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“She had us all fooled, Malcolm,” my mom said. “There's no way you could have known.”
Mom squeezed my hand. The only person in the entire world that could see me at my weakest and never judge me for it was my mother. She was the one person who knew the real me. It was something I didn't know if I was truly going to be able to share with anybody else. I had real doubts that anybody else would be able to see me for who I was, faults and all, and not just the guy with the big bank account.
“Yeah, but I don't like being played for a fool,” I said.
I downed my drink, finishing the last of my wine. My mom flagged down the waiter, bringing him over for a refill. Her glass was close to empty as well.
“Do you think you could talk to him?” I pleaded. “Ask for more time, perhaps?”
Mom looked down at her hands, and I knew that look all too well. She was submissive to my father, so asking her to speak up for herself – let alone me – was asking a lot, and I knew it. But, there was a lot at stake here. Too much to make a rash and stupid decision. Not only was my entire life hanging in the balance, but, so was the company that my parents had built over the years.
“It isn't just Dad's company to give away, you know,” I said, making a last-ditch attempt. “It's just as much yours.”
A faint smile crossed her lips, and she looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
“Not many people realize that, Malcolm,” she said softly.
“I know the truth, Mom. Dad couldn't have done it without you,” I said. “You have as much say as he does.”
“I wish that were true, Malcolm,” she replied. “But, you know yo
ur father won't listen to me.”
“He would, Mom. He listens to you more than anyone else,” I argued.
“That's not true. Things with your father have been more difficult these last few years. Ever since – ”
She didn't finish her sentence, but she didn't have to. I knew when things went downhill for the two of them. It was the day that Adam came into the picture. He came into our family like a tornado, destroying everything in his path. There was so much anger and resentment, on both sides, and he'd eaten it up. He savored the destruction and reveled in the chaos he caused.
For a while there, I'd feared it might mean the end of my parents’ marriage. Somehow though, they'd pulled through. My mother, however, had never been the same. She'd taken a backseat to everything in the family – including the business – and stopped arguing with my dad. She seemed to have folded into herself.
It killed me to see her submit to him like that – even if it had saved their marriage. My mom deserved better than that. She was a great woman and didn't deserve to be forced to the sidelines the way she had been.
“I think a better option is to move forward, honey. To do as your father asks,” she said quietly. “Besides, you've always wanted to be a father yourself, Malcolm. I know you and Danielle had names picked out and everything. You'll just be doing it without her now.”
My chest tightened up at the mention of my ex. Yes, we'd had names picked out. Several of them. Girls and boys. We'd wanted several kids – sons and daughters. She'd wanted four or more, while I was content with two or three. Nothing had been set in stone, of course. We were just going to see where life took us.
I'd had no idea, back then, that life would bring me here. Contemplating the idea of being a single father, of having a child with a woman I didn't even know or care about – it felt wrong. It felt wrong on so many levels.
“I've made an appointment with a surrogacy agency,” she said. “We'll speak to them on Monday.”
I cringed. “Mom, I'm really not comfortable with you doing all this,” I said. “It's my child, so I should be making the arrangements.”
Her face fell, and I immediately felt terrible. She probably liked being useful; having a purpose and a mission again. She looked like I'd just taken it all away from her and I felt like a total ass.
“It's just – awkward. Think about it,” I say. “My mother comes with me to a clinic where we discuss – ”
There was no way I was going to talk about sperm with my mom – in a public place, no less – so I left it hanging. Talk about an inappropriate discussion to be having at the table.
“I understand, Malcolm,” she said. “The appointment is at nine o'clock, Monday morning. I'll text you the address and you can go alone if you'll feel more comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
I actually wasn't feeling entirely thankful in the moment. I still wasn't sure if I wanted to go about it that way, but I was running out of time – and without Danielle in the picture, I didn't have many options either. In fact, unless we found a way to convince dad to change his mind about all of this, I was pretty much out of options, period.
My phone buzzed. “Danielle,” I muttered, deleting the message. “She still wants to talk. I have a feeling Adam told her about the deal, and she says she can help me. Yeah, sure you can, Danielle. Not that I'd even know the child was mine for sure if we did go that route.”
“Did she ever explain why she came to the house with Adam?”
