Chapter One

With her feet perched awkwardly in the examination table’s stirrups, Jenny O’Malley glanced up at the colorful mobile hanging from the ceiling. The placement of the twirling prisms was meant to be a distraction from the awkwardness one faced while spread out on the gynecological table, but at the moment, Jenny found the mobile to be absolute bullshit. There was no way in hell it was distracting her from the doctor poking and prodding her vajayjay—not even staring up at a poster of Chris Hemsworth’s junk could do that.

Blowing an errant strand of blonde hair out of her face, she wondered for the thousandth time just exactly how she had arrived at this point in her life. The main question flashing like neon in her mind was, What the hell are you doing? Sure, at twenty-three years old and with two semesters left of college, her life resembled that of most young women her age, but any similarities between her and her fellow millennials came to a glaring halt when considering the fact that she currently found herself in the Buckhead office of Atlanta Reproductive Medicine. Reproductive medicine, a catchy way of saying fertility clinic, the place where women and men came when the baby-making process had hit a dead end, or where single women who wanted to start a family on their own came.

Inwardly, Jenny laughed. After all, she couldn’t imagine anyone else her age who could possibly find themselves in her shoes. Of course, at the moment, her tan Uggs were in the changing closet along with the rest of her clothes, but she digressed. No, girls her age were worried about starting their post-collegiate careers or finding their soulmate. They weren’t concerned with hormone injections and embryo transfers.

The normalcy of her young adult life had ended two months before when, after much soul-searching, she’d agreed to become a surrogate for two of the most deserving and sweetest people she’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. Jenny wrinkled her nose at the term surrogate—it seemed such a cold and clinical word for what she was doing. Life-bearer seemed more apt. After all, she was bearing life for a couple who wanted nothing more than to have a child to call their own.

When her friend Emma first suggested she be a surrogate/life-bearer, Jenny had laughed in her face, rather hysterically. Being pregnant was the last thing she wanted. In fact, she’d been on the pill since she was sixteen—somewhat scandalous for an Irish-Catholic girl. Then, after the suggestion’s initial shock wore off, Jenny immediately thought of her oldest sister, Laura. She and her husband had tried for five years to have a baby before they had eventually turned to adoption. Although Jenny wouldn’t trade her sweet nephews for anything, she couldn’t help wondering how things might’ve been different if Laura had had the option of surrogacy. It was because of Laura that Jenny realized she should take the idea of surrogacy seriously.

Since she was always someone who valued others’ perspectives, she decided to broach the subject with her family, and you could say all hell broke loose at that Sunday dinner. Jenny was surprised to find her normally supportive family quite adamantly against her plans—well, everyone except Laura. It had taken her a while to talk them down off the ledge, especially her mom and dad. In fact, it had taken meeting the prospective parents, Connor and Jeff, to finally smooth things over. Her mother’s issue came with the emotional toll the pregnancy might have on her, and it was certainly a warranted concern.

It was no secret to anyone how much Jenny loved kids. She wanted nothing more than to be a mother someday, just not any time soon. In her mind, she saw herself graduating from college and living a somewhat Carrie Bradshaw Sex and the City existence in Atlanta. Then around thirty, she’d be ready to settle down, get married, and have a family. Just because she took nine months to be a surrogate didn’t mean it had to change any of her plans.

She’d tried explaining both to her mother and herself that since it wasn’t her egg, it wasn’t the same thing as carrying her own child and then giving it up. She tried leaning on the scientific basis of the fact that she’d have no genetic ties to this child, but deep down, she still had her doubts.

It wasn’t only her parents who had strong opinions about her decision. When Jenny sat down with her tight-knit circle of friends over margaritas and queso to tell them her plans, they pretty much lost their shit. Their collective issue came with why she would want to wreck her perfect body (their words, not hers) by having someone else’s kid. In their eyes, stretch marks and peeing when you coughed would be perfectly warranted for your own pregnancy, but for someone else’s? Hell no. Not even the money made it seem worthwhile to them.

