The Billionaire's Double Surrogate: A Billionaire Pregnancy Romance

by Cj Howard

  She gave him a smile and hugged him. “Thank you, you look good too!” She noted his button up shirt and dress pants. He always seemed to look as if he could have stepped off of the cover of a gentleman’s fashion magazine. He made have been a computer whiz in college and not had time for dating and girls or any kind of a social life, but since he had made his fortune, he had definitely found time for learning some great fashion sense.

  He walked with her to his car and a short while later he pulled up to his house. It was tucked away on a street set back from the main roads.

  She wasn’t entirely sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn’t what she saw when he parked the car in front of his house. There was a wide circular drive and a parking area in front of the house, so that at least five or six cars could have been parked there. It was light concrete, so it looked almost more like a patio.

  In the center of the circular drive was a garden with rose bushes and carefully trimmed grass. Around the outside of the circular drive were immaculately groomed gardens carpeted with a beautiful green lawn, flowering bushes, tall shady trees, fruit trees, and there was a medium sized hedge around the entire property at least as far as she could see.

  The house itself was two and a half stories, made of darker wood with a Tudor style. There was a small front porch where pots of flowering plants stood. She realized that she must have imagined in the back of her mind that he lived in a mansion of some sort, simply because he was a billionaire, but as she thought about it, walking with him along a side path through a garden gate around the house to a sliding glass door that entered into a big open kitchen, she realized that she couldn’t have been more wrong.

  His office in town was simple and old fashioned. It was a classic sort of style; it wasn’t loud and garish, or large and luxurious, it did not bespeak wealth and grandeur. It was instead something much more true to who he was without all of the money that he had.

  It occurred to her that he must still be the same down to earth man that he had been all of his life, and that becoming a billionaire in a decade and a half hadn’t changed him. He hadn’t gone out and splurged and flashed his money around; he hadn’t grown shallow and lost his soul to the fortune he had made.

  He was just as happy being who he was as he had been before he became wealthy. The money was just a side note to him, and a way to allow him to help others when he found smart investments that he could grow his money in while benefitting others.

  The interior of his home was designed around wide open spaces and lots of light. The living room encompassed both the first and second floor, giving it enormous area, while the kitchen had high ceilings and opened up into a formal dining room with slightly lower ceilings. All of the furnishings were modern and the kitchen had the most up to date appliances.

  There was hardwood flooring in the kitchen, along with marble countertops and oak cabinetry, which matched the floor. The living room had a soft thick carpet and a rock stone fireplace which stretched up the entirety of the wall to the ceiling two stories above.

  It was a comfortable looking home. There were a few tech magazines laying on a table beside the big sofa in the living room, and an old wooden desk in a little side office off the living room where she saw that he could work from home when he wanted to.

  The kitchen surprised her a little, in that she could see that it was so up to date because he used it often. There was a walk-in pantry which had a sliding door that was pushed all the way open, and from the look of it, it stayed that way all the time. The pantry was filled with shelves of dried goods in labeled Tupperware containers, from spices to pasta, rice, cereal, and dried fruits to nuts and baking needs such as flour and sugar.

  The counters had containers with an array of utensils to cook with, and there was an elevated pot and pan rack that hung in the air above the space in the pantry. With as much as he had in his kitchen in the way of foods and gadgets and appliances, she could see that he was no stranger to a kitchen, and that surprised her.

  “Do you cook often?” she asked, wondering at all that was around her.

  He nodded and smiled. “I do. I love to cook. It’s my creative outlet away from computers. I started cooking when I took home economics in high school and I found out that I was good at that as well, though no one else was surprised.

  I probably couldn’t change the oil in my cars, and I won’t try to, but I can create a good meal, and I really enjoy doing it. I guess my kitchen is outfitted enough that it shows. I could walk into a kitchen supply store and be in there for hours. I’m a sucker for creating all kinds of things with food.”

  She noticed that there was a moderate sized flat screen television extending down from the bottom of one of the cabinets. “Do you watch cooking shows on that?” she asked as she walked around his kitchen, running her hand along the cool white and gray marbled counter top. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen where a sink and cook-top were set, along with a clear work space. Bar stools were set up on the end of the work space, so someone could either use the area to eat, or use it to prepare a meal.

  “I do watch cooking shows, and now you know that I’m even more of a geek than you thought I was to begin with.” He laughed and she shook her head.

  “I think it’s great that you have taken such an interest in it. I like cooking, but I’m just not good at it. I guess I haven’t spent too much time at it, but I do make really good banana pancakes and I like to do that on the weekends when I’m being lazy and indulgent.” She laughed a little.

  He watched her, studying her and grinning as the vision of her walking around her kitchen on a sunny weekend morning making banana pancakes formed in his mind. “What’s that like for you?” he asked curiously, almost wishing that he could join her in that indulgence.

