“Then I’ll hold you while you cry. Afterward, we’ll think of another plan.”
My fingers trembled as I pushed the buttons on my phone to call him.
“Aspen?” he answered.
“It’s me.” I had to close my eyes to say the next words. “Do you still want me?”
“I don’t know,” came his answer. “I’ve got a few other girls who might be a close second to you. None of them have called me names.”
I knew it. “Will saying that I’m sorry help my chances?”
Now, I’m reduced to begging someone to let me carry their baby and then just handing it over to him?
Chapter Eleven
Ransom
Lubbock, Texas – May 19th
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
Aspen was silent for a moment. I heard a long sigh first, and then I could clearly hear tears in her voice.
“Ransom, I am sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. If you don’t let me do this for you, then I don’t know what’ll become of me.”
She’s desperate!
“What’s going on, Aspen? What’s happened?” It had to be bad for her to be begging me.
“I can’t pay for next semester’s classes. I haven’t got a job. And I only have enough money for a week’s supply of Chinese noodles.” Aspen began to sob softly into the phone.
She was in too deep. I didn’t have the heart to demand any more begging. “Look, everything will be okay.” At least I hoped it would. “How about I come over, and we can meet in that park that’s just down the street from your apartment? We can talk a little and see what we come up with.”
“We can?” she sounded surprised. “You forgive me?”
Now I had to laugh. “Yes, I forgive you. I probably shouldn’t have even gotten pissed. You were right.” What? I almost couldn’t believe I’d just told her that she’d been right. I supposed her crying got to me. I wanted to do anything I could to make it all better for her.
Why? I didn’t know. It was just instinctive.
“No, I wasn’t.” She sniffled. “I had no right to call you that. I don’t even know you. I was basing my opinion on how you talked to me. I just guessed you were that way, and that was presumptuous of me. I am sorry, Ransom.”
“Apology accepted. Let’s move on. So, will you meet me at the park then?” I asked, but I was certain I knew the answer.
Instead of tearful words, they now had a hint of enthusiasm. “Yes, of course. When should I be there?”
“Is half an hour too soon?” I began walking out to the garage, as I knew she would say it would be fine.
“Oh. That soon?” She sounded a bit hesitant. “Um, okay. I’ll be there.”
She must’ve needed to clean herself up after her little outburst. “Okay then. See you in thirty.”
I decided I’d stop by Grandad’s bedroom first to see how he was faring. I found him propped up high on pillows, lying close to the edge of his large bed. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell in slow waves.
Although it was nearly noon, he still hadn’t woken up. Or maybe he had, and I’d just missed it. He took so many naps now. I thought it had to be the medications they gave him. But a part of me thought it might be the cancer sucking away his life.
Shaking the morbid thought off, I turned and headed to the garage once more. The fact was, I felt happy.
Aspen had actually made my day. The thought of seeing her again filled me with something—I wasn’t sure what. Something just felt good inside of me.
Her apology was nice. It did help me to get over my anger of her calling me a playboy. And now that I thought about it, that was a dumb thing to get so mad over anyway.
Women hadn’t even been on my radar since coming back home from Spain. I had far more important things on my mind. When I did think about women, it was only about the kind of woman who would make a good baby with me, how our looks would combine, and then how well we could get along to raise the baby.
The whole ride over to the park took less than twenty minutes. I figured I would have to wait a few minutes for her. Gorgeous women like her always made men wait. It was just one of those games they played. But when I pulled up to the park, I saw her sitting on top of a wooden picnic table, reading a book.
For a moment I just sat there and looked at her. She’d braided her curly, dark hair into a long braid that hung over her left shoulder. The sun glistened off it, making it shine. She had on a pair of blue jean shorts that showed off her long, lean, tanned legs. And that’s when my cock got interested; it strained against the zipper of my jeans, wanting to get out and play.
Looking down at my obstinate appendage, I said, “No. She’s not for you. She’s to be the mother of my kid, not your plaything. I need her to stick around for this baby. You’ll just love her and then I’ll feel like leaving her. It always happens that way. You know that. Plus, she’s just too pretty. If I give her too much of myself, you know what’ll happen. So, just relax. You can get some action another time with another woman. I promise.”
With my dick in control, I got out of the car and went to her. She glanced up from the book when I cleared my throat. “Oh, you’re here already.” Smiling, she put the book down and held her hand out to shake mine.
“What the hell are you doing?” I had to ask as I looked at her hand.
“Well, I was going to shake your hand.” She let hers fall to her side. “But I can see now that you think that’s dumb.”
I took a seat on top of the picnic table, the way she’d been sitting. Patting that place next to me, I said, “Sit.”
She climbed back up and sat a couple of feet away from me. Her eyes were a little puffy. I guessed she’d done quite a bit of crying. She had to be completely desperate to have called me.
“Are there any things you’d like to know about me?” she asked.
“Well, a doctor will collect all your health information and your family history, so we don’t need to get into all that.” I didn’t want her to make this decision only because she was financially desperate. “Aspen, besides the money, why do you want to do this?”
