A Bundle of Joy 2: The Baby Proposal (BWWM Interracial Romance)

by Roxy Wilson

  He stood slowly. “Why? You think I won’t be a good father? Or are you scared that I’ll run out on you and our baby as soon as I get another shot at the army or at some other career?”

  She couldn’t think straight. “Don’t be silly.”

  “I’m not the one being silly. You think I don’t know you’ve closed off a part of yourself from me because you don’t want to risk getting hurt? I wanted to give you the time to settle into this life, to have faith in me like you used to have before. But now it seems that I’ll never be good enough to be the man that you want me to be. Not good enough to be your husband, or a father to your daughter.”

  “I…” she hesitated. Hadn’t she feared that he would run out again whenever the whim struck him to do something he really wanted to do?

  But now living with him, she wasn’t sure if she was that insecure about him.

  Or was she?

  This is messed up. Why does he have to bring this up now?

  As she sat, frozen, her mind blank, his face registered his emotions. “I think I got your answer,” he said stiffly, his jaw set in a hard line.

  “No, Triston. It’s not like that. I’m sure you’d be a great father, but…”

  “But what, Selene? What do you want? You want me to go down on my knees and beg forgiveness for leaving you six years ago? Six years!” he was barely able to control his anger. “It was a long time ago, and I was eighteen. I’ve changed, as have you.”

  “Of course, we have.” She’d never seen him this agitated, this angry. He’d always been calm.

  “But you’re still afraid to let me love you as you deserve. Afraid to let me love our baby. What the hell for? What commitment can be greater than marriage? I love you. I love this baby. We’re a family or at least we’re meant to be one, but you won’t let us be like that.” Suddenly, he stopped, and ran a hand over his face. “I…need some air.”

  “Triston…Wait…” Setting the tray on the other side of the bed and trying to maneuver her way out of the bed, were difficult. She was too slow, too clumsy. By the time she was able to wrestle her way to her feet he’d already left the bedroom. What had she done? She should’ve explained herself better.

  Selene heard the apartment door slam as he went outside.

  Damn it.

  She glanced at the breakfast she’d barely eaten but which he’d so painstakingly cooked. Trying to call him was an exercise in futility because his cell phone went unanswered.

  Selene had to be in court at twelve. She wondered if Triston still planned to be there with her. But what if he didn’t? After all, he wasn’t her daughter’s biological father. He wasn’t named in the court case. She was the one who was being summoned before the judge.

  Selene took a shower. The worry that had been plaguing her was now multiplied by a hundred. Without Triston, she felt alone.

  And scared.

  Their baby needed him.

  She needed him.

  What would she do if he didn’t show up at the court? The lawyer would be there, of course. But Triston was her rock. He was the one who could calm her down when she allowed her anxiety to get the better of her. What would she do without him?

  As the minutes ticked by on the clock, Selene realized that she needed to be prepared to leave without him. She dressed with care in a pair of ink blue pants and a matching blouse. Her protruding stomach simply wouldn’t be hidden beneath the jacket she threw over the outfit. The baby would be conspicuous even without being born. That was good, she decided. She needed the judge to see that this was a person who had rights and needs. And if the Stevens had their way, the baby wouldn’t even be in her womb right now.

  Even if Triston didn’t show up, she intended to put up a good fight for their child.

  She needed to be strong for their baby.

  ****

  Triston sat in the church, his head bowed as he offered a prayer. He had to admit that he’d slept fitfully the last few nights. His apprehension over the oncoming custody battle had brought on new episodes of PTSD. As much as possible, he tried to hide them from Selene. She had enough to deal with. There was no need to add to her worries. But part of his anxiety was his relationship with her. It had been months since they got married. He’d thought by this time, she would’ve stopped doubting his intentions and start trusting in the love he had for her. How long would she continue to punish him? She said she understood that duty, honor and country were values he upheld. They were a family now, a unit. If she didn’t have faith in him to be a good husband and father, how could they continue with their marriage?

  Her words had hurt him. He’d done everything to make her feel loved and secure, but it seemed that whatever he did wasn’t enough to erase the past.

  He’d begun to lose hope now. Did she think he wouldn’t be a good father to their child whom he already loved as if it was his own? For the past months, he’d built his life around Selene and the baby who was due to make her appearance soon. Now, he couldn’t imagine any other existence. Even if he had a wonderful opportunity to do something else, he would never be able to leave his family.

  They were the center of his world. Apart from them, very little else mattered. But if Selene wasn’t convinced of that fact, then what was the point of their marriage? He strode out of the church, into the parking lot and drove his car out. As his car slid to a stop outside their suburban house, he saw Selene locking up the front door. When she spotted him, she hesitated for a few seconds. He switched the engine off and then leapt out of the vehicle. He jogged towards her. Seeing how the dark circles around her eyes seemed more vivid, caused sympathy and guilt to well up in his heart. Clearly, she was upset by their fight. Knowing that she was already agonizing over the fate of the court battle, he felt sorry for putting her through further misery. But what could he do? He was as invested in this child as she was. What would it take for her to realize that?

  “I’m sorry…”

  “I’m sorry…”

  They spoke simultaneously.

