A Surrogate Love Affair

  Her smile becomes brighter. “Better than ever. We’re going away together for the weekend. He’s booked a hotel in Portsmouth.”

  “Wow, sounds amazing. I hope you have a fab time.”

  Squeezing my shoulder, she gets up. “Oh, I’m sure I will.” She gives me a playful wink before walking back to her desk.

  Immediately, my desk phone rings. “ITF Insurance, this is Alice speaking. How may I help you?”

  “Hello, dear. I tried calling you a half-hour ago, but you were out.”

  I smile at the sound of Mrs. Bellingham’s voice. She hadn’t called today yet, so I knew it would come eventually. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Bellingham, but I was out to lunch.”

  “Ooo, did you have anything nice? My favourite thing to eat for lunch is cheese and crackers, but the cheese gives me terrible wind.”

  I pull the phone away and chuckle a little. I gather myself together. “That’s terrible. It’s always nice to have a bit of something you fancy, but bad if you have to suffer for it.”

  “I know. I guess that’s why they say the good food makes you fat. I used to smoke, but gave that up years ago. The only thing I like to do now is have a little sherry before bed. It helps me sleep.”

  “Well, there’s no harm in that,” I reply, settling back into my seat. I have a feeling I’m going to be here a while.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I suppose one good thing about you trying to get knocked up is I can drink as much as I want.”

  Groaning inwardly, I keep my eyes on the road as I drive to Sarah and Ethan’s. Kyle knows I visited his clinic a few times last week, and he’s been an arse about it ever since. Even now, he’s sitting in the passenger seat all smug, but I know there’s an underlying anger there.

  “Let’s just have a good time. Okay, Kyle? I don’t want to fight anymore. It seems whenever you’re home, which isn’t a lot lately, all we do is fight.”

  “Well, excuse me if I’m not entirely happy about my wife getting pregnant by another man.” Grabbing my knee, he moves his hand up my thigh and squeezes. “It should only be me between those legs.”

  “Kyle, stop it. I’m driving.” He snatches his hand away and looks out the window. I sigh, glancing over at him. “Look, this will all be over soon and life will be normal again. I’ll be the best wife I can be. Just, please, be patient.”

  Looking back at me, he offers a small smile. “I’m sorry. It’s just that my jealousy gets the better of me sometimes.”

  As I pull up in front of Sarah and Ethan’s house, I turn off the ignition, unbuckle my seatbelt, and turn to him. Placing a hand on his thigh, I smile. “It’s perfectly understandable.”

  Kyle leans forward, grabbing the back of my head. We start kissing tenderly, but Kyle soon squeezes the back of my head, his breathing becoming laboured. After a few seconds, he pulls away and starts pushing my head down to his lap, unbuttoning his trousers with his other hand at the same time.

  “Kyle, what are you doing? We can’t do this here. We’re right outside Sarah and Ethan’s house.”

  I look at him and he smirks, taking his cock out. “I know. Why do you think I’m so hard? The thought of you giving me head right outside turns me on. Come on, baby. No one’s around. Besides, you know how nice I am after you give me a blowjob.”

  I look around the dark street, wondering if I can do this. I know he will be difficult to deal with all night if I don’t. So, like the dutiful wife I am, I lower my head, Kyle moaning. I haven’t even taken him into my mouth yet.

  Grabbing the back of my head, Kyle pushes me down. “That’s it, baby. I’m going to come quickly. I know I am.” I wrap my mouth around him and hear his hiss of pleasure. As I start to work on him, Kyle keeps his hand on my head, guiding me as I go. “That’s it, baby. Fuck, your mouth feels so good. Just think, Ethan could be watching this. I bet he’d be jealous. I bet he’d want some of what I’m getting, but only I can get it. Only I can feel your incredible mouth around my cock.” He starts pushing my head faster. “Oh fuck. I’m going to come. Shit, Alice.” His breathing and movements quicken. He pushes me down one last time before I feel his come hit the back of my throat, gagging me. “That’s it, baby. Take all my fucking come. You give the best head I’ve ever had.”

  Does he have to bring up his previous relationships now? Even though he knows I don’t like it, he does it anyway. He keeps telling me I should be pleased I’m the best he’s ever had.

  Ignoring that niggling feeling, I straighten. Guiltily, I look around and hear Kyle laugh. “Don’t worry. No one saw us.”

  I believe that, but it worries me that he brought up Ethan while I went down on him. For some reason, he now sees him as a threat. I don’t know why. I’m married to Kyle, and Ethan is married to my best friend. There’s no way in hell I would go there. I wouldn’t even think about it, let alone do it. Kyle has no reason not to trust me, but it seems like he has to invent things that aren’t there.

  I offer Kyle a half-smile. “See?” he says, buttoning up his trousers. “I’m like a new man now.” He points to the house. “Are you ready?” I nod. It’s freezing, but I didn’t bring a jacket with me. I didn’t think I would need to, considering we were just going from one house to another.

