Page 20 of Alien Dragon's Bride

Chapter 11

Megan

Megan unfastened her seatbelt as Levx turned off the car once they arrived at the hospital. Wasn’t he just going to drop her off? “Thanks for the ride. I can take the bus back home.”

“Nonsense.” He gave her a smile that made her heart flutter hard against her chest. “I insist on seeing you safely home. Besides, I would like to meet your father if you’re okay with that?”

“No…yes.” She squeezed her eyes shut briefly to think of an excuse. What would her dad say if she waltzed in with this businessman and said, ‘hey dad, this guy and his dead wife want me to have their baby. It’s going to pay the bills for a bit so please don’t freak out.’ Yeah, like that would work. She didn’t see the huge deal about loaning out her uterus for nine months to see her dad continue the care he needed but she wasn’t sure her father would approve of the idea. Sometimes he could be a bit old-fashioned. Like when he told her she couldn’t have a boyfriend until she was seventeen and then it was double-dates only.

“Are you ashamed of me? Or do you think I should change?” Levx glanced down at his suit. “Am I as you say too formal?”

“No, it’s not you.” She hesitated. “Promise me you won’t mention the surrogate thing. I just don’t think he’d understand and I haven’t signed the agreement yet either.”

“Megan,” he took her trembling hand in his. His thumb rubbing across her knuckles distracted her. “If you’re ashamed of doing this, you don’t have to. I know we had a verbal arrangement but I don’t want you to feel pressured in any way to have to comply.”

She squeezed his hand back. “I don’t. Just promise me you won’t say anything about our agreement, okay?”

“As you wish.” He let go of her hand but his expression turned serious. “Though, if you do agree, you will need to tell him eventually.”

“Of course.” Her voice wasn’t as steady as she would’ve liked. She continued forcing a bit of light-heartedness into her words. “Be kind of hard to hide a growing belly for nine months.”

He frowned. “I will abide by your wishes but I won’t accept your signed contract until after I have your father’s acknowledgment.”

“Now who’s being old-fashioned?” She crossed her arms.

“I’m not saying he has to like it or agree but I don’t like the idea of causing a rift of lies between you and your father.”

She squirmed in the passenger seat under his scrutiny. What did it matter? Wasn’t like she was becoming a porn star or a prostitute or anything. She was helping a couple—albeit only the man—a chance to have a family with his deceased wife. Her father couldn’t dislike her trying to help herself and Levx. Yet the idea of explaining to her father made bile rise up in the back of her throat. “Sure.”

After a few minutes of checking in through the front doors, Megan led Levx up to her dad’s room. Her stomach churned, worrying about the hospital staff telling her that no payment had been made and that they’d moved her dad. Except no one stopped them and she heaved a sigh of relief when the paper name tag still had her dad’s name.

“Hi!” She pushed open the door and slid inside. “I brought someone to meet you.”

“Oh?” Her father ran a hand through his thinning gray hair. “A boyfriend?”

“D-a-d,” she drew the word out and her blush heated her whole face. “My new boss.”

“Pleased to meet you, sir.” Levx held out his hand and her dad took it with a narrowing gaze.

“I’m Mr. Maxell. Call me Sam. And you are?”

She rolled her eyes and sat on the end of his hospital bed. Leave it to her dad to give any potential man in her life the third degree.

“Levx. I hope to hire your daughter for our firm.”

“What firm?” Her father raised his eyebrow. “What would she be doing, exactly for you?”

Shit! Helpless to interfere or her dad would figure something was up, Megan looked over at Levx who didn’t even flinch.

“Filing and secretarial work.”

“You got benefits?”

Levx nodded. “Whatever she and you need. And I’ve encouraged her to continue her schooling to become an engine.”

“A what?” Her dad glanced from Levx to her and back.

“Engineer, Dad.” She patted his leg under the hospital’s blanket.

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