Page 21 of Sassy Surrogate
“Seems I’m on a winning streak here. A trifecta of tactless questions and comments. I’m sorry.”
I’m such an asshole. I’ve just bitten this poor woman’s head off, and she has no idea why. It’s not her fault I have mommy issues. Scrubbing a hand over my face, I sigh.
“No, I’m the one who should apologise. Itisa touchy subject, but you had no way of knowing that.”
“No worries. As a wise man said recently, apology accepted.” I can’t help but chuckle again. This woman is such a breath of fresh air.
“Thank you.” I feel a smile tugging at my lips.
“Why a surrogate?”
“I get the child I so badly desire, no strings attached. Once the baby arrives, we never have to see each other again. She goes on with her life, as do I. A win-win situation in my book.”
“Ah, I get it now. A business transaction, simple and straightforward. Fair enough.” She nods.
“Exactly. No mess, no emotional entanglements. Just a clean-cut business transaction.”
Danica nods again, her gaze searching my face. For what, I have no idea. After an uncomfortable scrutiny, she curls her legs up under her, leaning back in her chair.
“So why me?”
And there it is. The one question I’ve been dreading. The one I’ve been avoiding since overhearing her conversation with Rebecca at the coffee shop. It’s messy and furthest from what I want that I shudder just thinking about it. But she’s expecting one, so what do I tell her?
“You’re young, beautiful, and seem healthy.” She laughs as I echo her words of earlier. “Besides, you need an income, so I figured we could help each other out.”
It’s the best I can come up with. I just hope it’s enough to satisfy her curiosity.
“I’m not saying I’ll do it or anything. I’m simply curious as to how this would all work.”
ThisI’m more prepared to answer. “We would have a contract drawn up laying out all the terms and conditions of our agreement. We’d both need to have some medical tests. And then we’d get the ball rolling from there, so to speak.”
“You’ve certainly given this some thought, haven’t you?”
“To be honest, surrogacy is something that occurred to me only very recently. I’ve been trying to decide how to?to use a cliché?have my cake and eat it too. The question is though, how do you feel about it?”
“It’s a lot to process. I’m not even sure I’m the right woman for the job.”
My heart sinks at her words. It isn’t until this moment that I realise just how much the idea has grown on me. Has come to mean to me. How much it would hurt if she says no. The idea that Danica might turn me down is one I’ve not wanted to think about.
“Since none of this will cost you a cent, and you’ll be paid for your service, will you at least consider the possibility?” I ask. “There is absolutely no cost to you whatsoever,” I reiterate, trying hard not to beg. Nothing pretty about a grown-ass man begging.
At first, I didn’t think she was going to answer. She sits worrying at her bottom lip, avoiding eye contact. Finally, she looks over at me and nods.
“Okay, I’ll give it some thought.” She goes back to chewing on her lip again for a moment, before asking, “How much?”
“How much, what?”
“How much would you pay me?”
“Ah. Besides covering all your expenses, I’ll pay you three hundred and fifty thousand rand.” I hold my breath, waiting to see what her response will be.
Shock replaces the trepidation on her face.
“Say what now? Three hundred and fifty thousand rand? You’re going to pay me three hundred and fifty thousand rand to have a baby for you?”
“That’s correct. All other expenses will be settled outside of your fee. That amount is yours, free and clear, to do with as you please.”
“Holy cow. That’s a lot of money. You mustreallywant that baby.” Her words are barely out when she flings a hand up in a stop gesture. “Damn it. I’m sorry. That was tactless. By now, I’m sure you’ve figured out I’m the queen of blurting things out.”
