The CEO’s Hired Surrogate

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“It’s… It’s not what you expect mom.” Kayla knew this was a bad introduction to the topic. It allowed her mother to imagine horrible things. But how was she to start it? What was the right way to tell your mother that you were going to carry someone’s baby for money? How was she supposed to explain to her the reason she’d made that choice?

She knew her mother well, she would refuse to sacrifice her daughter’s life for her own. She was ready to starve, to die, all for the sake of sparing her daughter from pain and exhaustion. And this unconditional love that her mother offered her made Kayla hesitate before telling her what she’d gotten herself into.

“I’m a surrogate mother. Well, I’m going to be.” There was silence. The sound of the frying pan the only sound that echoed around them. Kayla yearned for an answer, feeling the pressure of the unspoken words and her mother’s shocked expression as they pressed against her ribcage.

“I—I don’t understand.”

“This morning, after the interview, I—I was inside the bathroom and happened to overhear a conversation between this woman, and a man, her son. I think he works there.” Actually, Kayla never actually managed to find out anything about the man whose child she was going to carry. She and Meredith had gotten so caught up in details regarding the pregnancy that she forgot to ask about him. “Well, he’s thirty-five, and she wants a grandchild. They’re willing to pay a lot of money for a surrogate mother. I—I was desperate, and that was the only thing I could think about.” Her voice was hoarse by now, and her vision was blurry. It wasn’t like she was regretting her decision, but she sure as hell didn’t find it easy.

She’d only had one partner throughout her life, and she sure as hell didn’t expect to be pregnant before finding a second one. But that was life. And these were the twists and turns that it was ready to offer.

“Kayla, I don’t know what to say. I—I…” She seemed to be speechless for a moment.“I know I have no right to interfere with your choices, not when you’re the one that has to hold the cross our family has been cursed with. But Kayla, you can’t do this. You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to mother. I worked so hard these past few years and in the end I was treated like garbage, only because others had it better than me. But I’m done with that. I want a better life, for you and for me both. And this is the only way.”

“Kayla, I don’t know if you understand the gravity of this thing. This is… insane. We don’t need the money. We were able to get this far without it, we sure as hell can do it again.” This was the first time in a while her mother had showed any feeling other than sorrow or sadness. And it frightened Kayla. For some reason, she’d forgotten what it felt like to disagree with her mother, and she sure as hell didn’t like it.

The way they looked at each other made the hair on Kayla’s arms rise. It was only then that she realized how badly life had treated them. Forcing them into near poverty, threatening their very existence every chance it got. And now, offering them the ultimate solution, for a price that was beyond them.

“How are we okay, mother? How in the world are we okay?” Tears were now flowing freely, the tension around her affecting Kayla in a way that couldn’t be explained. “You have hope now mom. And I’m willing to fight for it. I also want to relax for a while. I’ve been working nonstop for years now. I’m tired.

It’s true, I may be taking the shortcut. But whoever made a rule against that? We deserve to be happy. And this is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”