The CEO’s Hired Surrogate

He’d always felt like he was searching for something, like what he was doing wasn’t exactly what he wanted from life. And it had all ended when Kayla came into his life. For that, he knew he should thank her. And not with a mere kiss or a tender hug. No, he had to think of something, something that would show her just how much he loved her.

And he knew exactly what he had to do. But until then, he wanted to enjoy his time with his daughter and girlfriend. So he stood up and went to stand by her head.

“Can I hold her?” He wasn’t asking for permission but was rather a bit scared of holding her. Emily was so small, so petite, and he was afraid that he would somehow harm her. Kayla knew that, so she smiled at him as a sign of encouragement and handed her to him.

“She looks like you,” Ryan pointed out as he studied her face Tenderly.

“And how did you figure that out?” Kayla asked, raising a brow.

*****

“She’s frowning. It seems like she’s angry, just as you always are. She’ll probably be stubborn too. Imagine the agony I’ll go through.” Kayla tried to look mad and glare at him, although she was truly fighting a wide grin from spreading on her lips.

“I am so tired,” She finally said after a few minutes of silence, feeling as if her body was slowly going numb, yearning for a few minutes of sleep.

“Rest then. I’ll take care of Emily, don’t worry.” She didn’t answer that, instead she nodded and rested her head against the pillow. For a few seconds, she watched Ryan and her daughter and smiled. She could not believe how a man like Ryan could melt under the touch of a baby, it was as if her daughter’s gaze had tamed him.

But she didn’t look for too long, sleep finally catching up to her. With a smile still on her lips, she surrendered to the darkness.

*****

Kayla looked in the mirror against the wall and ran a hand over the thin green summer dress she was wearing, hoping that she hadn’t gone overboard with the outfit. Apparently Ryan was taking her for a surprise ride once again. She was eager to know where he was taking her this time around. The last time she went with him on a surprise ride he managed to truly steal her heart.

Now, only weeks after their daughter was born he was set on stealing it once again. Or so she thought.

As she contemplated where he was taking her, a knock on the door stole her attention. Seconds later her mother entered, Emily wide awake in her arms. Kayla smiled and walked towards them, kissing her mother on the cheek and reaching for her daughter.

“Well hello there, darling. I see grandma has already dressed you!” she said, smiling at her little daughter as she held onto her, smelling her sweet smell and kissing her cheek.

It was then that she noticed that Emily was wearing a different dress. Her mother had changed her into a white puffy dress. She loved that dress, Meredith had bought it for them the day Emily was born. Of course, Kayla had saved it for a special occasion, but it seemed like her mother believed it was time the dress saw daylight. And she was right, by the time anything special happened Emily would have outgrown the dress.

“Yes, she woke up earlier than expected so I decided to give her a bath and dress her up nicely. Ryan told me he was talking you girls somewhere important so I decided to dress her up.” Kayla nodded.

“You did good mom.”

“You know, she looks so much like you. She is as chubby as you were when you were little, and even has those sweet dimples of yours.” Kayla smiled. She knew her daughter looked like her, except for the eyes, of course, she had her father’s eyes. The same eyes with which she fell in love a while ago.

“Well, we’ll be downstairs while you finish getting dressed,” her mother said, already heading towards the door. Kayla was about to let her leave, but before she managed to turn the knob and leave, Kayla remembered she had to ask her mother something.

Turning around, she made a swift move to catch her mother’s attention before saying, “Hey mom, before you leave. Do you think this is too much?” she asked, twirling around, anxious about her mother’s answer.

“You look amazing honey.” She could swear she saw some tears in her mother’s eyes, but she immediately shrugged that idea off. After all, why would she be so emotional? It was indeed a strange day.

After her mother left, Kayla took the remaining time to curl her hair and apply some makeup. Of course, she kept it as natural as possible, trying not to show just how much time she’d spent getting ready.

For the makeup, Kayla chose a nude lipstick and some winged eyeliner. She believed that the makeup complimented her skin and eyes, bringing out the color of the dress as well. Or so she hoped.

Time passed by in a blur and before she knew it, her phone started ringing, the familiar ringtone echoing around her.

“Are you ready?” Her boyfriend’s familiar voice asked from the other end of the line as soon as she answered, making butterflies rush through her stomach. Even after all this time she still hadn’t gotten used to the idea that Ryan was now officially hers.

Sighing, she took one last glance in the mirror before exiting the room, excited to see what Ryan had planned for the afternoon.

*****

Kayla felt like crying, her vision getting blurry as she kneeled by the grave she knew so well. Her hands went to touch the tombstone that held her father’s name, caressing the words that curved his name.

Her heart clenched as she thought about her father, she felt like screaming when she thought that his body was all alone beneath her. At first, after his death, she was so sure he was still alive, afraid that he was alone and scared in the grave. They were moments of pure insanity, but they had all been caused by grief.