  Grabbing Ethan’s present from the back seat, Kyle shuts the car door. We stroll up the front walk and Kyle rings the bell. Sarah answers, her face lighting up when she sees me.

  “Thank fuck you’re here,” she says, pulling me in for a hug.

  “Sister-in-law?” I ask.

  She nods. “Yes. The bitch wants my blood.”

  Kyle starts laughing. “Oh dear,” he whispers, shaking his head with a smirk.

  Ethan walks up behind Sarah, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, guys. Thanks for coming.”

  Kyle hands over the present. “For you.”

  “Thanks. Please, come in. You must be freezing.”

  I welcome the heat as we walk through the door, then smell food. “What’s that? It smells delicious.”

  “Well, apart from Ethan’s famous lasagne…” Sarah mimes putting her finger down her throat. “It’s just a load of party stuff. Sausage rolls, mini quiches... Things like that.”

  “Smells wonderful.”

  “Fancy a drink?” Ethan asks.

  “I’ll just have a diet Coke. Thanks.”

  “I’ll have a beer, if you’ve got one.”

  Ethan pats Kyle’s shoulder. “Of course. Come with me so you can choose which one.”

  As the men disappear, Sarah and I venture into the living room. It’s packed with people. Some I recognise, and some I don’t. When Sarah is called away by someone, I quickly make a beeline for the food. I’ve hardly eaten all day, so I’m ravenous. Picking up a plate, I start placing some of the finger food on it, noticing Ethan’s lasagne in the far corner. Despite Sarah saying it’s awful, it looks like a few people have eaten some already. Wanting to try it, I grab a slice and place it on my plate, digging in with a spoon. Closing my eyes, I let the flavours hit my senses.

  “It’s really good, isn’t it?”

  Jumping, I turn around, seeing a lady with long, curly blonde hair and the most fantastic eyelashes I’ve ever seen. I nod. “It’s wonderful. How Sarah can’t like this is...” Then I realise who this must be.

  Oh shit.

  Ethan’s sister, Judy, screws up her face a little. “She has no account for taste.” She holds out her hand to me. “I take it that you are the long-suffering best friend?”

  I shake her hand, feeling a little awkward. “Yes, Sarah and I have been friends since school.”

  Judy leans forward. “I promise I won’t hold that against you.” I don’t know what to say, then she starts laughing. “I’m only kidding. I’m Judy.” Just as she says this, two boys come running through the crowd, behaving like aeroplanes. “And these are my sons. The older boy at the front is James, and the other one is Foster.” I look at her, eyebrows raised. “My husband was convinced he was conceiv
ed on a Fosters night. He went out, came home drunk, and somehow convinced me it was a good idea to sleep with him.” We both laugh.

  I look at the two boys, blond hair bouncing as they run around the room. “They’re very handsome. You must be so proud.”

  She watches them and smiles, then turns back to me. “Yes, except when they vomit in the car after McDonalds, or think it’s cute to colour all over my newly painted walls. Other than that, they’re just adorable.” I smile and look back at the kids. “Have you got any?”

  I turn to face Judy. I guess Ethan hasn’t told her about our plans. “No, but I really want children one day. My husband is not so keen.”

  She frowns. “That’s too bad. Hopefully you’ll convince him one day soon. I can already tell you’d make a great mother.”

  I blink at her in surprise. “You really think so?”

  She laughs. “Yeah. I’m normally a good judge of character, and I can tell you scream the motherly type. I think you’d be great.”

  I beam back at her. “That’s really kind of you to say. Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  I search Judy’s eyes for a hint of unkindness, seeing none. On first impression, I really like her. I was a bit apprehensive about meeting her tonight because I’ve heard nothing but horrible things from Sarah. I start wondering if Ethan has another sister with two sons because this can’t be the same sister-in-law.

  “Here’s your diet Coke,” Ethan says as he walks up, handing me the drink.

  “Thank you.”

  He smiles, then points to his display cabinet. “Thank you for my birthday present.”

  “You got him that?” Judy asks.

  Looking over at the cabinet, I see the double picture frame with the words My Perfect Nephews written on it. He already has their photos inside.

  “Yes. I saw it and thought it was perfect.”

  “How nice of you. They’re my two favourite photos of them.”

  I turn to her. “I bet you never tire of taking pictures. I don’t think I’d be able to stop.”

  “They grow up so fast, you have to capture every moment before it passes you by.”

  I smile. “I understand that.”

  A very tall man with brown hair and a slight beard creeps up behind Judy and snakes his arms around her. “There’s my woman,” he says, kissing her head.

  She rolls her eyes. “Such a caveman.”

  “Ah, you love it,” he answers, snuggling his nose into her hair.

  She smacks his hand. “Stop it. That’s how Foster came along.”

  “Okay, okay…” Ethan waves his hands around. “I don’t really need a description of how my nephew was conceived.”

  “Everything okay, babes?” Sarah asks, placing an arm around him. I immediately notice the change in atmosphere when Sarah arrives.