“That’s a good question.” She looked at me right in the eyes, and I felt thunder booming inside of me. “You see, I need the money like I need air to breathe. But I kept thinking about what you’d said, about me having blood in this world if I did this. The idea just keeps going through my head, like some kind of a looped track. Also, I know any kid of yours will never have to worry about money. So, who better to have a baby with than you?”
“I’ve been researching the in vitro process. It’s a little intimidating, especially for the female. There’re lots of things that you’ll have to do. You’ll really want to have this baby to go through all this.” I pulled out my cell to show her some of what I’d found.
She scooted closer to see my phone. The scent of her made my mouth water. Strawberries and cream came to mind. And I wondered if she would taste like that if I kissed those plump pink lips of hers.
Aspen pointed to a photo of a woman pinching a chunk of flesh on her stomach for a needle to be inserted into it. “Shots? I’ll have to have shots?”
“Yeah.” I hoped that wasn’t a deal breaker. “Are you afraid of getting shots?”
She shook her head. “Not afraid. Just not keen on the idea.” She looked at the phone image again. “Are there lots of them to take?”
“I think so.” I began to worry, not only about her, but about any woman that I asked to do this for me. This was a hell of a lot to ask of a stranger.
“On top of the actual shots, there must be some side effects from them,” she mumbled. “Ah, here it is. Changes in mood. I thought as much.” She looked at me with a smile. “Well, at least you won’t be affected by my bad moods.”
“And why wouldn’t I?” I had to ask.
Her lips broke into a wide smile, and I nearly forgot to breathe. “Because I won’t be around you.”
I had to concentrate in order to take in air. �
��Why not?”
Her brows furrowed. “Because I’ll be home, and you won’t be around, I suppose. Or are you planning on going to the doctor with me? I don’t know how this will work.”
“Oh, now I see.” Being around her, I had some trouble thinking clearly. “I forgot to tell you something. It’s pretty important. See, I want you to come live at our estate. And not for only for the time it takes to have the baby. We want you to stay on permanently.”
Confusion riddle her pretty face. “Like, forever?”
“Well, at least until our kid moves away, I guess, or is old enough not to need us around all the time. Whichever comes first.” I knew that sounded a little crazy. “You see, I want you to be a real mother to our kid. Not just a surrogate that has a baby and hands it over to me.”
“This just got a heck of a lot more serious, Ransom.” She looked away as if looking for the answer. It wasn’t out there anywhere. She had it inside of herself.
I wasn’t sure how to phrase things, but I had to try. “You’ll still be a free person. I won’t try to keep you captive in our home or anything like that. My grandfather is the one who thought this child should have both parents, and he says he’s running short on time. If he wasn’t, then I wouldn’t ask this of you or anyone.”
“And you will lose your inheritance if he dies without a grandchild, right?” she asked as she tapped her chin.
“I will.” I thought she needed more incentive. “I’m still willing to compensate you adequately for this. Not only will you be paid for having this baby, but I’ll get a contract drafted for us that will make everything legal. For every year you live at the estate, I will pay you. We can negotiate the amount together. I want you to feel that it’s fair.”
“So, this is looking more and more like a full-time job for me.” She shook her head and frowned. It didn’t make her face one bit less beautiful. I thought that was amazing.
“Tell me, Aspen, do you ever not look so perfectly beautiful?” I ran my fingertips over the satin smooth skin of her cheek. “You’re so symmetrical. Like a statue. A perfectly proportioned, perfectly sculpted statue.”
“I’m far from perfect,” she said as a pink blush flooded her cheeks. “It’s funny that you should think that. No one has ever told me that. You’re the first.”
I could not believe that. She was gorgeous. “No way in hell am I going to believe that. If you haven’t heard that before, then that’s because you just weren’t listening.”
Her eyes bore seriously into mine, as if looking for threads of honesty in what I’d said. “I don’t get you, Ransom Whitaker. I really don’t. But it might be fun trying to figure you out.”
“I wouldn’t bother if I were you. I’m a riddle wrapped in a puzzle then sealed shut inside of a Rubik’s Cube. Even I don’t really understand myself most of the time.” It was true. When I’d told my buddies what my grandfather was making me do, they all told me that I was a fool for going through with it. Any one of them could set me up in one of their family businesses. But I wanted to do this for some odd reason.
“I don’t know what will really come out of this, Ransom, but I’m in. If you want me,” she said.
Part of me knew she was just too desperate, and that I shouldn’t ask her to do such a thing. But another part of me wanted her to be the one I shared DNA with to make a baby. A perfect little angel: half me, half her.
All I could do was smile at her as joy filled my heart. “I want you.”
I’m going to have a baby!
Chapter Twelve
Aspen
Lubbock, Texas – May 20th
After our agreement, Ransom told me to get into his car. And I did, which was so unlike me. But if I was going to make this pact with him, I had to allow myself to trust him.
And how glad I was that I did. He took me to his bank and helped me open my own bank account whereupon he immediately deposited fifty thousand dollars. I was soon after rendered speechless when he told me that he would transfer another fifty thousand into it after the baby was born. And there’d be more deposited for each year that I lived at the estate.
If my father were alive, he would’ve told me this was too good to be true and not to do it.
