't love.

  Was it?

  He thought back to those first few months with Pam. Theirs had been a passionate, frantic, whirlwind affair. They'd met through a mutual friend, and he had been immediately smitten. For weeks, he had wooed her with expensive gifts, extravagant dinners, and spur-of-the-moment trips to New York and Miami. The more money he spent, the more she had clung to him, declaring her love. When he had proposed after only two months, she answered by dragging him to Tiffany & Co. for a bigger diamond.

  Lucy spurned his gifts and his wealth. To her, a romantic getaway was a day at the Fish Fly Festival. She would gladly trade in a four-star dinner for the local hole-in-the-wall diner. Had he asked any of the women of his acquaintance to be a surrogate, they would have responded by holding out a hand, palm up. Lucy, who truly needed the money, had turned him down flat. She couldn't be bought.

  Maybe that's why he liked her, why he respected her. Why he'd wanted to create a child with half her genes.

  No, it wasn't love. Nanny Hilda would just have to accept that.

  "I like Lucy, but this is as far as our relationship is going. It's over."

  * * * *

  Lucy stood outside of Cole's door, hands in her pockets. Despite the eighty-five degree temperature, she was shaking.

  She'd put off telling Cole for a few days, but after a couple of sleepless nights, she knew she had to do it. She had bags under her eyes, her skin was pale, and between the bouts of morning sickness, she was too nervous to eat. If Cole discovered she wasn't eating properly, he'd probably force-feed her. No doubt he knew the exact proportions an expectant mother should be eating.

  Her heart pounded so loudly, she wasn't sure if she even needed to bother knocking. Inhaling a swift breath of courage, she rang the doorbell and waited.

  Cole answered just short of her fainting from lack of oxygen. His eyes widened to the size of silver dollars. “Lucy.” He said her name not as a greeting, but on an exhale, as if he had to convince himself she was real.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Too many words were jumbled in her brain. They alternated between a tirade about using protection to admitting she was in love with him. Suddenly, the situation was just too much for her to handle.

  She was about to turn and flee when he grabbed her arm. “Come in."

  Her skin warmed instantly where he touched her. She wanted to cuddle against him, steal his warmth. But fear kept her upright, walking steps she didn't remember.

  He took her to the second floor, bypassing the main floor mausoleum. The TV was on, a Detroit Tigers ballgame playing. On the coffee table was a bag of chips and a few beers.

  "Wow,” Lucy managed. “I wouldn't have thought you were a beer drinker."

  Cole displayed his dimple. “Can't watch a ballgame without beer."

  She checked the labels. “Imported. Figures.” She immediately felt bad when his dimple disappeared. She cleared her throat. “I won't bother you for very long—"

  "You're not bothering me."

  His gaze was filled with tenderness. Usually they were hard, challenging, as if he had to be on guard at all times. Strange that this was one of those times when he looked on her with sincere warmth—he didn't even know yet that he'd achieved what he wanted.

  "Sit down."

  She preferred to stand and keep the exit in sight, but he was already on the couch, patting the seat beside him. Back straight, she sat close to the edge.

  "How are you?” Cole asked.

  "Pregnant."

  She hadn't meant for it to come out that way. She had prepared a whole speech, one she'd practiced the entire drive over. Well, she had gone about it a little backwards, but she still intended to make her position clear.

  She turned to face Cole. As expected, the grin on his face had reached epic proportions.

  Letting out a whoop, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. She groaned from his stronghold and with a laugh, he released her. “Thank you,” he said.

  "We need to make some things clear.” Lucy decided to lay down the law immediately. “I did not get pregnant because you offered me money. And I am not giving up my child. You'd better get that idea out of your head right now."

  "Of course not. Lucy, I've already told you we would raise this child together.” His smile remained, but his eyes turned serious. “I know this isn't what you wanted, and I truly do regret making love to you without protection, but I promise I will always take care of this child. And you."

  Her limbs turned mushy. He looked so happy, so excited, it was impossible not to catch some of his enthusiasm. And if he truly meant what he said about raising this child together, maybe his feelings of friendship had changed into something more. If she was confessing things today, perhaps it was time to confess one more thing.

  "Marry me, Lucy."

  Apparently he was going to do the confessing first. She knew how he felt about marriage. If he was proposing, he had to be in love with her, too.

  Emotions ranging from happiness to outright relief clogged her throat, temporarily preventing her from speaking. It took several minutes of silence to gain control. Her mouth finally opened. The “yes” rose from her throat, ready to belt out from deep within her lungs. Her heart nearly leapt from her chest, ready to confess its undying love. And then as quickly as the affirmation rose, if fizzled in her throat.

  "A marriage of convenience,” Cole continued. “No, that's not really the right word. A marriage of friendship. We'll get married right away, so the child will be legitimate. After the baby's born, we can divorce and share joint
custody."

  "Divorce?"

  Cole nodded. “Or we can stay married and work together as friends. I think it could work?"

  The air conditioning suddenly made it feel like she was sitting in an icebox. Goose bumps crawled over her skin. “And we each date people on the side?” she bit out. “Hoping we can think of a good explanation when our child asks why daddy has a bimbo in his bed?” She shot to her feet, heat coming back into her body as if it were a furnace. “I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on Earth."

  Cole stood up, his face darkening. “I'm sorry. I didn't know I was offering such a bad deal. A nice house, financial security, Ben's medical school tuition."

  Lucy gasped. “Don't you dare try to coerce me with Ben's education! I told you, I'm not for sale."

  "I didn't mean it that way. I'm not trying to buy you or this child."

  "Could have fooled me."

  Cole tried to grab her hand, but she pulled away. “Lucy, please. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I just want to help you. I'm not trying to steal your child away by bribing you."

  "Of course not,” Lucy replied bitterly. “You've already tried that. And why are you suddenly worried about the baby being legitimate? You didn't care before."

  "Before, I intended to enter into a business arrangement with a surrogate mother. It's done all the time. But this is a different situation. We're both going to be raising this child.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you so mad? I thought we were friends."

  Lucy's eyes filled with tears and she fought to contain them. “Fine. We're friends. And friendship doesn't make a marriage. I can't marry you."

  To her surprise, he stepped back as if stung by her words.

  "Okay. We won't marry. But you're not keeping me out of this child's life."

  Cole stared at the woman he loved, trying to figure out how the happiest moment of his life had so quickly unraveled to his worst. The moment he had opened the door and saw Lucy standing there, he'd known he was in love with her.

  The past few days, thinking their relationship was over, had felt like being stuck in a sweltering desert with no water in sight. The mere sight of her had quenched his thirst, brought him back to life. Then, when she'd told him she was pregnant, it seemed as if all his dreams had suddenly come true.