Epilogue:
Jasmine was sitting in her living room drinking a cup of hot cocoa when there was a knock at her door. She looked up in surprise, as she hadn’t been expecting anyone. She rose carefully from the sofa, her body bigger than it had ever been and considerably unsteady.
“Coming.” She called out as she made her way to the door. She was stunned to see that it was Cameron. He looked tired and sad.
She opened the door and he looked up at her with his hands in his pockets. “I came to speak with you, if you’ll see me.” He looked as if he desperately needed to talk, and she nodded and stepped back away from her door.
He walked in and went to her sofa, sitting down on it, and she joined him. She offered him a drink and he turned her down politely.
“I came to talk with you about what happened,” he said quietly.
She nodded. “I’m listening.”
“The paternity tests came back. I’m sure you won’t be surprised at all to hear that your baby is mine, and Eva’s baby was fathered by Andrew Clayton.” He looked like he might be sick to his stomach.
“You’re right. I’m not surprised.”
He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “I cornered Eva and made her tell me the truth. She’s been lying to me, letting me believe all of this time that the boy she is carrying is mine, when it’s Andrew’s. She said that she is angry with me for breaking up with her and she wants revenge on me.
She was going to try to trick me into thinking that the boy she is pregnant with is mine so that I would give her lots of money for him, and she was going to try to get me to marry her for the baby’s sake, and then she was going to divorce me and try to take the baby and all of my money with her.”
Jasmine gasped and stared at him. She could never have imagined the whole truth. “When she got the money and the baby from me, she was going to run off with Andrew and they were going to go live together as husband and wife, raising their biological son.”
“But… that can’t be. Andrew was trying to date me and be with me. He’s been after me like a hound dog for months…” her voice trailed off in shock and confusion.
“Oh no… that was part of their plan, too. See, they thought that if Andrew could distract you enough, then Eva could get in between you and me, and she’d have a better chance of getting me to go back to her. You were going to be dumped as soon as you weren’t useful any longer.” He looked as disgusted as he sounded, and that was every bit as disgusted as Jasmine felt.
“As horrible as it sounds… the two of them were trying to pass their own son off as mine to get a huge sum of money from me, making me think that the baby was mine… and then they were going to run away together with the money and the baby.” he shook his head as he stared straight ahead and then turned to look at Jasmine.
“I can’t believe this. It’s unprecedented.” She breathed in awe and horror.
“Oh, it’s true.” Cameron continued.
“When did they come up with this whole plan?” She asked, trying to wrap her mind around it all.
“When I first went in for the IVF treatment for you. Andrew knew my name. He knew that I had dated Eva and how hurt she was when I dumped her. He told her about you and me and our plan to have a surrogate baby.
So, they came up with this plan, he got her pregnant, and as they were already a couple, it suited them perfectly. They would have the family that they were planning to begin with, she would have her revenge, and they would have a good chunk of my money with it.” He shook his head and turned to look fully at her.
“My god…” Jasmine whispered.
“There’s more.” He added. “You aren’t having a little girl. You are having a boy. Andrew lied to you the whole time and told you that it was a girl so that you’d leave me, thinking that I wouldn’t want a girl, and that would put you further out of their picture. We are having a son, you and I, but I want you to know that it wouldn’t matter if it was a boy or a girl, I would want it. I would love it the same no matter what.
The same as I love you. I would want that baby in my life the same as I want you in my life. I love you, Jasmine, and I want our baby and I want you. I want you both to be with me, to be my family, my wife, my son, my everything, for the rest of my days on this earth.”
She stared and tried to speak, but no words came. She blinked and could not see for all of the tears that blinded her.
“I love you too, Cameron, and I want to be with you forever too. Always… you and me, and this sweet little baby, no matter what gender it might be.” She said in a tight and strong voice.
He moved to her then and took her in his arms, holding her and kissing her as they both cried happy tears, and when they were both recovered a little better he held her face in his hands and asked her properly.
“Jasmine Thompson, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he brought his hands away from her face and from his pocket he pulled a big diamond ring. “Marry me, and make me the happiest man in the world. Please…” he pleaded with her.
“I will.” She answered with a grin, “and I love you, forever.”