It was clear she hadn't left home with too much, and it was easy for me to see how self-conscious she was about how she was dressed. She’d keep fidgeting with her clothes, her hands tugging on her t-shirt, or wiping her palms down her thighs. I could have told her she didn’t need to be.
I was used to seeing women in the best designer clothes, and yet, most of them didn’t hold half the appeal she did in her old, tight jeans and a ratty t-shirt.
The next morning I put Edward in a car to take him to his grandma’s place, where he would stay for a week. I could tell the little guy didn’t want to go. He held on tightly to my shirt as I carried him over, looking at me with wide, pleading eyes that almost made me cave.
But, I was technically doing this for him.
“You’re just going to visit grandma, Eddie,” I said coaxingly. “You miss grandma, don’t you? She wants to see you, too, you know. Besides, you already promised you’d go.”
He pouted and tugged on my shirt. I sighed.
“You want me to go, too?”
He nodded.
“I can't, son. We have a guest, remember? I can't just leave her alone. But, I’ll tell you what, I’m going to have a nice surprise for you soon, okay? Do you trust daddy?”
He ducked his head down so I couldn’t see his eyes, but he nodded. I grinned.
“All right. I’ll see you in a week.”
He wrapped his arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. I returned the hug before leaving him to my bodyguard team. They were men I’d known long before Edward was born, so I trusted him with them. I would have loved to take him myself, but I needed to talk to Lexi, and we had to have an agreement before I let her spend too much time with my son.
Chances were, she would be leaving after the deal was done. It would be bad for Edward if he got used to her, only for her to leave.
I waited until the car was completely out of sight, then turned back to the house. My mom had a system much like my own set up so we could have video calls every night before Edward went to sleep. Hopefully, it would be enough to help him relax so he could have fun on his trip.
As I walked inside, I caught sight of Lexi walking down the stairs. She was in another pair of jeans, these just as skin-tight, but older than the other pair she’d had on. They had rips on both knees, and a hole lower down on one leg. I caught myself staring at the pale skin underneath, wanting to see more. She was running her hands through her hair, with a hair band on one wrist, so she probably wanted to put it up. I just barely held back the command to leave it down. She looked better that way.
“Is something going on?” she asked innocently.
I shook my head. “My son is just going on a trip. He’ll be staying with my mom for a week.”
I waited until she walked all the way down the stairs and stopped in front of me.
“I’d like to talk to you, in the library,” I said, heading that way, and she fell into step beside me. “I think it’s about time I tell you exactly what it is you’re here for.”
“Oh,” she murmured. “You mean the job you mentioned?”
I hummed. I pretended not to notice how she kept looking at me out the corner of her eye.
Inside the library, I led her over to my desk in the back. There was a separate area for sitting, but I liked working in the library sometimes, because it was so quiet and peaceful, even though I had a home office. The desk was hidden around some bookcases and wasn’t easy to notice from the doorway or the seating area, unless you walked around. Lexi had been in the library before, but she hadn't been here, the sound of surprise she made gave her away.
“I have a contract ready for you,” I said, walking around the desk and sitting down. The desk had drawers that opened by thumbprint, which was why I was usually comfortable leaving some of my things for work in here, instead of my more secure home office. “Please sit down and read through it. If there’s anything you’d like to discuss, let me know. Before you read the real contract, though, I need you to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Do you know what that is?”
She nodded slowly as she took the file I held out to her, then sat down opposite me.
“It means, I keep quiet about everything, or you can sue me.”
My lips quirked in a small smile. “More or less,” I agreed. “Everything is in there. Sign the contract on top first, that’s the NDA.”
I handed her a pen, which she also took. She read through the NDA, then signed it, and handed it back to me. I looked it over, nodded, and set it down. Then I turned to her expectantly. She was looking at me.
“Can I just ask what this is about first?” she asked. “I mean… I’m going to read through it, but it’s three pages long. So if I could have a summary…?”
I pressed my lips together tightly. I would have preferred if she just read it instead of me having to say it. I didn’t want to sound like a nut or a creepy old man. Not that there were that many years between us. But still.
“I’ll keep it simple, then,” I muttered. I took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh as I slumped back into my seat, crossing my legs and placing my folded hands on my thigh. “What I need most right now, Lexi, is a baby. A sibling for my son. I haven’t been able to find the right woman to carry him yet… at least until I met you. So basically, I’m asking you to carry a child for me.”
She spent a moment just staring at me, mouth slightly parted. I waited, my heart beating fast and hard in my chest, but the nerves I felt weren’t visible on the outside.
When she did break the silence, her words surprised me.
“Is this a joke?”
It wasn’t quite the reaction I’d expected. She hadn't even tried to fight against it. Instead of looking angry, or unsure, she was confused.
“No, it’s not,” I said.
She blinked and looked down at the contract. “Oh.”
I tilted my head a little to the side, frowning at this girl. ‘Oh’ wasn’t any better a reaction, but I didn’t think I’d be getting more from her.