  She shrugged as she rested her hands on the counter of the island and faced him where he was standing across the island from her, leaning his back against the other counter with his hands slid down into his pockets.

  “Oh, it’s peaceful and fun. I play old jazz music, you now, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Satchmo, Duke Ellington… and I make fresh ground coffee and open up the windows and the curtains when it’s nice, and I take my time making banana pancakes from scratch. I enjoy the effort and time I put into it, and when I finally get a plate of hot buttery pancakes, it’s absolutely worth it. I love it.” she laughed again and saw that he was enraptured by what she was telling him.

  “That sounds like the perfect weekend morning to me.” He shook his head and smiled widely.

  She shrugged. “Well, I’ll have to have you over for pancakes one of these weekends. With the warm weather coming up this summer, we’ll have time to enjoy it outside. I have a patio by my garden that’s really sweet. I think you’d enjoy it.”

  “I’m sure I would.” He watched her happily, lost in the moment they were sharing, and her wide smile slowly brought him back out of his reverie and to the present with her. “Well, we’ve missed pancakes this morning, but we’re ready for dinner tonight!” he chuckled softly as he turned to the stove.

  “It smells amazing in here. I’m not sure what you cooked, but I can tell you right now that I already like it!” she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent.

  “It’s braised beef tips with fresh vegetables in a savory broth. I cooked long grain wild rice and mushrooms to go with it, and I made a salad. The salad came from the garden in the back. The garden is by the hen house.” He nodded out of the back windows and she looked over to where he was indicating and laughed out loud.

  “You have chickens?” she gasped in delight.

  He nodded. “I have chickens. I like fresh eggs, and they’re very sweet.”

  She couldn’t begin to wrap her head around him. A good looking, single, sweet, thoughtful, billionaire computer genius who loved to cook and had chickens in his backyard. “You are an anomaly, I think.” She smiled as she shook her head, thinking of it all together.

  He looked up at her curi
ously. “Do you think that’s a good thing?” It almost felt to him as if he was holding his breath while he waited to hear her answer.

  “I think it’s a very good thing. This baby is going to have a wonderful home with the best father. You’re perfect for this. You really are.” She gave him a sweet and earnest look and he blinked and had to look away from her, feeling emotion rise up in him.

  “I’m glad to hear that. Taking on the role of fatherhood on my own is going to be a big enough challenge. I will hire a nanny to help me, but still, choosing to be a single father is one of those things that takes a serious commitment, and I’m willing to make it, but I have no doubts whatsoever about the sacrifices that I’m going to be making with that choice.” he took a breath and turned his attention to the dinner in the oven, pulling it out carefully and setting it on the stove.

  “Is there anything that I can help you with?” she asked, watching him.

  “You could take the salad out of the refrigerator.” He suggested as he lifted the table ready ceramic pan from the larger pan that he’d been cooking the meat dish in.

  She opened the refrigerator and gasped with a smile at what she saw. “This looks almost exactly like mine… I mean, as far as what you buy. Don’t you love goddess dressing?” She looked over her shoulder at him and he nodded.

  “I do, would you grab it please? And anything else in there that you’d like.” He carried the ceramic dish to the dining room and set it on the dining room table.

  She walked in with the salad and he went back to the kitchen for the rice and mushrooms. “Can I get you anything to drink?” he asked. “I have everything.”

  She asked for lemonade, and he was delighted that he had some of the best lemonade that she had ever tasted. They enjoyed their meal, talking and laughing, and sharing each other’s company. She told him that his cooking was incredible, and he replied that he couldn’t wait to try her banana pancakes.

  When the meal was over, she helped him with the dishes and just as they were finishing loading the dishwasher, she stood up and gasped, her hand flying to her belly as she stared straight ahead of her.

  His eyes grew wide and he went right to her. “What is it? Are you alright?”

  She lifted her eyes and looked up at him in amazement. “I’m not sure, but I think the baby just moved!” she whispered.

  He gaped and laughed, looking from her face down to her belly where her hand was set. “Really?” he whispered in reply, and she nodded slowly.

  “Yes… it’s still… yes! It’s moving!” she laughed and smiled in wonder as she felt the butterfly turning beneath her palm. “Give me your hand!” she said without hesitation.

  He did, and she took it and placed his palm snugly against her belly. They waited a few moments, and to their wonder and delight, the little one beneath his hand moved and turned, and he felt it lightly under his touch.

  “That’s… that’s amazing!” he laughed and gasped, as he looked up at her. “I can’t tell you how excited I am that it happened here with both of us tonight. It… it means so much.”

  “It does to me, too. I’m so glad that you were able to be part of that.” She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  He hugged her tight in return, and when slid his arms away from her slowly, he paused to kiss her cheek. Her skin was warm and smelled again of spring, and as he moved his mouth from her cheek he found that her lips were so close and inviting that he wanted to kiss them as well. Without a thought to it, he brushed his lips against hers gently, and then pressed them there again, softly and slowly, feeling her kiss with his.

