Sometimes, I hated being right. Hearing her name again filled me with a dark anger and made me clench my jaw so tight, I was half-afraid I was going to crack a tooth.
“No,” I said simply.
“Come on, Malcolm, it's not like you two have to stay together forever,” she said. “She'd just be your surrogate. And once that was over, you two could go on your merry ways once more. It would be a mutually beneficial relationship.”
“At what cost, mom?” I asked her. “Because you know Danielle wouldn't agree to just being my surrogate. She'd try to wea
sel her way back into the family for some of the money as well. And as the mother of my child, she would have a solid claim.”
Mom sighed. “It might not be the best option, but it might be the only option, Malcolm,” she said. “You can't let Adam take over the company.”
“What if neither of us give dad a grandchild?” I asked. “Not like Adam has any options that I don't have. Maybe we'll both fail. What happens then?”
“Do you really want to take that chance, Malcolm?”
“It's at least worth talking about it,” I said. “What happens if neither of us give him a grandchild?”
“Only Terrance knows the answer to that one.”
“I'll talk to him,” I said. “Find out what the contingency plan is. And maybe, it'll be worth forgetting this whole thing after all.”
“Do you really want to let your father down, Malcolm?” she asked, her voice holding a hint of melancholy. “This is his dying wish – to have grandchildren. It's not just about who takes control of the company. This is about him wanting something good and pure in his life before he goes. And there is nothing more good and pure than children, sweetheart.”
She had a point, but it was asking for far too much, too fast. I reached across and took her hands in mine, trying to convey that with my eyes.
“I'm merely going to ask the question, Mom,” I said. “In the meantime, I'll be looking for other ways to give Dad his wish.”
Mom nodded her head just as Alba came into the room, carrying two mugs for us. She sat a mug of coffee down in front of me, and another one of tea for my mother. We stayed quiet with someone else in the room, even though Alba had known all our secrets over the years. This one though, seemed too personal. It was something I didn't want to share with anybody or have accidentally get out into the world. Alba flashed me a very maternal smile.
“You look stressed, Malcolm,” she said. “You really shouldn't stress so much. It's bad for you. Bad for your heart.”
“I wish it was that easy, Alba,” I said quietly.
“I know you, Malcolm,” she said. “There's no challenge you can't overcome. Not when your heart is in it. You're much like your father that way.”
“This might be out of my league even,” I said.
“Listen, I know what your father has asked you to do,” she said.
I looked up, shocked, but she smiled gently, patting my cheek like she'd done countless times when I was a little boy. She knew? I couldn't believe it. This didn't seem like something that should have been discussed outside the walls of dad's office.
But, Alba knew. And for that, in a way, I was glad. She'd always been good to me, acting as a second mother at times, and I hated keeping things from her.
“Women would be lining up to have your child, Malcolm,” Alba said. “Look what you could offer a child – wealth beyond most people's wildest dreams. Who wouldn't want that for their child?”
“And not be involved with the parenting themselves?” I asked, arching an eyebrow. “That seems less likely.”
“For the right price, anything is possible,” she said. “Just look around you, you have options. You just need to think of this as a business arrangement. You may need to think, as they say, outside the box a little bit.”
Alba and my mother exchanged a glance and then both of them turn and look at me, serious expressions on their faces. I could see the anticipation in both of their eyes.
“Alba is right, Malcolm. Take love out of the equation,” mom said. “Offer them money. However much it takes. And get Terrance to write up a binding contract that gives them no rights to the child once it's born. You really need to take the emotion out of it. This is a business deal and nothing more.”
Yeah, a business deal that consisted of bringing a brand-new life into this world. That's a pretty big fucking deal. But, I was willing to play this out with them and see where it goes.
“Okay, suppose that all works out and I find someone willing – then what?” I ask. “The clinic requires a six-week waiting period, remember?”
“Who said anything about using a clinic?” Mom shot me an almost sinister smile. “Son, I know it's awkward to talk about with your mother, but I know you understand how babies are made.”