Chapter Ten
Evan
One month later
Scarlet and I had been seeing each other on and off for the past month, and everything was going according to plan. We had sex–crazy gorilla sex–whenever we could see each other. We didn’t spend a lot of time together when weren’t fucking, but that was all right.
I wanted another child, and I was determined to make that happen. And judging by the way Scarlett was happy for me to fuck her, she was just as determined as I was.
Lily still didn’t know what we were doing. There was no reason to tell her. It wasn’t like Scarlett and I did anything more than fuck, and there was no reason to tell her about that.
Scarlett wasn’t pressing me at all to speak to Lily. She stayed out of my business. She understood that this was what I paid her for, and she didn’t get involved in any other way.
I appreciated that a lot more than she knew.
In the meantime, though, until we figured everything out, we fucked.
It was a busy time at work for me. I had a lot to take care of, and sometimes, I didn’t leave the office until well after dark. But Scarlett was always available when I wanted her. And God, I wanted her badly. Often.
My phone rang, drawing my attention away from the paperwork I was reading through, and Scarlett’s name flashed on my screen. I smiled and leaned back in my chair.
It was dark outside, with my office being the only one with a light still on. Everyone else–including Serena–had gone home for the day.
“I can’t tell you how welcome this distraction is,” I said.
“Are you still at work?” she asked.
“I am. I have paperwork to go through. It’s a bitch.” I would much rather have been home, fucking Scarlett, spending the night in all sorts of compromising positions, instead of going through property values.
“I won’t keep you, then,” she said. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?” I asked.
“Yeah. I took a home pregnancy test tonight. I realized this morning that it’s been a while since my last period, so I calculated it and figured I had to check.”
I grinned. I couldn’t believe it. Pregnant! This was finally happening.
“I just wanted to let you know,” she said. She didn’t sound as ecstatic as I felt.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s just a lot to take in.”
I could understand that. Going from living a relaxed life, to planning to get pregnant in such a short time, had to be jarring. I’d thought about it for a long time, but Scarlett had stepped onto the scene, and a few days later, we were going at it.
“I’ll set up a gynecologist appointment for you with Dr. Monroe,” I said.
“Thank you.” Scarlett sounded distant, switched off. I wanted her to speak to me, but we weren’t there. Our relationship wasn’t like that, and right this minute, I wished it was.
“I’ll speak to you tomorrow,” she said.
We ended the conversation, and I hung up the phone. I took a deep breath, trying to let the information sink in. A baby. I hoped it was a son. If it was a daughter–it wasn’t like I could pick and choose at this point–I would love her just as much, but I desperately wanted a son.
I managed to book an ultrasound with Monroe for Scarlett on Wednesday, the very next day. When we walked into the offices, there were pregnant mothers everywhere, looking at us. We were an odd couple–with her nearly half my age–but I didn’t give a shit what they thought. I knew what I wanted, and I knew what I was here for. Scarlett seemed less confident. She fidgeted while we waited.
I put my hand on hers, but she gently pulled it out of my grip.
“It’s going to be fine,” I said.
She nodded, but I didn’t believe that she agreed with me.
“Scarlett,” Monroe said, smiling when we walked into the office. “How are you doing?”
“Okay,” Scarlett said.
We both sat down. Scarlett had her hands in her lap
“What can I do for you, today?” Monroe asked.
Scarlett cleared her throat. “I think pregnant. I took a home pregnancy test, and it was positive.”
Dr. Monroe smiled. “That’s great news,” she said. “Why don’t we have a look?”
We moved to the next room where Scarlett got undressed behind a screen and put on a hospital gown. When she sat on the chair, she was visibly nervous.
Monroe squirted jelly on her stomach and used the scanner, sliding it over her lower abdomen.
“When was your last period?” she asked while she looked at the screen, moving the scanner back and forth. Gray shapes appeared on the black screen.
Scarlett gave her a date.
“Right,” she said. “That would mean you’re about eight weeks along or so, right?”
“I guess you’re right,” Scarlett said. “I wasn’t paying attention. Things were a little… different than usual.”
She glanced at me when she said it.
“Here we go,” Monroe said, focusing on one spot and pointing at the screen. “It’s not much to look at just yet, but here’s the placenta, and the fetus is over here.”
I looked at the screen. I couldn’t see anything that meant something to me, but Scarlett’s face had changed. She looked like she might cry, but it wasn’t a bad look. More like awe.
Her dark eyes were bright. I’d never seen her look this beautiful.
