AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stop the car and kill the engine. If the woman seated on the step is Ivy, is that her boyfriend? Would a boyfriend allow his girlfriend to surrogate for money? Yes, he would if he was going to get a share, and he was into easy money like his girlfriend.
I lock the car and make my way to the house. The woman looks up, and when our gazes meet, I feel as if I know her. Except that I know for sure that I’ve never met her. If I had, I would not have forgotten that face.
Ivy Martin has the kind of face that belongs on a magazine cover.
3
Ivy
How can a man look so edible and cold at the same time? He has ice-cold blue eyes which are focused solely on me. His eyes appear searching as if I’m a lab specimen that he’s studying. I’m glad I’m seated because I don’t think my legs can support me.
“Are you lost, man?” Peter asks, his voice a distant drone.
“No,” he says in a voice that rings with authority. His gaze doesn’t leave mine as he speaks. “I’m pretty sure I have the correct address. I’m here to see Ivy Martin.”
My heart skips a breath as my name leaves his lips. “I’m Ivy Martin. How can I help you?”
He looks me up and down. I meet his gaze, and that’s when I see the disdain in his eyes. Irritation and anger course through me. I can already tell that he’s judging me, and I’m coming up short.
He glances at Peter pointedly. “I’d like a word. Privately.”
That’s when I know he’s from the clinic. They’ve sent the top dog to come and convince me to have a termination. The woman who spoke to me on the phone did a poor job of it. She tried to convince me to terminate the pregnancy by showing me how hard life would be as a single mother.
I had surprised her and myself by stating confidently that I would keep my baby and raise them. This from someone whose short-term plans had never involved a baby.
The maternal instinct has crept up on me. It started when Peter told me that the clinic had offered a termination. I went for a walk and let the idea float and take root in my mind. And I knew that I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get rid of the baby.
In the park, all I saw were happy children with a parent or both parents. I wanted that for myself and my child. I wanted to have a little someone to call my own. My maternal instincts, which had been in hibernation for years, had kicked in powerfully. After that, nothing mattered except the baby growing in my belly. Even knowing that I would never know the identity of my baby’s father had not dissuaded me. I wasn’t looking to play happy families. I just wanted to have a baby and raise them.
After receiving the news that I had been given the wrong sperm, the second hardest thing had been to tell Susan and Mike the bad news. Susan went a little crazy on me, insisting that I had to get a termination done immediately. Mike came on the phone, and when I told him my decision, he quietly accepted it and wished me all the best. It left me feeling like a horrible person, but the other option of terminating my pregnancy would have killed me inside.
My sister has been my rock. She’s promised to offer any support she can, including babysitting services. I laughingly told her that it was a little too early to be talking about babysitting services. According to my sister, it was never too early.
“Ivy?” Peter said, bringing me back to the present.
I’m about to tell the stranger that he can say whatever he wants in front of Peter, but I catch myself in time. As much as I love Peter, sometimes he’s too protective. I appreciate it, but it’s stifling, especially because he’s been dropping subtle hints that getting a termination is the best way to go.
“It’s okay. I’ll talk to him alone. I’ll be fine,” I tell Peter with a reassuring smile.
Peter nods, but I can see he’s not pleased.
“Have a seat.” I pat the space beside me while glancing at his expensive-looking pants.
“I’ll stand,” he says tightly.
I had hoped he would sit down on the step and ruin his pants. It’s childish of me, but something about him, maybe it’s his haughty look, brings out the worst in me. I stand up and raise my head to look at him. He’s tall and oozes confidence and power.
He’s also extremely handsome. Beautiful even. I’m seized by a sudden urge to run my fingers over the sharp planes of his face.
“What can I do for you?”
“My name is Alec Anderson, and I’m from the fertility clinic,” he says. “I’m sure you have an idea why I’ve come to see you.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Actually, I don’t. I already stated my plans, and I have no idea why you would come to my home.”
“Yes, I was told that you want to keep the pregnancy,” he says.
“Correct.”
