A Mother's Secrets (Parent Portal 4)

Feeling surreal, sitting there in that situation without forewarning, Christine tried to rein in emotions gone haywire. To find her zen.

“Excuse me,” the judge spoke up, glancing at Christine. “Please understand, I didn’t foresee this meeting happening with you sitting here, though I’m glad that you are here so we can all be on the same page. I want you to know that I am immensely grateful to you for giving of yourself so unselfishly and making it possible for our family to grow.” It was the first time he’d looked in her direction since he’d said a quick hello and briefly shaken her hand during introductions. “I’m also a lawyer, and a judge who’s seen all kinds of things in my courtrooms over the years. But never surrogacy. I can read the law. I wanted to know current surrogacy case law...”

“You’re fine,” Christine said. “I’m just having lunch per my surrogacy contract.” She could feel Jamie’s eyes on her. Found a professional smile and pasted it on.

“Surely you don’t think I’d ever deny you rights to your grandchild,” Jamie stated, his gaze compassionate, not angry, as it moved to his former father-in-law.

“Of course I don’t,” the judge said, patting Jamie’s hand where it lay on the table. “You’re as much a son to me as Emily was a daughter—you know that.”

Already feeling like an interloper, Christine hadn’t thought it could get any worse. But there it was, taking everything she had to stay seated at the table.

Even while knowing that no one had said anything designed to make her feel unwanted. Anything that should even have had that effect on her.

She’d thought she was coming out for lunch with Jamie. Just the two of them. Being the nebulous “them” they’d somehow become.

“The judge’s concern had more to do with if something happens to Jamie,” Michael said, repeating a key point from the beginning of the conversation. “Before the baby’s born. Or afterward.”

“Before it’s born... I didn’t even think of that,” Jamie said, frowning as he glanced around the table. “I should have thought of that.”

“You’re talking about estate planning,” Christine said, jumping into the conversation at the sound of his consternation. “A lot of people don’t think about it until after they’ve had children. And even then, it’s not the first thing they run out and do.”

While, after research, she’d made the decision not to include estate planning counseling as part of The Parent Portal, she had added the requirement of legal documents regarding embryo ownership in the event that a spouse died. That was why Jamie had been able to use Emily’s embryos in the first place.

“I was planning to talk to you about it as soon as I gathered the necessary information,” Judge Sanders said. “That’s what this meeting is about. Finding out what we need to do to protect ourselves.” He glanced at Christine again, assessed her, and with a frown, moved his glance toward Jamie. “I need to be certain that we’re protected in case something happens to you before the baby’s born. We need to know that in the event that that happens, the child stays in our family. With me. With your mother...”

She wasn’t a lawyer. Or a doctor of any kind. But she got where this was going.

“You’re afraid I’ll try to keep it.”

“There have been cases where the surrogate tries to keep the baby, yes,” he said. “But with legal contracts in place beforehand, the baby will be protected from being a ward of the state while any lawsuits or custody battles are fought.”

Thoughts flew through Christine’s mind as the conversation continued around her. She had to take a step back. She was the professional here, not a member of the family. Not anyone personally involved.

She wasn’t going to try to keep anyone’s baby. She was the one who’d already given one away. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

And...if something happened to Jamie...their agreement that she got to have contact with the baby this time...would that change?

Jamie had asked Tanya if they needed a separate contract to determine estate matters in the event of his death. Michael was talking about a case he’d read about, something recently on the books having to do with an adopted child...

Not a surrogacy case. Not her concern.

How in the hell had she thought she could do this?

And why was she struggling so hard to do it? It wasn’t like she’d considered, even for a second, that the baby inside her was hers. Or that she’d have any connection to it once she birthed it.

But she cared about it. Deeply. As would a nurse in a NICU, taking care of a patient. She’d remember this child for the rest of her life, think of it now and then, pray that it was doing well...

“So I can handle this through an estate attorney?” Jamie was asking. “I just need to name a guardian for the child in my will. And that will cover us in the event something happened to me before the baby’s born and afterward as well.”

“In conjunction with the surrogacy contract, that’s correct.” Michael answered that time as well.

Christine didn’t know if she liked him or not. Mostly she just wanted to be done with the brunch obligation and on with her day.

If she didn’t step foot in the country club again anytime soon, that would be fine, too.

No one seemed to be giving them curious glances, as she’d imagined they might, but she figured those who were curious would find other ways of sneaking peeks without being overt about it. They’d be sure to wonder why the judge and his former son-in-law were meeting with attorneys. And maybe wonder who Christine was.

She’d been leaning away from Ja