“I’ve been looking for someone for a few months. But I don’t want just anyone. So far, you seem like the perfect candidate, for various reasons that I can tell you, if you want to know. Also, you look like you have nowhere to go. I’m not sure where you spent the past couple nights…”
She glanced up. “Um, I had some cash saved up. Not a lot, but enough to get me a couple of nights at a small motel not far from where the McDonald’s was. And the cab fare to get here after that. I’m… broke right now.”
“Ah.” I nodded. “That’s good then, that you were fine.” I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on the desk, then resting my chin on my folded hands. “Well, just go over the contract for now. You can let me know if you’ll be taking it on or not. If not… I won’t just toss you out; I’ll find you something else. If you are okay with it, however, we can start tonight.”
Lexi looked up at me with another blink. “I’m sorry, start what? Will we be going to a hospital, or…”
“Oh.” She must not have understood before. I took another bracing breath. “I might have neglected to mention the big catch. Though it’s all in the contract, you could just read it…”
“What do you mean?” she insists stubbornly, frowning.
I smiled. It was the most reaction I’d seen from her so far. “I mean, this baby is going to be conceived naturally.”
Her jaw dropped, eyes widening in a show of surprise, the reaction I’d been expecting. Her lips rounded in a silent ‘oh’ as she looked back down at the contract.
“How did you even know my full legal name?” she asked, frowning down at the documents in her hands. “I only introduced myself as Lexi when we met.”
I almost snorted at the question. It had been twenty-four hours already. I’d had to go on a quick trip, or I would have had her meet me today, but this was so much more convenient. Of course, I had everything on her with that kind of time.
“You didn’t give me much, but it was enough to hand over
to an investigative team, and they did all the work. I have just the right people, and they do good work. I wouldn’t give this kind of offer to just anyone I met in McDonald’s without looking into them a little more.”
“And… you found nothing wrong with my background?” she asked slowly, glancing up at me.
I shook my head. “Nothing that bothered me. I still think you’re the perfect candidate.”
She nodded slowly, then looked down at the document again.
“Any more questions?” I asked.
She shook her head.
I pursed my lips, wishing she would look up or give me a verbal answer. What she’d displayed so far was hardly enough to go on, and I didn’t know if she would take on the job or not. I was hoping for a yes, but I knew well that could be asking for a miracle.
I didn’t want to bother her or lead her into the decision. It had to be hers, or we could both regret it in the months to come.
“Good,” I murmured, then got up to leave her in the library. I’d give her to the end of the day.
If she still didn’t have the answer by then… I’d give her another day.
Chapter 7 - Lexi
I wasn’t sure how long I spent in that library after Ryan left me alone. I read over the contract, line by line. Considering how big a thing this was, I couldn’t afford to miss any fine print.
It was all pretty straightforward, though. The extra pages just explained the rules of the contract. My eyes blew wide open when I saw the amount I would be getting in compensation. I’d never dreamed I could see that many zeros anywhere outside of a mathematics textbook.
“Don’t be swayed, Lexi,” I warned myself, forcing my eyes to keep reading. “You will not sign your life away, even for that much money.”
It was tempting, though. With it, not only could I get to do whatever I wanted in college, but I could get myself a place to stay, and I could last some months after school without getting a job.
It would be so perfect if it weren’t for the stipulation that the child had to be conceived through natural means.
That might not be so bad…
I gasped at the thought that entered my mind and slapped myself lightly on the cheek.
“You will not think like that!” I hissed to myself.
But… I had to admit Ryan was attractive. Hell, the man was gorgeous! I was still wondering why I hadn't come across his wife, or even a picture of her, yet. Surely, she would be some beautiful woman worthy of the big screen. So I didn’t get what he meant by the ‘perfect candidate.’ My life was so damn flawed. Unless he just found it convenient that I had nowhere to go and had few choices available to me.
Whatever the reason, this was a job, and I was going to look at it objectively. Or I would try anyway.
He and I were going to sleep together to conceive a child. There were alarms ringing in my head at that thought, but not that kind of alarm. I was a virgin; I’d never been with a guy that way before, but I’d thought of sex like most healthy teenagers. Ryan’s maturity and looks were a lot in his favor. If it didn't feel so much like I was prostituting myself, a part of me would have been tempted to jump into it for that alone.
The most important rule was, once I had the child, I could not take him or her away from Ryan. It wasn’t expressly stated, but I figured, after the deed was done and I’d looked after the child for the first three months of life, I was free to go. That part bothered me just a little bit. Yes, my job was to play surrogate. But it would still be hard to have my first baby and just give him, or her, away.
For a lot of reasons, the biggest one being the payout, it was a good deal. For about as many reasons, I felt uneasy.
“Do I take the deal, or do I tell him no deal,” I muttered to myself.
I’d finished reading the contract, and I placed it on top of the desk, though I continued to stare at it. Like, if I stared long enough, the correct answer would just jump out at me. After sitting and thinking a while, I still had nothing. I sighed and looked away.
Confused and unable to make a decision, I decided a walk might do me good.
“I wonder how big this house is,” I mused to myself as I walked out of the library. Now that I’d seen the section with Ryan’s tucked away office, I realized there were more shelves beyond it that I hadn't noticed before.