But I was going for it. That money meant I could fully fund all the rest of my schooling. I was set. And on top of that, I would get to have a little version of myself in this world with me.
I wasn’t going to have to give up anything. I’d never had this dream, but it was like a dream come true anyway.
The next morning, I went straight to the registrar’s office and paid for the next semester’s classes. Then I went back to the apartment to pack. Ransom said he would be picking me up around five that evening to take me to my new home.
I’d grown up in a pretty nice home. But an estate? That wasn’t even on my radar. I was a bundle of nerves just thinking about it.
Margo sat on the end of my bed as I pulled clothes out of the drawers and she made sure they were folded before putting them into suitcases. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll get lost in his house, Aspen? I would be.”
“Kind of, yeah.” I tossed a handful of panties on the bed. “You can just cram those wherever they’ll fit. I’m about done here.”
“Sure.” She started shoving the panties into empty crevices. “So, I guess I’ll start looking for one more roommate then.”
“About that.” I had an idea I wanted to talk to her about and had almost forgotten to. “I’ll pay my part of the bills. I want to keep my spot open, you know, just in case anything happens. If I don’t get pregnant, I know he’ll have to ask me to move out. And I don’t want to have to look for a place to live. Will that be okay with you, Margo?”
“Are you kidding?” she asked, seemingly shocked. “Of course, it’s okay with me.”
“Good.” I’d pulled money out of the ATM on campus and handed her three hundred dollars. “That’s for June. And please make sure you let me know if there is an increase on anything. With the other roommates, the electric and water will increase, I’m sure. Don’t leave me out of that. It’s only fair to you guys.”
“That’s silly. Just keep paying the three hundred. There’s no reason for you to pay any more than that. You won’t even be here to use any electricity or water anyway.” She closed up my bag and zipped it up. “And that’s it. Now we can relax until he comes to get you.”
I led the way to the living room where Anna and Cher were busy knitting. “Do you like the blue, Aspen?” Cher asked.
“It’s a nice shade of blue. What’s it going to be?” I took a seat in the chair across from them as I watched how effortlessly they moved the long, pointed knitting needles. “Wow, I could never do that.”
Cher smiled at me. “It’s not so hard. I’m making an afghan to drape over this sofa. Anna’s making one in a contrasting shade for the chair. I think lime green and blue go together well. Don’t you?”
“It will be bright,” I said. “It’ll look great.”
With the two artistic young women, the small apartment was already transforming into something Margo and I had never tried to create.
Margo pulled a kitchen chair into the living room and took a seat. “I thought I would make dinner for us tonight. Does Hungarian goulash sound good to y’all?”
Anna and Cher nodded, and I said, “I’ll be eating at Ransom’s.”
Margo looked down, and I could see her feelings written all over her face, but she said the words anyway, “I’m gonna miss having you around, Aspen.”
Cher piped up, “Me too. I know I’ve barely been here long enough to get used to you, but I’ll miss you too.”
Even Anna nodded. “Me too.”
“I’ll come around and visit.” I thought about how much I would miss this life. “And I’ll see you guys, Cher and Anna, around campus.” I looked at Margo who didn’t go to college. “And I’ll make sure to come see you, Margo.”
“It’s not going to be the same ever again,” Margo whimp
ered. I saw a tear fall down her cheek, and she swept her hand to catch it. “You’re gonna have a baby and grow up on us, Aspen.”
Cher sniffled. “You’re going to be rich now. You’ll move on. You’ll get new friends. Rich ones like you.”
I laughed. “I will not. I’ll never move on from you guys.” I thought they were crazy and totally overreacting. “And I’m not going to be rich. That’s Ransom’s deal, not mine. But I hope I won’t have to worry about money again. And if you guys need any financial help, you better ask me for it. I mean that.”
Margo got up and came across the room to grab me up and hug me tight. “Oh, Aspen, you’re the greatest friend ever!”
I found myself crying along with her, and before I knew it, we were in a group hug, each one of us crying. And then came a knock at the door.
Trying to buck up, I pulled myself out of the tangled group. “That’s probably Ransom.”
Margo grabbed my arm. “Don’t go, Aspen. Just stay here with us.”
As silly as it might be, I almost wanted to do just that. But I’d already spent twenty thousand dollars of the man’s money. And I had to admit that I was growing more and more excited about our baby. “I can’t, Margo. But I will be back to visit. Just like I said I would.”
Wiping my eyes, I went to answer the door. Ransom stood there with his back to the door. “Hi,” I whispered.
I almost hated the way he made my heart jump and my body heat up. I hoped that I would get used to seeing him, used to being around him, and that would stop happening to me.
He turned back to look at me. His blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “Were you crying again?”
I nodded.
He didn’t seem to understand at all. “Why?”
Margo burst out, “Because she’s leaving us.” And then she ran off to the bedroom.
Cher and Anna followed suit, and I stood there in the doorway. “Um, looks like they’re all pretty sad.” I looked over my shoulder at the three suitcases that held all my belongings. “Wanna help me get my bags?”
The Virgin's Baby_A Forced Marriage Romance Page 7
