AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pierce: Tease me again and I’ll send you a photo of my feet.
Me: Yeah, uh, I’m not into feet stuff. Sorry.
Pierce: Me neither. That was a threat. My feet currently look like they’ve been the victim of a war crime. Several blisters, and two toenails that are already turning purple.
Me: UNSUBSCRIBE
Me: And here I was thinking of ways to cheer you up.
Pierce: I don’t think there’s anything that could put a smile on my face right now.
Me: Challenge accepted.
I quickly stripped down to my bra and panties and snapped a few photos in different poses. The best one, I decided, was with my shoulders hunched forward and my breasts squeezed together. Telling myself that I wasn’t going to be paralyzed with indecision, I sent it to Pierce.
Pierce: Well, I stand corrected. I’m smiling now.
Me: I thought you might like that ;-)
Pierce: Now I feel bad for threatening you with feet photos.
Me: You get a pass. This time.
Pierce: Feel free to keep sending things that will put a smile on my face. I’ll be off the grid for the next three days, but it’ll be nice knowing they’re waiting when I get to the next camp with cell signal.
Me: I’ll do it, but you’re going to need to double the amount of money in the contract.
Pierce: WOW. Seriously?
Me: Good point. I shouldn’t do that.
Me: Let’s triple the amount instead.
Pierce: You’re devious. And evil.
Me: You knew exactly who I was when you picked me to be your surrogate :-)
Pierce: I sure did. And you’re proving that it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Me: Hey now. Hold your approval until I’m bearing your heir.
Pierce: I have a good feeling about it.
Pierce: I’ve got to go. A slot in the medical tent just opened up. I need them to work on my feet if I’m going to run 32 miles tomorrow.
Me: Gross. Have fun with that.
I started to say that I missed him, but stopped myself. It felt weird putting it into a text, and I didn’t feel like it needed to be said. Besides, he had enough to think about without throwing some emotional complexities into the mix.
That evening, Pierce’s good feeling turned out to be incorrect. My cramps started just before dinner, and my period began in earnest soon after. Ironic considering I was reading Red Storm Rising when it happened. I told Andrew that I wasn’t feeling great, and I curled up in bed with my book.
I’d always had relatively light periods that only lasted two or three days, but that’s not what bothered me. I was surprised at how disappointed I felt. It was silly; the odds of me getting pregnant this quickly were low. Yet deep down, I had kind of hoped that it would happen on the first try.
My period is making me extra emotional, I told myself as I snuggled with one of the large, fluffy pillows. That, and I miss Pierce. I wish I had known he would be gone for two weeks.
As I tried to fall asleep, I thought about the possibility that Pierce’s fear was correct: that he was infertile. It made me feel bad for him. That must be awful, wanting children but being unable to father them. Especially in this middle situation where he didn’t know if he could have kids, and didn’t want to find out. Sometimes it was better not to know for sure… but it was awful in its own special way.
With all of that in mind, I could sort of see why Pierce didn’t care who impregnated me. It still seemed totally bonkers, but I could at least understand where he was coming from.