On my first day, I’d had a bit of a tour, courtesy of Grace. I decided to go around while trying to look for her. She was the only other person, besides Ryan, that I’d even talked to. Only, it wasn’t so easy to find her. The house was so large I felt like a curious child exploring.
I did come across a few maids, but none of them were Grace. Still, I tried to talk to them, with poor results.
“Hello?” I said to the first. But she just smiled at me, nodded a little, and walked right past me without pausing, carrying some towels.
“Excuse me?” I said to the second one, who I found taking care of some flower arrangements inside the house. She glanced at me, probably assuming I wanted her gone, and with a nodding-bow, she walked out. I just watched her go with my jaw dropped, but no words coming out of my mouth.
What the fuck?
The third I found dusting in one of the rooms. I wasn’t sure how many rooms I’d been through by then because I wasn’t keeping count. There were a lot, though. I watched her for a moment before attempting to approach her. She glanced at me when I first walked in but didn’t stop working.
“Um, is there anything I can help with?” I asked hesitantly. “Like, maybe some chores that no one has attended to yet?”
She looked up and smiled at me, shook her head, then went back to her job.
After that, I just stopped bothering them. Either they were not used to interacting with the people of the house, or they just didn’t like me, or want to speak to me. I went a bit further, but I didn’t find Grace, and I couldn’t help a sigh of disappointment.
I did come across something else, though, that was probably better. Family photos. None with the wife in them, but plenty with Ryan and his son from when he was a baby, and plenty of other people I didn’t recognize.
“He is handsome,” I muttered to myself. “And he looks so much better when he smiles. Like, smiles…”
I’d seen him smile, of course, but every time it was more like a polite quirk of the lips than a true smile. I could see it in the photos, though. He was beaming down as he held a newborn Edward in his arms, all bundled up in soft blankets. In another photo, father and son were smiling together, Ryan lifting Edward high up over his head. Plenty of other photos of the two of them just playing together caught on camera. Loving memories… the kind I never had.
He wasn’t as serious then as he is now. I even found a recent photo, where both of them were beaming at the camera. Or maybe, the person behind it? Thinking about it, Ryan wasn’t the only one that was different. I hadn't been around Edward that much, but he didn’t look like the same happy child as in those pictures.
I wondered what had happened to them, and if I was allowed to know.
Regardless, he wants me to carry a child for him. Maybe, it’s for the both of them?
With a heavy heart, I retraced my steps back the way I’d come, then made my way to my room. I sighed as I closed the door behind me, then fell on top of the bed, squirming until I was lying on my back, pushed up against the pillows.
“What’s the right answer, here?” I asked out loud. I didn’t expect an answer… but it would have been helpful if I had someone else to ask for this shit.
Thinking that I sat up. I had my phone on the nightstand where it had stayed since I’d arrived here. I still hadn't contacted any of my old friends, and I thought about it again for probably the nth time. Who could I call to ask about this? Maybe Elise…? But I sighed and dropped that thought. I couldn’t call her, or even any of the others. This wasn’t exactly a normal situation, and I had already signed an NDA. I didn’t need to make Ryan mad, and something told me that he would find out if I mentioned the
current situation to anyone, even if I didn’t mention any names and tried to make it all hypothetical.
“There isn’t much of choice, is there?” I muttered, frowning at my phone. “He obviously needs this… his son, too. The money is pretty great. I’d be an idiot not to pick this. A win-win, for all three of us…”
That was the thought I had in mind as I got off my bed, leaving my phone back on the nightstand. I walked out of the room and made my way back to the library. I headed for the desk where I’d left the contract and pen.
I picked up the contract but hesitated. I’d made my decision, and I knew Ryan was right. He couldn’t just pick anyone he’d run into. I didn’t know why he’d picked me, and I suddenly regretted not asking. I realized I was pretty much ready to sign my life away, at least for the next several months, probably a year. It was a big step to take, even bigger than my decision to leave my mom and home when I had no plans.
Well. You’re on a roll with the impulsive decisions, so why not?
This decision wasn’t so impulsive, though. I’d thought it through, the pros and the cons.
I picked up the pen and turned the pages of the contract to where the dotted line was. I signed my name without a second’s hesitation. I’d expected for my heart to feel heavy, but instead, I only felt relief.
Chapter 8 - Lexi
I’d signed the contract. Now, if only I could find some way to inform Ryan.
“Where the hell could he have gone anyway?” I muttered to myself.
My stomach growled, and I only then realized I hadn't eaten anything yet. I sighed, rubbing my stomach, though it wasn’t exactly something new to me. There’d been plenty of times when I’d skipped breakfast. A short stay at Ryan’s was just changing that, little by little. Not only were the meals here three times a day, but they were also quite lavish and intricate. By dessert, I was full, but ate it anyway.
“Maybe I should go look for the kitchen… he might just be giving me time like the gentleman he is.”
It must have been several hours since I woke up already, and only a little less since he left me alone. It was probably lunchtime for my stomach to be complaining…
The Baby Contract: A Single Dad Romance Page 4