“Well, that’s unexpected,” Dr. Monroe said.
Scarlett and I both looked at the doctor. She was looking at the screen, and Scarlett’s face went pale.
“Doctor?” Scarlett asked. “Is everything okay?”
“There’s nothing wrong,” she said. “But this is rather unusual.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Scarlett and I both looked at the screen, but I couldn’t figure out what was on it. It was still just a blur of grey shapes to me.
“Well, I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just come right out with it,” Dr. Monroe said. “You’re having triplets.”
I blinked at her. “What?”
Dr. Monroe smiled at us, but Scarlett looked just as shocked as I felt.
Triplets? We were having three babies?
“I don’t understand,” Scarlett said. “This can’t be possible.”
“It’s unusual, but not impossible,” Dr. Monroe said. “And considering that you weren’t on any fertility treatment, this is all natural and very special.”
Scarlett still seemed unsure, but the news was starting to sink in. And I was ecstatic. I’d wanted another baby for so long. Knowing that I was going to have three was an absolute thrill. Yes, I hadn’t expected it, but we could make this work.
We? I had to remember that Scarlett wouldn’t be in my life forever. She was just here to carry my baby. Babies. The realization hit me harder than it should have, and I pushed it away.
Scarlett got dressed, and we left the office.
We walked to the car together, and she was quiet. We got in the car, and I turned to her.
“How do you feel?” I asked.
Scarlett shrugged without saying anything.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Scarlett shook her head. “Nothing wrong,” she said. “This is just a little overwhelming.”
I could see how it would be, but something was bothering her, something she wasn’t telling me. I couldn’t place it. I didn’t have any claim to her or any right to her emotions. She was here to carry my baby, and that was just what she was doing. She was fulfilling her side of the contract.
“I’ll triple your pay,” I said.
Scarlett blinked at me. “You don’t have to do that,” she said.
“But I want to.” This was above and beyond what I asked for after all.
Scarlett shook her head. “Really, you’re paying enough as it is.”
She still looked like something was upsetting her, and I didn’t know what it was. I wanted to be able to help her, to make it go away, but I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, the line between us was very clear, and I didn’t know how to cross it.
I told the driver to take us to her house. I doubted she wanted to come home with me after the new development. This was a lot to handle for the both of us, and like she said, she still had to wrap her mind around it. I hoped that was all that was bothering her, but somehow, I doubted it.
We drove to her apartment in silence. When the car parked in front of her apartment, I took her hand, and she looked at me with eyes that were guarded and an expression I couldn’t read.
“You’ll tell me if there’s something I can do?” I asked.
“You know I will,” she said. I wasn’t sure if I knew that. “I just need some time.”
I nodded and let go of her hand. There was nothing I could do if she wouldn’t let me in. She opened the car door and got out without help. I didn’t get out with her. I got the idea she wanted to be alone. I wouldn’t intrude.
I watched as she walked to her apartment, disappearing from sight. The car pulled into the road, heading to my place. This had all taken a very big turn today. Scarlett was right. It was a lot to take in. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like for her to carry a baby–babies–that would only belong to her for as long as she was pregnant.
Was it affecting her more than I realized? I was starting to wonder how she would cope with all this. I’d only thought about having a child, about getting someone to carry it for me, seeing as how I had no interest in having a wife. I hadn’t once thought how it would be for the woman that had to carry the baby.
I didn’t want Scarlett to struggle with this. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to look back at this experience and see it as something special.
Was I doing that for her?
I realized that I cared about how she felt. I cared about whether she was happy. I cared about her as a person.
Fuck.
When I’d started this journey, the idea of endless sex and no attachments, other than the future responsibility of a child, had been attractive.
Now, the idea that Scarlett wouldn’t be mine after it all didn’t sit too well with me.
What if I wanted her around? What if I wanted her to be part of this picture? What if I wanted her to be the mother–to stay the mother–of the children she was carrying?
God, this had never been the idea. This hadn’t been part of it at all.
When Scarlett had walked through those doors for the first interview, it had been a surprise. A pleasant one, because I’d wanted to fuck her for a long time, and now, she was the mother of my children. Plural.
But she was becoming a lot more than that. I hadn’t wanted someone in my life. Women were nothing but drama, and I didn’t need that in my life when I’d been independent and taking care of Lily on my own for so long. But I found myself feeling different about Scarlett being in my life.
I was starting to feel more for Scarlett than just arousal and desire. I was starting to want to give her more for what she was doing for me than just money.
I was starting to fall in love with her.