Page 21 of Jasper
“I think that too. The best part is he already transferred ten grand into my account, so we can pay for your treatments.”
Her eyes go wide, and she stammers, “Is that why you wanted to be a surrogate? I never wanted you to do something so drastic.”
“I wanted to do something nice for another person and get to experience what it was like being pregnant,” I lie. “That I’m getting compensated for it is just icing on the cake.”
Since I’ve already freaked her out, I don’t go into the rest of my sordid story—the part involving the Whitmores and needing protection. That’s all a bit much for an old lady to deal with. I don’t want to give her nightmares, after all.
My phone buzzes, and it’s Jasper. He sent me a selfie of him holding up the extra pie with a dopey smile on his face. I turn my phone around to show my Gran.
She reaches for it with a trembling hand. “Is that him? He looks nice enough.”
“Oh, he is,” I insist, even though I’m not a hundred percent sure myself. If I can only get one stroke of luck in life, I hope this is it. There’s something about him that makes me feel safe. I take a selfie of us eating our pie and send it back to him. For some reason, I blush when he sends me the heart-eyes emoji. I know he means that for the pie and not me.
We spend some more time together. I help her wash her hair and then take off, as she settles down to watch reruns of her favorite TV series.
When I get into my car to head back home, those two prospects materialize out of thin air and stick to me like glue. At some point on the way home, I start to feel like this is getting silly. Whitmore is not so much of a threat that I need protection. At least, I don’t think he is.
Then again, Jasper seems like he’s got experience unpacking dangerous situations, and he thinks the prospects are necessary.
By the time I pull into my driveway, I’m mentally exhausted from worrying about it. The prospects don’t approach me, but I see them head around back—hopefully to get their food.
I head upstairs and fling myself onto the bed, fully clothed.
Chapter 8
Jasper
When I got a text from Tessa to say she made three homemade pot pies for the prospects, I zoomed right back over there and took the third one. My stomach growled all the way home because it smelled amazing.
Once I’m back at the clubhouse I stop at the bar and grab a beer before settling down at one of the tables to eat my dinner.
No sooner do I open the container than my least favorite club girl slinks towards me.
“What ya got there, Jas?”
I growl, “Get the fuck away from me, Silver.”
Because I basically hate that bitch. She betrayed my niece, Brittany, and got her injured badly. I was surprised that Rock and Queenie let her stay here. Personally, I would have dumped her in the desert and left her for the vultures. People who hurt my family never make it back into my good books.
Slate flings himself down in the chair across from me. “Where did you get that? It smells fuckin’ amazing. Is there a new restaurant in town?”
“Hell the fuck no there is not. My surrogate made this. It tastes better than it looks.”
He whips out his knife and cuts himself off a sliver. “Back up to the part about her being your surrogate. When you said shewas carrying your baby, I thought that meant you’d been hiding a secret relationship.”
“Again, hell the fuck no. I’m not hiding any fuckin’ thing.”
“Except the fact that you hired a surrogate to carry your baby. Do you think she’ll do me next?”
My head jerks up and I shoot him a death stare.
He shoves the rest of the sliver of pie in his mouth and says, “Don’t fuckin’ look at me like that. I’m not tryin’ to crawl in bed with her. I’m not stupid. I know a surrogate uses a doctor and all.”
I point my fork at him. “Stay away from my surrogate. I like her for more than carryin’ my baby.”
“I’ll make you a deal. Give me more pie and I’ll stay the hell away from her.”
I roll my eyes, ‘cause he’s my fuckin’ younger brother. Of course, he’s not gonna hit on the woman I’m interested in.
