Chapter Six
Paige
I woke up on Saturday morning feeling as though I'd hardly slept at all the previous night. There were just too many thoughts rushing around in my head, too much chaos. I couldn't stop thinking about the night before when Michael had come to The Shift to see me. I still couldn't believe that he had asked me, of all people, to carry his baby. I was still trying to figure out why, but the best thing that I could come up with was he thought because I had come up with the idea, I must be okay with it.
I wasn't sure how I felt about the idea.
It seemed kind of like prostitution. I mean, I was going to have sex with a guy, and he was going to pay me for it. I would have felt a lot more comfortable if Michael had been willing to just provide a sample that I could put inside me. Then I could just think of myself as an incubator for the baby, nothing more.
On the other hand, I had to admit that I was a perfect choice for this task if this was truly the way that Michael wanted to get his heir. I didn't believe in the idea of true love, or at least, I didn't think that I was ever going to meet a guy that I was so head over heels for that I couldn't picture my life without him. There wasn't a chance I was going to fall in love with someone like Michael. It might be cliché to think that all rich dudes were assholes, but given the way that Michael couldn't seem to think of any other way to get a kid, I had to assume that he fit the ticket.
I did think that he could provide for a kid, though. And if he wanted one so desperately that he was willing to pay $2.5 million to have a woman carry one for him, I had to assume that he would take care of the kid and love it in his own way. Whatever way that might be.
I was worried that after carrying the baby for nine months, though, I would be attached to it, rather than to him. And this contract that he had drawn up made it very clear that he didn't want me anywhere near the kid, for the rest of its life.
That was the hard part to swallow. I didn't know if I could sign away that future now, not knowing what I was agreeing to give up.
I sighed, rubbing my eyes. I didn't know what to choose, but Michael said he needed my answer tonight. When I'd asked what the hurry was, he'd been vague, unable to give me a real answer. But he'd insisted that he meet me at the bar that night to hear what I had decided. Otherwise, I had a feeling he was going to try to find someone else, making my decision for me.
I stared up at the chipped ceiling. Part of the reason why I couldn't just easily dismiss the idea was that I could use that money. Our rent was about to increase, and I was already barely making it every month. I wouldn't be able to support myself living here on my current salary.
With over two million dollars in the bank, I would be able to buy a place of my own. A better place than this, even. And I'd still have plenty of money in the bank. I'd want to keep working, of course, because I knew that money wouldn't last forever, but it would be plenty to cover the gap on months when I wasn't making quite as much. It would take off a lot of the stress I'd had for the past couple years. Give me a little free time to have some fun.
The truth of it was, I had never seen five figures in my bank account before. Now, we were talking about seven figures in there. It was mind-boggling.
Besides, one of my main arguments against having children was that I wouldn't be able to provide for them the kind of life that they deserved. But if Michael could casually pay me 2.5 million to carry this baby, I had to assume that it would grow up with everything that it could possibly want, from phones and gadgets to sports teams, and everything in between. The kid could have the childhood that I had never been able to have.
“Paige, do you want any coffee?” Erica called through the sheet divider.
“Yeah, I'm just getting up,” I told her, rolling out of bed and pulling on a pair of jeans and an old, worn flannel shirt.
“Uh oh,” Erica said when she saw me. “You only wear that flannel when you're desperate for something comfortable. Did something happen last night?”
I laughed. “Yes and no,” I told her. I thought back to the NDA that Michael had made me sign already. It had stipulated that I couldn't tell anyone about this, but surely, I could tell my best friend! Erica wasn't the type to blab, especially not to the media, and I didn't know how to make this decision without her advice, especially since my moving out would affect her.
“Talk to me,” Erica said.
I sighed and sat on the couch, and she came over to sit next to me, handing me a mug of coffee. “I signed a non-disclosure agreement,” I told her. “So when I say this can't go any further than us, I mean it. No kidding around.”
“Okay,” Erica said slowly. “What, did you see a murder committed?”
I laughed. “At The Shift?” I asked her. “Don't you think you would have heard about that by now, if so? Besides, our customers may be sleazy, but they're not murderers.”
“True,” Erica said, laughing. “But come on, tell me what's up.”
“One of our regulars came by a couple nights ago and started talking about how he was desperate to have a kid, but he didn't want to be in a relationship. I suggested surrogacy.”
“Right,” Erica said, her eyes narrowing. Suddenly, she gaped at me, clearly making the leap. “You agreed to be his baby-mama?” she asked, sounding shocked.
“I know you believe in the whole Hollywood picture of love,” I told her. “But you know I'm not like that. And he wants to pay me serious money to have his baby.”
Erica looked pointedly around the cramped apartment. “Well, that's good, because there's no way I'm dealing with your pregnant self in this tiny place,” she said.
I winced. “I'd have to move out,” I said slowly. “Would you be able to cover rent still?”