Yeah, there was that part about the money—yet another weird aspect to the whole process. Surrogacy equaled big bucks for a lot of young women. For carrying their baby, Jenny’s couple insisted on compensating her financially. She’d argued with them on the sum they wanted to give her. Since she was still on her parents’ insurance, she didn’t think she needed any money for what she was doing, but Connor and Jeff wouldn’t have it. In the end, she was going to be able to pay off her college loans with a little left over to get a place of her own.

Jenny’s thoughts were interrupted by the invasiveness of the ultrasound probe. “Ouch!” she cried.

“Sorry,” Dr. MacMillian called from the area of Jenny’s nether regions.

“Guess I better get used to the pain, huh?” Jenny quipped. After all, if things worked according to plan, she’d be experiencing labor in nine months, and she wasn’t going to be a hero and go natural. Oh no, she wanted all the drugs they would give her. Making sure she wasn’t in too much pain was one thing she had been sure to include in her surrogacy contract.

“Okay, all done.”

After Dr. MacMillian withdrew the ultrasound probe, Jenny snapped her legs shut. Pushing against the stirrups with her feet, she shimmied her ass back up the table. Rising up into a sitting position, she pushed her blonde hair out of her face before staring eagerly at the doctor.

After tossing her rubber gloves in the trash can, Dr. MacMillian smiled. “The thickness of your endometrial lining is pure perfection.”

A month ago, Jenny couldn’t have cared less about whether or not her endometrial lining was thick or not. In fact, her only knowledge of endometrial linings came in a basic health class during the early days of her undergraduate studies. But, when it came to the business of surrogacy, the lining of your uterus was do or die for the overall process. An embryo needed a fluffy place to burrow into.

“That means it’s almost time for the transfer, right?”

Dr. Macmillian nodded. “In three to six days, depending on the development of the embryo.”

Even though she’d known it was coming, Jenny still found herself a little apprehensive now that the time frame had narrowed down. A small part of her wanted to jump down from the table and run out of there, her paper gown flapping in the wind. She wondered if there would ever be a time when she was completely at peace with her decision.

“Any questions about the procedure itself?” Dr. Macmillian asked.

Jenny shook her head. “At this point, I think I could ace an exam on embryo transfer.”

With a laugh, Dr. Macmillian replied, “I’m glad to hear you’re knowledgeable. So many surrogates go into the process rather blindly. The less they know, the better.”

Jenny couldn’t imagine that. As someone who overanalyzed every situation, she wanted to know everything she possibly could about the process. Not only had she read countless books about IVF, she’d also spoken to two surrogates personally.

“Expect to hear from us in the next couple of days,” Dr. MacMillian said.

“Okay, thanks.”

Once the doctor was out the door, Jenny hopped off the examining table. After jumping back into her clothes at record speed, she threw her purse on her shoulder and headed out the door. She wasn’t too surprised to find Connor Montgomery and Jeff Evans pacing in the hallway. They immediately froze at the sight of her, two drop-dead-good-looking statues of male perfection. Any woman with a pulse would have felt heat between her legs at the sight of them. Of course, that heat would ultimately fizzle at the realization that they were married…to each other.

Dark-haired and dark-eyed, Connor was the complete opposite of his blond-haired, blue-eyed husband, but both men had chiseled physiques from spending time at the gym. While Jeff was quieter and more reserved, Connor was outgoing and never met a stranger. Even though they were so different, they complemented each other well. Jenny couldn’t help envying their perfect relationship.

“Well?” Connor questioned.

Jenny gave him a reassuring smile. “She said everything looks great. The transfer should take place in three to six days.”

While Jeff beamed, Connor’s reaction was to grab Jenny and haul her to him in a bear hug. “Umph,” she muttered against his broad chest.

He instantly tensed. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“It’s fine,” Jenny replied as she pulled away.

Connor shook his head. “The last thing I need is to crush the mother of our future child.”

She winked at him. “I’m tougher than that.”

“Yes, you are. Considering what an emotional roller coaster this process is, I’d say you were the Terminator.”

