The Baby Contract

Bran and I both startled. Looking up, Harper stood at the entrance of the living room gaping at us in a mixture of horror and anger.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.My biggest fear was coming true in the worst way possible.

I grabbed the closest shirt, tugging it on, only then noting that it was Bran’s.

Bran stood, grabbing a throw blanket from the couch and wrapping around his waist like a towel. "What are you doing here?"

"I guess that open invitation I had doesn't exist anymore." Harper sneered. "Doesn't matter why I'm here. Clearly, I shouldn't have come. How was I to know that my best friend would betray me by fucking my brother." Harper's glare bore. Guilt and fear consumed me.

Bran stood in front of me. "Harper —"

She cut off whatever Bran was going to say. "I expect this kind of thing from you, Bran. It wasn't enough to fuck over my life by intruding on it, but you had to go and fuck my best friend too?"

I wanted to tell her that it wasn't like that, but the truth was, the situation was exactly that. I agreed to be Bran’s surrogate and to have the short-term affair with him, knowing Harper would see it as a betrayal.

She looked at me in anguish but also in anger. Then she turned, rushing out of the room.

I scrambled for my clothes. "We need to go after her."

Bran dropped the blanket and found his clothes, but he was taking his sweet time getting dressed. "Going after her isn’t going to change anything. Trust me, I’ve tried."

“We have to try." I pulled off his shirt, tossing it to him, and then put mine on.

He stood with his hands on his hips, staring at me.

"I have tried, Anne. Nothing works. She doesn't listen."

“I can't lose her. She's all I have."

His eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?"

"She's all I have.”

He stared at me for a long moment. “Do you really believe that?”

“When this thing between us is over, the deal is done. You will be off living your life as a father and I’ll be gone living my own life."

His head jerked back, almost as if I'd slap him. Then his eyes narrowed. "I've paid you enough, you should be able to buy new friends."

His words really did feel like a slap. I stumbled back. Why didn’t he understand? He knew from the start losing Harper was my big fear.

"I have to try, Bran."

His expression morphed into one that I hadn't seen in a long time. Not since the last time he and I were truly at odds before we'd agreed to this crazy deal. It was a mixture of anger and dismissal.

"Do what you want. Just make sure Dax is with you. You’re carrying my precious cargo."

He stormed out of the room, taking my breath with him. I sank down onto the couch. I pressed my hand over my heart trying to take in a breath. Whatever peace and truce we'd forged before was clearly gone now.

My first instinct was to go after him. I wanted back what we had had. But what did we really have?

There had never been any words of love or devotion. There was no talk about us after this baby was born.

We had an agreement, an agreement for which I'd already been paid. Even sex wasn't from love, but another agreement to indulge our lust until the baby was born.

The fact that I'd fallen in love with him didn't change the situation.

I felt like I was being torn in two by the people I cared for the most. They were angry and bitter at me. Maybe it was time to cut my losses.