Erica smiled at me. “You know I make more than you,” she reminded me. “It would be kind of nice to have this place to myself. I'm sick of doing the walk of shame all the time; it would be nice to be able to have guys over.”
I laughed. “Sorry I've been harshing your game,” I told her.
Erica burst out laughing as well. “Who even says that anymore?” she asked, shaking her head.
I shook my head but didn't answer that one. “Do you think it's a crazy idea, though?” I asked. “Me having a baby for him?”
“I've heard crazier plans to get money,” Erica said, shrugging. “Surrogacy is normal, isn't it? Besides, it's not like you're going to sleep with the guy, right? You'll just go to the sperm bank, and they'll inject it into you. I'm sure it'll be very professional. Just like a normal doctor's visit.”
I felt myself start to blush. “He doesn't like that idea,” I admitted. “He says it's too clinical. And he wants to be there when the baby is conceived.”
Erica frowned. “Isn't that like prostitution, then?” she asked.
“That's exactly what I thought!” I exclaimed. “He's paying me to have sex, isn't he? I mean, he's paying for the baby, but the baby is the byproduct of sex.”
“The possible byproduct of sex,” Erica said. “I know you can take tests to see if you're ovulating, but there's no guarantee that you'll conceive on the first try.”
“I hadn't thought about that,” I sighed. Then, I grinned. “To be honest, I wouldn't mind, though. He is handsome.”
“Oh really?” Erica asked, waggling her eyebrows at me. “So what are you worried about then?”
“Getting too attached,” I said immediately. I frowned. “He stipulates in the contract that I couldn't see the child once I've given birth to it. He would have sole custody. I mean, there's nothing in there about a restraining order or anything like that, so maybe he wouldn't be totally strict about it. I just can't imagine bringing a life into this world and then not having any information about the kid as it grows up.”
“Maybe you need to come up with your own stipulations for the contract,” Erica suggested. “For example, you could tell him that he has to send you pictures of important life events. School photos, things like that. You'd probably feel better if you got to hear about all the awesome opportunities that the kid had, right?”
“Or maybe it would make me want a relationship with the kid even more,” I pointed out. I shook my head. “I don't know what to do.”
“Is it just the money?” Erica asked. “If you weren't worried about rent, if I could get you some more shifts at work to help you out, would you even be considering this?”
“How many extra shifts would I have to pick up to make $2.5 million?” I asked.
Erica's eyes grew wide. “Holy shit, is that how much he offered you?” she asked. “I would have a hard time turning that down.”
“I know,” I said miserably. “That's exactly what I'm having a problem with now. I can't say no to that, but at the same time, I'm not sure that morally it's the right decision. How could I ever tell my parents?”
“Ooh, that one would be tough, wouldn't it?” Erica mused, thinking that over. She shook her head. “I don't know if I could do it,” she said. “But that's because I never wanted to have kids.”
“I almost think it would be easier if I didn't want to have kids,” I told her. “You wouldn't have to worry about getting too attached.”
“True,” Erica said. She shook her head. “That's a big choice you have to make. He's at least given you time to think it over, though.”
“Just until tonight,” I told her. “He's going to come by The Shift again, and he wants to hear a decision. Otherwise, I think he's going to find someone else to do it, and the decision will be made.”
“How does that make you feel?” Erica asked. “Like, if he found someone else, would you be upset?”
“I don't know,” I said, throwing my hands in the air. “I honestly don't know how I feel about any of this. I'll probably end up flipping a coin to make the decision.”
Erica snorted. “Imagine that conversation, one day: 'no, you weren't a mistake; I flipped a coin, and it was heads, so I had to have you.'”
I laughed. “Well, at least they wouldn't be a mistake,” I mused. “Anyway, I won't be the one having that conversation with them.”
Erica frowned. “How about this,” she suggested slowly, “you could stipulate that if you give birth and decide to keep the baby, he doesn't pay you. But then you get to make that choice, as soon as you know what you're giving up.”
“I don't think he'd be willing to accept that,” I said. “He wants this baby born post-haste; I don't think he's going to be willing to wait nine months to find out if it will be his new heir or not.”
Erica was quiet for a moment. “Well, I hate to say it, but in that case, I might not go through with it,” she said.
I wavered on my decision for the rest of the day, but when I got to the bar that evening, despite my nerves, I knew what I had chosen. Michael made a beeline for me the moment he entered The Shift, looking sexy in a suit and tie; he must have come from work.
“Have you made your decision?” he asked me.
“Provisionally,” I said, nodding my head. “I will carry the baby for you, but I have a couple changes I'd like to make to the contract. Or that I'd at least like to discuss.”
Michael stared at me for a long moment. “All right,” he finally said, nodding as well. “Are you free tomorrow? I'll schedule a meeting with my attorney, and you can meet me at my office.”
“All right,” I agreed.
We shook hands, and even that touch sent a zing through me, my body already anticipating what would come. I smiled at him until someone further down the bar called my name and I had to turn back to pouring drinks.