The CEO’s Hired Surrogate

Chapter 10

Two hours had passed since they left the house, and they were still driving through the night, listening to the music that blasted through the radio. They laughed as Ryan said something, adding yet another funny comment to the story that Kayla was vividly narrating.

He threw back his head as laughter rolled off his lips and into the air around them, vibrating through the car. Kayla rolled her eyes and smiled, continuing with her story as she watched him look at her every once in a while, whenever he could divert his eyes from the road ahead. By now Kayla had forgotten she even had something to discover, that the location to which they were heading was supposed to be a surprise.

Why? Because she somehow no longer cared where they were going, she simply enjoyed the company. Ryan was the only guy she’d ever known who could make her forget her worries, even for a second. He’d been the only one to make her go crazy with feelings she’d only heard of before. She was unsure where this road they had taken lead to. She knew it could end badly, but she also knew it could end somewhere beautiful and magical. So she had to wait and see, ready to take such a risk if it meant tasting the happiness Ryan was bringing into her life.

“You know, that was a pretty bad prank. I wouldn’t have guessed you would think of such a thing!” he exclaimed after she was done with her story. Kayla knew she looked innocent, many have told her that before, and she was. But she also knew how to mix that with a bit of wit and danger. And besides, it wasn’t like she’d always been a working woman trying to keep her mother alive.

There had been some really beautiful moments in her life, even after her father’s death. Her mother and she knew how to survive on their own, and how to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Her life had only gotten worst when her mother had fallen ill, slowly walking her way into the grave.

There had been a time when Kayla could almost taste the misery of losing her mother, already portraying the image of the dark world into which she would fall. But God had been good. He had shown her a way, a path in which her mother was better.

“Well, it’s the silent ones you should be afraid of,” Kayla shrugged, raising a brow as she tried to make her point. Ryan shook his head in astonishment and agreed. But he didn’t bother to answer Because just a few feet away from them he saw the name of the place she’d visited with her family, the one she had told Ryan about. The white capital letters forming the word shone as the car light reflected on them.

 Smiling, he turned towards her for a brief second, wanting to witness the expression on her face once she realized where they were heading.

On the other side, Kayla looked out the window, once again ready to silently watch the night as it unfolded the rain just outside her window. She liked how peaceful the rain was, somehow managing not to turn into a frightful storm.

As she did so, she immediately paused, her eyes grazing over the surface of the sign. The name was familiar to her, in fact, she knew it well. It was only then that her head turned back towards Ryan, speechless as she slowly realized where they were going. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the right words.

Ryan had exceeded her expectations. She’d never realized just how much he was listening to her stories, taking in every detail of them, and how much they meant to her.

As if in a dream, the rain stopped leaving them in complete and utter silence. Kayla opened and closed her mouth as she stared at him, while Ryan continued driving down the empty highway, smiling from ear to ear.

“Pull over!” Yep, this was not what Ryan expected to hear. But he pulled over nonetheless, eager to know what she had in mind. As soon as the car came to a stop, just a few meters away from the sign, he turned towards her and raised a brow, happily studying her bewitched expression.

“So?” That simple word was the only one that he managed to utter, because a second later, Kayla jumped onto him, her lips crashing down onto his. Yes, she had failed to find the right words to say, but she always believed actions were better than words.

Ryan was surprised at first, but he immediately loosened up, mimicking the action of her lips as they slid over his. His arms went to grab her waist, sliding her from her chair and onto his lap. Miraculously, they managed to do that without interrupting the kiss that was growing deeper by the second.

Kayla bit his lip as she asked for entrance, her chest pressing into his tightly as she ran a hand through his hair. The kiss didn’t last long, just a minute or two, but it was passionate enough to drive them both crazy, and leave them craving more.

“Thank you.” She breathlessly said as she rested her forehead against his, allowing herself to get lost in those two pools of ocean blue. Ryan smiled and brushed his thumb against her cheek.

He pulled back and kissed her forehead.

“Come on, now that the rain stopped we can actually carry on with the plans I had for us.” Sliding back into her seat, she looked at him with a raised brow, now more eager than ever to know what he had in mind. But before she asked anything about that, she realized one thing. She’d never actually told him the name of the place her family had visited. So how did he know?

“Ryan, how did you find out the name of the place?”

“Your mother?” Kayla’s eyes widened at that, looking at him with a shocked expression.

“No wonder they acted so weird all day!” She exclaimed in exasperation, throwing her arms in the air. Obviously, Ryan did not know what she meant, so instead, he sent her a puzzled look, silently asking for a bit of explanation.