  She went forward to hug him around his waist. How long they stood like that? Triston couldn’t tell, all he knew that he was right where he belonged.

  In Selene’s arms.

  Forever.

  Selene raised her head and looked him fully in his eyes. “I never thought you wouldn’t be a good father or husband. I love you, Triston. And I’m not afraid to believe in you.” Her arms tightened around his waist. “You’ve always been the love of my life, but added to that, you’re my hope, my strength, my support.” She placed her index finger softly against his lips when he opened them to speak. “And in case you’ve forgotten what I said before everybody on our wedding day, I promise to cherish every moment of our time together and pray that we find strength and happiness in each other’s arms. I promise that I’ll respect you and love you faithfully through good times and bad. I give you my hand, my heart, my love.”

  Relief, elation, filled his heart. All the doubts he’d had a few minutes ago vanished.

  Triston lowered his head and kissed her.

  Like he’d never kissed her before.

  He tasted the saltiness of her tears, the mint-flavored toothpaste.

  And Selene.

  All too soon they had to come up for some air.

  Selene cupped his cheeks. “Of course, I’d be happy if you were to adopt our baby and raise her as your own along with me. But I don’t think we should bring this up now. Didn’t the lawyer say that we need to make sure that the judge realizes that I didn’t change my mind about keeping this baby because we’ve gotten married? He should know that the Stevens deserted me in the middle of the pregnancy.” She caressed his cheeks with her thumbs. “We need to prove that so they can’t claim any rights over the baby.”

  Triston had to admit that he hadn’t thought of that angle. She could be right. The judge might think that Selene wanted to keep the baby because she was now in a stable relationship and had the means to support this baby. That could make the judge rule
against them.

  “We’ll talk about it after this case is over.”

  “And I promise, Triston, that you’ll be her daddy, her father, in every sense of the word.” Selene pulled him down and pressed her lips against his forehead.

  With those words, with that gesture, a thousand boulders were lifted from off his chest. Yet, he was overwhelmed with emotion, too choked up to speak without breaking down. Triston held Selene close, as close as her growing belly would allow, and fought to regain his composure.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Come on, or we’ll be late.” Triston clasped Selene’s hand in his and bypassed the sedan that she’d sold on the same day they’d gotten engaged. He’d managed to buy it from the car dealer. Triston knew it meant a great deal to her, especially as it was a gift from her father. It had taken some doing, since the dealer already had a potential buyer. The money Triston had offered him was way more than it was valued, but it was worth the look of joy on Selene’s face when he’d surprised her with it.

  He assisted her into his vehicle, got behind the wheel and drove off. They made their way to the court, with time to spare. Their lawyer was waiting outside. After they sat outside for forty-five minutes, their case was called in. Selene had to sit on the defendant’s table with the lawyer while Triston sat behind, on one of the seats reserved for the audience. The Stevens sat with their lawyer. The bailiff came in and ordered everyone to rise as the judge came out.

  The judge was a short lady, with spiky, flyaway hair. She looked composed, though a little bored. For her, this was a routine case, while for them, it was a matter of having their little girl, or having her taken away from them, possibly never seeing her again.

  “Let us begin,” the judge announced. “What are the charges against the defendant?”

  Meg and Warren’s lawyer stood. “Your honor, my clients, Warren and Megan Stevens had a contract with Selene Walker née Alexis, whom they hired after she responded to their ad in the newspaper. They were looking for a surrogate to carry their child because they are both unable to have children because of medical reasons. The defendant volunteered for the job in exchange for reasonable living expenses, a lease on a new apartment, all medical bills taken care of, and her compensation fees for the duration of nine months. They took her to the doctor, paid for her insemination, and for all other doctor appointments. But now, she wishes to keep the baby.”

  Triston was enraged. The Stevens’ lawyer was leaving out the most crucial part of the entire story. How could they blatantly omit pertinent information in the court?

  The lawyer continued. “We have medical bills that prove that this baby was conceived with money that had been given by Warren and Megan Stevens. By virtue of that fact, and the surrogacy contract, this baby belongs to my clients. We request, Your Honor, to order this woman to carry out the terms of her agreement and hand over the baby to Warren and Megan Stevens after its birth.”

  The judge peered at Selene and her lawyer. “What does the defendant claim?”

  “Your honor, my client did, indeed, sign a traditional surrogacy agreement,” said Selene’s lawyer as he stood. “The plaintiff paid not only for the donor sperm, but also insemination fees. They also gave her living expenses until she was three months pregnant. At that point, they called to inform her that they had changed their mind and didn’t want the baby. The Stevens offered to pay for her abortion, if she wanted to go through with it. Without waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do, they immediately stopped paying for her medical and living expenses.” The lawyer stopped to fiddle with the papers that were neatly filed in a folder in front of him. “We have the medical bills that prove that after the 12th week of pregnancy, one doctor’s appointment was paid for by the defendant and all the others were paid by her husband, Triston Walker, whom she married when she was nineteen weeks pregnant.” He cleared his throat. “The Stevens made no attempt to contact her after that last phone call. We have submitted the defendant’s phone records to show that she was not contacted by Warren or Megan Stevens until a week ago when they called to inform her that they’d changed their mind, yet again, and did in fact want the baby.”

