Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Cara is sitting at a table all the way in the back. She waves me over. I take a deep breath, loving the smell of coffee, which is new. I hate the taste of it. Always have. Today, however, there is a sugar cookie smell mixed with it.
I slip through a few tables, making my way to her.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey.” Cara glances behind me. It makes me do the same, but I don’t see anything. “Sit. I just have to get this out.” Good, because I need you to too.
“You’re freaking me out,” I tell her, pulling the chair back to sit down. Cara is in her normal scrubs, her blond hair pulled back tightly. "The baby is okay, right? Let's get that clear."
The baby might not be mine in a biological sense, but I'm already attached. Actually, I'm way too attached, which scares me because I have no rights to the baby. I try and talk myself down, knowing that Max wants me to be a part of the baby's life. It's partly why I'd agreed to move in with him.
It works out better all around. I'm still on the job hunt fresh out of college. I can’t get a call back to save my life. Not even to set up an interview.
Max graduated a couple of years ago and is already running his family's finance company. He is what most call a trust fund baby. I can't hate or knock it because as his best friend, I get to benefit from some of the luxury of that. I think it's one of the reasons I feel beholden to him.
He also helped me pay for my last year of college when one of the programs I'd gotten a scholarship for fell through. I was sure I wouldn't be able to finish and get my degree, but Max was there, ready and willing to help. Having this baby is the least I can do to help him.
“The baby is perfect.” I let out a breath. “It’s just not the baby you think it is.” She looks around as though she’s making sure she’s in the clear. I stare at her. What the hell does that even mean?
“Like it’s a panda?” I joke, but she doesn’t find it funny. Her ominous expression has me sitting up straighter.
“I could get in so much trouble for this,” she mutters. “But this is fucked up. I wouldn’t be able to lay my head on the pillow at night if I didn’t tell you.” My anxiety ramps up to a level I never even knew was possible. What could be so fucked up that she would have to sneak around outside of the facility to tell me? That it would cause her sleepless nights?
“Okay, we’re back to me being really freaked out,” I tell her. “Say it. Please. I can’t deal with this stress.” My hand goes protectively to my stomach.
“The baby isn’t Max’s.”
“What?” Of course it is.
“He’s shooting blanks, Gwen. Trust me, I know.”
“Okay.” I nod, taking a deep breath. This could be worse. I actually am relieved if that’s all it is. The egg isn’t mine either. “Maybe it’s a topic he doesn’t like to share.”
I mean, he doesn't have to tell me everything, but if he was going to use donor sperm, I would think that is something he would talk to me about. You know, to get my approval. But the bun is already in the oven, so there’s not much I can do about it now. It’s still his baby. Plus, when it comes to Max and his ego and anything in a challenging male way, he always gets a puffed-out chest. It’s annoying as hell, but we all have our faults.
“That’s not all.”
“Holy butterscotch. There’s more?” What else could it be?
“The person's sperm he used was not donated. He took it from another client.” My whole world tilts on its axis as Cara’s words fully sink in.
“What!” I gasp. My heart sinks. That freaking changes everything. If this person finds out, they might want the baby. Then I won’t have access to it either. What the hell was Max thinking?!
“Shh,” Cara hushes me, glancing around again. She is really paranoid, and now it’s making me more paranoid than I already was. Is this the thing that’s felt so off to me? Cara taps on a folder she has on the table in front of her. “And the donor egg.”
“Oh my gosh, they don’t know either?” I gape at her. Cara gives a stiff shake of her head no.
“What was he thinking?” I whisper more to myself. “Are you going to report this or something?” I ask her, not sure what to do with all this information or where one goes from here. My mind is spinning.
“There wasn’t a donor egg per se.” I blink, staring at her. Wait, what? That’s not possible. I wasn’t a biology major, but I know you need a freaking egg. “It’s your egg.”