“I’ll admit it’s been a pretty wild ride so far, but what I’ve been through is nothing compared to what you guys have endured.” During many wine-filled conversations, Jenny had learned about the broken road to parenthood that Connor and Jeff had been on. After an adoption had heartbreakingly fallen through at the last minute, they had decided to look for a surrogate to carry a donated embryo. Jenny had been surprised to learn that after many couples went through IVF, they had leftover fertilized embryos that could either be destroyed or given to other couples.

While finding an embryo was surprisingly easy, it was considerably harder finding a surrogate. Connor and Jeff talked to countless young women, but none of them seemed to be the one. It seemed like they’d just hit a brick wall.

And then Connor’s friend, Emma Harrison, who also happened to be Jenny’s friend, had been hit with a thunderbolt of an idea one night at dinner. She’d been eating at O’Malley’s—the pub Jenny’s family owned and where she waited tables—with her family. Since Jenny loved seeing Emma’s kids, Noah and Caroline, she had waited on them. Although she’d had the idea that night, Emma had come back the next day to talk with Jenny privately.

Jenny had met Connor and Jeff at various events of Emma’s. She didn’t know them well, but what she did know of them was good. In the weeks that followed, Jenny made the quantum leap from being acquainted with Connor and Jeff to being their surrogate. Now it was hard for Jenny to imagine a time in her life when she didn’t talk to them two or three times a day.

“We’re going to grab a bite to eat before heading back to work. Would you like to join us?” Jeff asked.

“Actually, I’m meeting Emma and Casey for lunch before my shift.”

When Connor’s brows sloped downward in worry, Jenny knew his concern wasn’t about the company she was keeping. He and Emma had grown up in the same small town, and they’d been friends since elementary school. He’d met Casey through Emma, and they got along fabulously.

For both Connor and Jeff, their worry stemmed from her waitressing. During her pregnancy, they didn’t want her around the secondhand smoke, nor did they want her on her feet so much. Leaving her waitressing job was even a clause in the contract she’d signed.

Jenny held her hands up. “Dad just started training my replacement, and it hasn’t been going well.”

Jeff shook his head. “You shouldn’t be so damn indispensable.”

“That’s true, but I promise as soon as I have the transfer, I’ll hang my apron up.”

Wagging a finger at her, Connor replied, “You better.”

She grinned at him. “Of course. After all, the prospect of breaking one of our contract’s clauses is scary, but incurring the wrath of you two is far scarier.”

Connor appeared affronted. “You really think I could be scary?”

“Oh yeah,” Jenny replied.

Jeff ruffled the back of Connor’s hair affectionately. “I’m surprised she was able to call that one since she hasn’t ever seen you without your coffee.” Jeff grinned at Jenny. “He’s a total bear.”

“That’s why you, Mr. Early Bird, will be doing all the early morning feedings,” Connor replied.

“And I’ll be happy to do it.”

As Connor and Jeff exchanged the look of love that only happily married couples can achieve, Jenny once again experienced a pang of longing. She hoped one day a man would look at her like that. She might not have been ready to settle down just yet, but she sure would’ve liked to have someone special to spend time with. But now after several months of being dateless, she would have even been happy spending time with someone, special or not. It wasn’t that she was lonely, per se, but she knew what her heart wanted.

Companionship. Love. Desire.

Would being pregnant prevent that? Would prospective dates take one look at her baby bump stomach and run away? Quit being a self-centered twat, Jen. This is about Connor and Jeff, not you.

When she cleared her throat, Connor and Jeff seemed to snap out of the moment. They then walked her down the hallway to the receptionist’s desk. “Tell Emma and Casey we said hello,” Jeff said.

“I sure will.”

With a somewhat apprehensive expression, Connor asked, “Would you like us to walk you to your car?”

Jenny couldn’t help laughing at his nervousness. “I think I can make it just fine.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m positive.”

Jeff took Connor by the arm. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here before your overprotectiveness makes Jenny run for the hills.”

“Whatever,” Connor mumbled.

“Talk to you soon.” Jenny gave them both a quick hug before heading on to her car.