The CEO’s Hired Surrogate

The earlier events replayed in her mind, making her cringe whenever she remembered her wrecked entrance and the unfortunate disgusting thing that had led her to be in that bathroom.

Idiot, she thought, you’ve wasted such a good opportunity.

She regretted not going home and freshening up before contacting the woman once again, it wasn’t like she would have hired someone within the next twenty minutes. So Kayla would have had plenty of time to do things the right way.

Though lost in her thoughts, she watched as Meredith placed the menu on the table and signaled for a waiter to come, before directing her attention towards Kayla. The woman cleared her throat and took a deep breath before starting.

 “So, Kayla. Let’s start with the beginning. Tell me about yourself,” Meredith said as she wiped a strand of hair from her face.

“Well, I’m twenty-five years old. My father died eight years ago, leaving my mother and I with nothing. We’ve both struggled for a long time. I worked as a waitress at a high-end restaurant downtown for a while but was recently fired because of a misfortune. Um, I didn’t go to college but that doesn’t make me stupid or incapable of taking care of or carrying a child.I—I’m motivated and would do anything to accomplish what I set in mind, which makes me stubborn, I guess you could say.” Kayla smiled, an anxious chuckle making her lips shiver.

Meredith smiled before turning to the waiter who had just arrived. They both ordered, and then returned back to the conversation.

“So, I understand that you would want this job in order to provide a better life for your mother and you?” she asked, raising her left brow, her eyes boring into Kayla’s, searching her very soul for every emotion that painted her bare canvas.

“Sort of. You see—Never mind, that’s the main reason.” Kayla sank in her seat as she thought about her mother. She’d intended to tell Meredith about her mother’s condition, but she refused to be a charity case. She refused to get any kind of special treatment. She was set on creating a better life for the two of them, but she was going to do so because of her skills and mind, with her own sweat and tears, and not because she’d managed to soften someone’s heart with a sad story and a few tears.

“Kayla,” Meredith leaned forward, placing her perfectly manicured hands on the table. “You see, I admire a hardworking woman. And as you’ve probably heard, I’m ready to offer a lot of money for this job. So in return, I would want a girl that is warm-hearted, and that would hold my grandchild with love and care. During these nine months, I expect the surrogate mother to act like a normal mother. I want her to be tender and careful. Do I make sense?” she asked with narrow eyes.

“Yes, ma’am,” Kayla nodded, processing every word that left her thin lips.

“I like you. You seem different. You seem to care about the money, but not in a greedy kind of way. And even though this may seem fast, and it may seem like I’m putting no thought into it, I’m willing to give you a chance.”

Kayla felt breathless. She looked at the woman in astonishment, unsure of what to do. She opened her mouth like a fish on dry land, trying to find her words. Tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision. “For real?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Meredith’s lips slowly curled into a smile.

Suddenly, before any of them could register what was happening, Kayla got up and hugged the woman.

“I’m sorry, but I had to do it,” Kayla said with a smile as she retreated back into her seat, all the negative feelings that she’d previously felt vanishing from her heart, leaving no room for regret.

The woman seemed to be speechless for a moment.

Time passed as the two women stayed and talked about the details of the job. They talked about the insemination, the payment and how things should go. And while they did so, Kayla couldn’t help but touch her belly beneath the table.

In the back of her mind she kept thinking about one thing, she was soon going to have a baby inside of her. She had to admit that she’d never imagined having her first baby in this manner. In fact, she’d never imagined being pregnant at all.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want children. It was just that she’d always expected to have a child with the man she loved. Watching him grow. But life had a funny way of doing things. It enjoyed twisting your dreams and wishes so you no longer recognized them.

But who was she to complain? At least she still had the opportunity to fulfill the oath she’d made that morning. And she was not going to allow anything to ruin it.

*****

The house was silent, only a few orange strands of light penetrated through the white veil curtains that fluttered against the slightly opened window. She could smell the rain as it snaked around her, mixing with the fresh smell of baked potatoes and grilled chicken. The smell was divine, wrapping around her empty stomach, accentuating the hunger that rubbed at her insides.

Kayla felt a chill run down her spine as she took off her wet black leather jacket, cursing herself for forgetting her umbrella when the forecast clearly promised a day full of rain..

She could feel the drops of rain that slipped from her damp hair and onto the soft skin of her face. She pursed her lips as she kicked her black boots off, hearing the clicking sound of the zippers as they met the edge of the wooden hanger by the door.

“Mom! I’m home,” she shouted as she made her way into the kitchen. Kayla felt weird, only yesterday she’d returned home broken and shattered after being fired over a silly mistake. And today she was returning home with a new spark of hope shining within her, yet still as anxious as she’d been the day before. It wasn’t easy to share such news with your mother. It was almost impossible to choose the words that were meant to describe your situation.

“Hey, honey!” Her mother said smiling, her pale face dimly glowing beneath the low kitchen light. “How did the interview go?” Kayla had almost forgotten about that. The events that had happened before she met Mrs. Johnson seemed to have happened weeks ago. However, it didn’t take a lot to wake the rage she felt towards the man with the icy blue eyes and deadly stare.

“It didn’t go as planned,” Kayla said honestly, a sad smile plastered on her face. She didn’t want to give her mother any details regarding those events, she wouldn’t do well with further sadness and worry.

“Oh…”

“No! No! Don’t worry! I got—well, you can call it another job.” Kayla didn’t know what else to call it. She didn’t even know how to introduce the idea of her new ‘job’ to her mother. But how bad could it go? What could be worse than telling her you’d been fired?

Her mother’s face lit up, the dampness across her forehead, created by the heat emitted by the oven, glistened, while her lips formed a smile Kayla hadn’t seen in days, maybe in months. She looked at Kayla with expectation, barely able to hold the excitement.