The Baby Contract

“She had a stalker, Anne. A stalker that kidnapped a woman and would have likely killed her if she hadn’t been saved.”

“Lane is fine. She’s happily married and hoping to get pregnant. You carry so much of your past with you, Bran, that you don’t know how to live in the present.”

He stared at me, and I hoped I was getting through.

He released my hand. “If you want out, say so.” He started to the door.

“Where are you going?” I couldn’t understand why, but my gut filled with panic.

“When you make up your mind, call me.”

For a moment, I let him go. But as the time apart grew, a new panic developed. In the short time I’d agreed to this plan, I’d grown to expect the money. I’d felt free and financially secure. I was making plans without worrying if I’d be able to pay my rent or eat.

I hurried out the door. He wasn’t at his car. I went around the building toward the beach.

He was standing in the sand, looking out over the water. For the first time, I saw him from his point of view. A man trying to do right but in doing so was all alone.

I went to stand next to him. “I’ve signed the contract.”

“I’ll let you out. I’m not going to force you to have a child you don’t want for a man you despise.”

“Don’t be a martyr, Bran.”

Again, his jaw tightened.

“I don’t despise you and neither does Harper. You just need to lighten up. Stop trying to control every little thing.”

He looked at me. “No.”

At first, his reaction stunned me. He wouldn’t compromise. Then for reasons I didn’t understand, I laughed.

He tilted his head. “You’re laughing at me now?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know why that’s funny. You and Harper are so stubborn.”

“And you’re not?”

I shrugged. “I can’t afford to be stubborn.”

He looked out over the ocean. “You can back out of the deal. I’ll go ahead and give you two million for coming this far. That should be enough.”

I gaped at him. He was giving me an out. Take the two million, my brain screamed.

It would buy me enough time to get my job or business situation straight. Hell, I could move to a place where two million lasted a lot longer than it would in Los Angeles.

I opened my mouth planning to accept his offer. “I agreed to be your surrogate and that’s what I’m going to do.”