  She kissed him in return, stunned that he was kissing her at all, but discovering to her surprise that it was sweet and warm, and she wanted to kiss him back. He closed his arms around her, bringing her to him as their kiss grew deeper, and for a moment they both lost themselves in each other, but then something in the back of his mind clicked, and he remembered that she was hired to have his child, and their business relationship should not experience anything beyond friendship. He was worried that he was taking advantage of her, and taking his liberties a bit too far.

  Cameron pulled away from her and released her from his embrace, lowering his arms to his side as he looked away from her and spoke quietly. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have done that. I guess I got caught up in the moment.”

  She caught her breath and tried to slow her heart from its fast pace. “I understand. Don’t you worry. It was a special moment, and that was a nice way to see it past. We’re fine.” She gave him a smile and a nod, and he smiled back at her in earnest.

  “We really are.” He agreed whole heartedly.

  Chapter4

  He visited her the following Saturday morning to enjoy banana pancakes with her. She cooked for him and he helped her, singing along with her as the old jazz played in the background. They laughed and had fun, and when the lazy morning was over, the coffee and the pancakes were gone, they went to a local farmer’s market together to go treasure hunting for fresh fruit, vegetables, honey, and flowers. They spent most of the day together and they loved sharing their time.

  A week after that he invited her to go with him for a walk through Golden Gate Park as the weather was perfect, not too hot, with a nice breeze. She had told him that she wanted to get more exercise, and he thought that the walk was a good way to do it. They talked as they had begun to do all the time, about every subject that could be talked about from their childhoods to their favorite movies to their views on different aspects of the world. They agreed most of the time, and when they didn’t they were both interested to hear the other’s perspective and reasoning for their positions.

  They had begun texting each other almost daily, each of them was glad to hear from the other, and here and there they shared a phone call. Their friendship was growing strong, and both of them were enjoying it enormously.

  At five and a half months she went in to see her doctor for a checkup. He did a sonogram and printed it out for her. She could see the baby’s head and hands and that was about all, as it was curled up most of the time.

  Dr. Clayton looked as handsome as ever, and was glad to talk with her while she was his captive audience.

  “I can tell you you’re having a girl.” He announced with a smile, and she felt her heart lurch a little as she bit her lip with concern. He saw it and tipped his head a little, curiously.

  “What is it?” he asked with a genuine tone of interest.

  “Oh,” she sighed, “the father of the baby is hoping for a son. He’s actually got his heart pretty set on it. He wants an heir.”

  Andrew Clayton frowned and leaned toward her. “Well, that’s not good. I think a daughter would be just as equal an heir as a son, don’t you?”

  His eyes were steady on hers as they talked. She felt that she could trust him, and that gave her some relief.

  “Well, I agree, but he’s the one who hired me to carry his child. He’s the one who’s going to be the parent, and he has been very specific about having a boy.” She looked at him with disappointment.

  “Andrew crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, if it’s a girl and he doesn’t want it, what are you going to do? Will you keep it and raise it? I’ve talked with Cameron Elliot, and you’re right, he is bent on having a boy. I think he’s so determined to do it that he isn’t going to stop until he gets one.”

  She thought then of the woman who she had met in the waiting room at that very same office. Eva Cruz. The beautiful lady from South America. The other one who was pregnant with Cameron’s baby, and who was also a patient of Dr. Clayton’s. She was going to ask if she could know what Eva was carrying, a boy or a girl, but then she remembered that Eva was a month behind her in her term and they wouldn’t know yet. She was also fully aware that it wasn’t any of her business and that Dr. Clayton probably couldn’t break his patient-doctor confidentiality.

  “I don’t know what will happen. I guess I’ll have to talk to him and see.” She
sighed and frowned as she rubbed her belly, feeling sorry for the poor little girl in her who might not be wanted because of her gender.

  Andrew reached over and patted her hand. “Well, whatever you decide to do, I fully support you. I know you’re a good woman, and you’ll make good decisions for this baby.”

  She nodded and smiled at him. “Thank you, Dr. Clayton.”

  He kept his hand on hers and leaned a little closer to her. “Please, call me Andrew.” He hesitated only a moment then as he watched her. “Have you… given any more thought to my request to you? Have you considered going out with me for dinner at all? I don’t want to push, but I also don’t want to let you get away. You’re a wonderful woman, and if there’s any chance at all with you, I’d like to try.”

  Andrew gave her a winning smile and she laughed a little, her apprehension fading. “I understand, and thank you, it truly is very flattering, especially because I’m getting such a big belly on me now, but I have to tell you that I still think it’s not the right time for me. I do know that you want to, and if I change my mind, you’ll be the first to know. I promise.”