“Makes me a horrible person for considering it for something other than helping someone have a child. Doesn’t it?” I whispered so faintly I doubted he heard me.
“What were your reasons?” His voice didn’t seem to be judgmental or filled with any negative tones. He sounded genuinely curious.
Taking a risk, I sat up and faced him. It’s not like I would see him again after today, and it would be nice to talk to someone who wasn’t biased like Lauren and the others.
“Well… for starters, I want the hell out of the rinky-dink, hole-in-the-wall town, I call home,” I groaned and Gerald chuckled.
“Go on. I’m listening.” He kissed the side of my head.
“I got accepted into NYU.”
Gerald’s eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas.
“That’s great news. Congrats!” he smiled, but when I shook my head, he frowned.
“I’m going to withdraw.”
“Why on Earth would you withdraw? I mean-- Oh.” The lightbulb finally went off in his head. “So that’s how the surrogacy thing plays into all of this?”
“Yep,” I groaned.
“How’d you come up with the idea? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“My friend, Lauren… Who I’m starting to wonder if I even know her anymore,” I rolled my eyes at the thought of the small country girl I grew up with. A month ago, she had walked into the diner looking like a million bucks. She looked different from her head down to her toes. Hell, she even talked differently. I doubted she even used the wordscountry bumpkinanymore.
“Earth to Kaylee.” Gerald waved his hand in front of my face.
“Sorry.” I offered him an apologetic smile and he kissed me gently.
“You’re forgiven.”
I laughed at his playfulness.
“Where was I?”
“Your friend Lauren, who apparently annoys you because you made quite the face when you mentioned her,” Gerald pointed out.
“She isn’t a bad person. Never has been. I mean, she came to the city looking for answers and she found them. The agency offered her a deal of a lifetime. You can’t even tell she had a baby. I mean, she looks like a million bucks and has no debt.” I rolled my eyes because I was jealous of Lauren’s headstrong attitude toward life.
“So, she pitched this idea to you?”
“Not just me. There are five of us -- Kalera, Gwendolyn, Narina, and Tori. Tori and Kalera are fraternal twins, but that is neither here nor there,” I waved off my rambling.
“So, Lauren pitched the baby idea to the five of you and the five of you came running?” Gerald asked, making me shake my head.
“No. We were all conflicted. Lauren made it sound like being a surrogate was no big deal. Like baking a cake and giving it to someone.” I rolled my eyes. “She had no emotions when I asked her about the baby.”
“She didn’t get attached?”
I sat up straight and turned so I was facing him.
“No! Like none! She didn’t even want a picture of the baby. She said as soon as the baby was born her job was done. A job! Can you believe that’s how she sees bringing a baby into this world? It pisses me off to no extent. If there’s a baby in me, it’s mine and I’m keeping it.”
“Well, that got you fired up,” Gerald chuckled.
“Fuck,” I groaned and placed my hands over my face. Gerald quickly lowered them and held them in his hands.
“I didn’t realize you had such a potty mouth.” At first, I thought he was judging me, but then I saw the bright smile on his face. “It’s okay to be yourself.”
