The CEO’s Hired Surrogate

Chapter 8

Three months. She was now three months pregnant. Time had passed in a blur, like a gust of wind none of them had ever felt. During those three months, not a lot had changed, except for her mother’s condition. There was no doubt, she was getting better and better, and that alone gave Kayla hope.

She looked at her mother from across the counter, watching as she was cooked her special dish, laughing at a joke Meredith had just said.

A smile played on her lips, she liked how things were looking. Meredith and her mother were close now, even sharing unfortunate events from their marriages. It was probably the fact that they lived together that brought them together, or maybe the things they had in common. Kayla was unsure, but she liked it.

Glancing at the clock, she realized that it was time to get ready for the gala Meredith had forced her to attend. She claimed that it was important for Ryan to have us there, his mother and her both. She was unsure of why Meredith believed Ryan would ever need her there, it wasn’t like he cared that much about her. She’d enough proof to believe that.

After their time together, Ryan even stopped coming home during the day. He made sure to come in late and leave as early as possible, only staying in when he needed to work from his office at home. She hated to admit it, but she made him uncomfortable in his own home.

She was sure that he regretted the events of that night, but she couldn’t get her head around the reason he was acting so childishly. In any case, she had time to get used to the idea and after a while she’d stopped caring. She’d taught her heart how to stop beating harder whenever she heard his name, and her mind to stop thinking about him whenever a bolt of thunder crossed the sky.

It was a difficult matter, it was like trying to control the demons that lived within your head no matter what. But somehow, through some unknown power, she managed to do it.

She was happy that she was going to attend a fancy dinner. She didn’t yet know where it was going to be held, but she was more than sure that they’d chosen one of the most elite restaurants in the city. But still, that also meant she was going to be close to Ryan again, standing by him the entire night. She also feared that people would come and ask about her pregnancy, and how it felt to carry a baby for him.

It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable about her pregnancy. No! By God, she loved her unborn child, but that meant talking about Ryan and having to act normally while doing so.

Sighing she stood up, her action making both women turn towards her, a sudden silence filling the kitchen. She returned their puzzled glance for a moment and wondered if they’d truly forgotten about the dinner they were supposed to attend.

“I’m going to get ready,” Kayla said, looking at Meredith with an expectant gaze, trying to silently question whether or not she would get ready for the dinner.

“Oh yes, my dear. I forgot to tell you. I don’t feel very well. I’d like it much more if I spent the night at home chatting with your mom, than in a room filled with snobby old men. So I think I may skip.”

“But—Ryan’s expecting you!” Could she even cancel going to one of her company’s events? And even if she could, didn’t she want to be there for her son? Kayla wanted to be there for him. After what happened at the hospital, Ryan kept late at work, ignoring her. But she no longer cared, he’d been there for her when she needed him most, supporting her through the hardest day of her life, so she made a promise to herself that she would do the same for him. That was why the dinner she was to attend was far more important to her than a simple fancy event.

“Oh, trust me, he won’t even notice. Besides, even if he does, you’ll be there.” She moved her hand in a dismissive way, returning to the conversation she was having with Kayla’s mother.

Rolling her eyes, Kayla sighed and went inside her room. She stood there for a second, trying to decide where to start, before deciding that a bath was her best option.

Two hours later there she stood, gazing in the mirror, proud of her work. She’d managed to style her hair into perfect curls that cascaded down her bare body, framing her body to perfection. Her eyes were now under the influence of a perfectly executed smoky eye and winged eyeliner that made her hazel eyes pop. The red lipstick she had on was the exact match to her dress, a dress that smoothly hung around her body, accentuating her small baby bump.

A soft knock from outside the door made her head turn. Turning on her heal, Kayla slightly approached the door, before standing there, watching as the knob turned before she could say come in.

Her mother’s head peeked from behind the door, her eyes immediately warming when she laid eyes on her daughter. The tears in her eyes spoke millions. She was proud of her daughter, simply loving the woman into which she was turning.

Tania had already told Kayla that she’d never once imagined that she would be living like this. Of course, she blamed herself for letting Kayla agree to such a job, but at the same time, she’d accepted the journey they were taking.

“You look beautiful.” her mother whispered, her arms immediately wrapping around her. Kayla didn’t get to thank her, her words stuck in her throat, touched by her mother’s gesture. “Anyway, no time for this. Ryan’s here, he’s waiting outside in the car. Don’t make him wait,” she said as she dried her tears

Her heart fluttered for a second, wondering if he would appreciate the effort she’d invested in her look that night. She wanted him to. She wanted him to remember the night they’d spent together a while ago, and regret every moment he spent outside the house trying to ignore her.