  “I would like to hear from the plaintiff. Please, swear Mrs. Stevens in,” the judge ordered.

  After Meg was sworn in and had taken the stand, her lawyer came forth. “Did you hire this woman to be your surrogate mother?”

  “Yes, my husband and I did.”

  “Did you change your mind after she was about fourteen weeks pregnant?”

  Meg hesitated, but perhaps the thought of the consequences of committing perjury crossed her mind because she nodded in agreement. “Yes, my husband did call her. I felt that I was not emotionally ready to handle a child. It struck me that I would be homebound and not able to travel as freely with a child as I did before. We would’ve paid for her abortion, but since she didn’t abort, that baby belongs to us.”

  “Why did you change your mind regarding the baby?”

  “I thought hard about it, and it finally occurred to me that I was ready to be a mother. I would take good care of this child and be caring and supportive.”

  “Your witness,” said the lawyer as he went to sit down.

  Selene’s lawyer stood. “Do you agree, Mrs. Stevens, that had Selene gone forward with the abortion this child wouldn’t even be alive today?”

  “Of course, I’m glad that she didn’t do it.” Meg patted her hair. “And I want to take the responsibility off her hands now. This baby was conceived because we intended to have a child and not because she wanted one. It’s a matter of intent. It was our intention to become parents that brought this child into this world. She only did it for the money.”

  Triston glanced at the judge a few times during Mrs. Stevens’ testimony and noted that she’d been listening intently to her and had even nodded a couple of times, especially when Meg testified that it was their intention that had brought this child into the world.

  That worried Triston.

  A whole lot.

  “No more questions,” said the lawyer.

  Meg stepped down.

  “I would like to hear from the defendant now,” said the judge.

  Their lawyer had told them that in surrogacy agreements the court often favored the intended parents rather than the biological and surrogate carrier mothers. Triston wondered if that would happen in this case.

  He leaned forward as Selene walked over to the stand. She sat, took her oath, and folded her hands in her lap. He thought she looked dignified and graceful, albeit a little scared.

  Their lawyer stood in front of her. “Is it true that this child was conceived because of a surrogacy agreement?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would you please inform us regarding the circumstances that led to your agreeing to carry a child?”

  Selene dragged in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “I answered a classified ad because I was desperately in need of money. I had been fired from my job and was unable to find any other work despite making repeated attempts to apply for various positions.” She sighed. “After going for countless interviews, I figured this was my only option to pay my rent and college loan and other debts my deceased father had left behind.”

  “Why did you agree to a traditional surrogacy agreement as opposed to a gestational one in which you wouldn’t have been biologically related to this child?”

  Selene blinked rapidly. “This is what Mr. and Mrs. Stevens wanted. I didn’t…I wasn’t aware that there were other options.”

  “Do you think that Warren and Meg Stevens wanted this option because it was cheaper?”

  “Objection.” The plaintiff’s lawyer jumped up.

  “Sustained,” said the judge. “The witness will not answer that question because it would be her opinion, not a fact.”

  “When the Stevens asked you to abort, why didn’t you do it?”

  “I was already fourteen weeks pregnant. Even though an abortion is more dangerous
in the second trimester, it was still a medical option. But I’d seen the baby move in an ultrasound and…” her voice broke. She took a moment to compose herself. “Even though I had no means to pay for doctor appointments, I simply couldn’t bring myself to abort her. It was impossible for me to pay the hospital fees, but the doctor very kindly offered to help with the medical costs.” She ran a hand over her face. “Even if I wasn’t biologically related to this child, I wouldn’t have been able to give it the death penalty simply because the Stevens didn’t want it anymore.” Selene leaned forward as she made her point. “That would’ve made me cruel. I thought about giving it up for adoption after it was born. But then I got married, and since my husband and I have the means to support her, we would like to keep the baby now.”

  “Why have you decided to keep this baby rather than hand it over to the Stevens?”

  “They wanted to abort her. They didn’t want her. What if they decided that they didn’t want her a second time around, where would she end up? I don’t want to lie awake at night, wondering what’s happening to my little girl.” Her eyes welled with tears but she fought to control them. “This child deserves to be raised by people who are committed to her wellbeing, and I fear the Stevens are not dedicated to the responsibilities that go along with parenthood.”

  “No more questions,” said her lawyer.

  Triston looked at the Stevens’ lawyer to see if he would question Selene any further, but he chose to sit. Perhaps he’d realized that cross-examining a pregnant woman wouldn’t make him win any points. Both the lawyers made their closing speeches. The judge seemed to listen to both sides carefully.

  As far as Triston could understand, if the judge believed that because their child had been conceived due to the intent of the Stevens, she would likely give them the custody of the baby, but if she thought that they had abandoned the child, she would give custody to Selene. It could go either way, depending on what the judge thought was fair and in the best interest of the child.

  “I’m going to review the documents that have been submitted in the court and will announce the judgment at the next hearing.” The judge banged the gavel and left the room.