The CEO’s Hired Surrogate

Chapter 6

One month pregnant. Kayla couldn’t believe that one month had already passed since her life had begun changing. She looked in the mirror, her loose white shirt held with her hand just below her bre*sts as she tried to decipher any major changes in her body. Not that there were many at such an early stage of the pregnancy.

She rubbed the spot just beneath her belly button, her mind fascinated with the fact that a small human being was now inside her. Indeed, the thought alone made the hair on her arms raise in excitement.

As she looked in the mirror she couldn’t help but notice that her eyes were no longer that dull hazy color, filled with sadness and lacking light. They were now a brighter color that shone beneath the afternoon light. And she knew exactly why. She was happier.

Her mind was no longer in a constant battle with her emotions. Her mother was about to get better, her life was coming together. Everything was simply beautiful.

It felt good not to have to worry about work, bills and such. She was happy that her mother’s surgery was taking place the coming week, and that everything seemed to be working out just fine. And then there was Ryan and Meredith. They were like friends to her now. Meredith and she would frequently have coffee or tea together on the terrace, while Ryan would occasionally have late night tea with her. Or used to.

He hadn’t showed up in days, buried in work, not even bothering to come home. She’d asked Meredith about him the other day, but she just laughed and claimed that it was normal. Ryan loved his job more than anything in the world, he was proud of what he’d achieved. So working through the night was normal for him.

Suddenly, the sound of the doorbell made Kayla drop her shirt and swiftly turn around. She had no idea who that could be, with Meredith out for the weekend and Ryan at work, no visitor should have come their way. Shrugging, she slipped into the flip-flops she had placed by her bed a while ago and headed downstairs, careful not to slip as she hurriedly descended the stairs.

“Coming!” she shouted just as she descended the last stair. When she made it to the large mahogany door she curled her hand around the handle and struggled to open the heavy wooden double doors.

“Hello, Miss. I’m from ‘La Mason’, I’m here to deliver the baby furniture you ordered a while ago.[Unknown A2] ” Suddenly, a smile crept onto Kayla’s lips as her eyes diverted towards the large truck in front of the house.

“Who is it, Kayla?” Her mother’s weak voice came from behind, the sound of her footsteps as she exited the living room almost drowning out her voice.

“From the furniture store. The baby’s room is here!” Kayla knew that being so excited would get her into trouble. She wasn’t supposed to get this emotionally involved. But how was she to stop this growing warm feeling inside of her? How was she not supposed to love the small being that fed inside her, whose blood shared the very blood that ran through her veins.

She didn’t dare imagine the day in which she would have to hand off a piece of her, not when she had been so involved in contouring the life that he was meant to have. But with a broken heart, she dared say that she had signed up for this sacrifice with her own hand.

For the next couple of hours Kayla watched with excitement as the men from the showroom put the nursery together. They followed her instructions perfectly, assembling everything right where she had envisioned it.

Tears threatened to fall as she saw how a piece of her dream was coming true, all thanks to Ryan. He’d been ready to ditch his mother’s high and fancy expectations to please her, a stranger. By the time the men had finished, the ivory room was exactly as she’d imagined it.

A bed was set against a wall to her right, just below the clouds that had been painted earlier that week. While everything else had been scattered in a different direction.

“It’s beautiful,” her mother said, holding onto her daughter’s hand, not bothering to hide the mixed emotions that surged through her. “I just wish we were able to do this for my grandchild.” Kayla didn’t bother to answer to that, her sole wish being greater than that, being one that couldn’t possibly be achieved. “Anyway, I’m going to grab a bite and then go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

Only then did Kayla notice that the sun was setting, the orange colors that painted the sky penetrating through the windows of the nursery. She was hungry too and tired. But she wanted to finish off the nursery, needing the work to get her to forget the cloudy thoughts that hadn’t given her peace that day.

“Good night mom.” She kissed her cheek and watched as she exited the room.

After her mother was gone Kayla took a moment to sit down and admire everything. Loving the way the simple white wooden furniture mixed with the beautiful mural Meredith had painted against the walls. Her gaze wandered back to the few boxes at one corner of the room. They were filled with decorations for the room, boxed away until the furniture was due to arrive. She was sure that if Meredith had been there, she wouldn’t have hesitated to rip the boxes apart, and scattering the toys and decorations around the room excitedly.

But Kayla wanted to do things slowly, needing to enjoy every minute she had. Just as she was about to stand up and head to the boxes, a soft voice said from behind her:

“I see the kid’s things are here.” For some reason, Kayla’s stomach fluttered, feeling a slight trace of happiness. Turning around she smiled, trying to keep her crazy hormones from blurring her judgment.

“Yeah. I was just about to set up the other things we bought the other day.”

“Need help?” Kayla was taken aback by his proposal, not expecting him to suggest it after a long day at the office. They both looked at one another, Ryan not sparing another second before rolling his navy shirt to his elbows.