  “Everything’s fine. We were just not discussing how Foster was conceived.”

  “Aww, don’t be such a baby,” Judy complains. She turns to look at me. “As a child, he was always convinced that I was nicking all his stuff.”

  “That’s because you were,” Ethan grumbles.

  It’s only then that I notice Kyle’s not here. I start looking around the room.

  “He’s just gone to the toilet,” Ethan says. “He should be out in a... Oh, there he is.” He points to the doorway. Kyle stands there and looks around, finally spotting me. He comes over and wraps his arms around me, kissing me greedily on the mouth.

  I pull away, embarrassed. “Kyle, stop it,” I complain, trying to laugh it off.

  “What can I say? I just love my woman.”

  I see Judy narrow her eyes, probably assessing him. There’s certainly no guessing what her first thought will be.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Ethan, can I come see you?” I ask, a little panic in my voice as I clutch the phone.

  “Of course. I can come to you if you want—”

  “No, that’s okay,” I respond, cutting him off. “I’m only five minutes away.”

  I end the call and walk toward his building, then head to his office. The moment Ethan shuts the door, I run into his arms and start crying.

  “I’m so sorry. I really wanted this for you...”

  Stroking my hair, he squeezes me in tightly. “Alice, what’s the matter? Is something wrong? Are you sick?”

  Shaking my head, I pull away from him. It’s only then I realise how silly this must look. “I’m so sorry. That was inappropriate of me. It’s just… I was so convinced, I even bought a pregnancy test today. I took it back to the office, but when I went into the toilet, I saw it.”

  Ethan sighs. “Your period.” I nod. I see slight disappointment on his face, but it quickly vanishes. He smiles as he grabs my shoulders. “We knew there was a good chance it wouldn’t happen the first time around. It’s actually a good thing because you’ve only just come off your pill. There’s no rush. We take our time and do this right. If it happens for us, it happens. But if you want to stop this, please tell me. I won’t feel any different toward you. I promise.”

  I shake my head. “No. Now that we’ve started, we may as well continue.”

  I guess a part of me is disappointed because I’ll have another month of dealing with Kyle and his mood swings. He goes from sweet and kind to alpha arsehole in the blink of an eye. I feel like I have to walk on eggshells half the time. I just don’t know what personality I’ll see from moment to moment. It doesn’t help that he’s been drinking more lately. That, in and of itself, makes him more unbearable to live with. Everything seems to be my fault lately. In Kyle’s eyes, he is blameless…no matter what he does.

  “As long as you’re sure…” Ethan looks concerned.

  I feel like an arsehole. I came down here with tears flooding down my face. What must he think of me?

  “I’m sorry,” I say again, finally pulling away. “You must think I’m an over-emotional wreck.”

  He smiles, pointing toward the chair. “Why don’t you take a seat.” I sit as he takes a seat across from me. “And no, I don’t think you’re an over-emotional wreck. On the contrary. I think you’re a very strong person for doing this. I know you care about Sarah and really want this for her. She’s told me about the nights she’s cried on your shoulder because she couldn’t get pregnant. It couldn’t have been easy to deal with. You’ve been best friends forever. If she hurts, so do you.”

  “That’s true. I know how hard this has been on her...on both of you. I guess I just hoped it would happen straight away.”

  “You’re not a machine, Alice. Your body can tell when you’re stressed. Listen, why not let your hair down tonight. Have a few drinks, let off some steam. I’m sure Sarah would love to see you. I know she doesn’t have any plans.”

  Nodding, I smile at him. “That does sound good. I’ll give her a call. Honestly, though, I dread telling her. I guess that’s why I came to you first. I really don’t want to see her upset that I’m not pregnant yet.”

  He inhales a little before responding. “Sometimes you just have to rip off the Band-Aid.”

  I sigh. “I guess. Do you think she’ll be mad that I told you first?” Shit. Of course she will. Now I feel like a terrible friend.

  “I don’t think so, but if it makes you feel any better, I’ll pretend I didn’t know. You were never here.” He smiles, but it doesn’t alleviate my guilt.

  “Okay. I’d better get going. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

  Ethan gets up when I do. “No problem. I already told you I’m here if you need me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Things have been so tense at home lately, I’ve been extremely stressed. When I saw him for my next appointment, Ethan offered to pay for a few massage sessions during my ovulation days. I’m normally not someone who will go to something like that, but I’m so glad I did. I felt rejuvenated afterward.

  Today, I’m tense again, but for a different reason. My period was due two days ago, but there?
??s still no sign. I run out to buy a sandwich and a pregnancy test, taking both back to work. I ate half the sandwich, then go to the toilet.

  Clutching the test, I enter the cubicle and take a few deep breaths. I don’t feel as expectant this time as I did the last. As Ethan said, it will happen when it happens.

  With that thought in mind, I pee on the stick, then place it on some toilet paper on the top of the toilet. I turn away because part of me doesn’t want to look. It’s only when I have the nerve to peek that I hear Sally’s voice as she opens the bathroom door.

  “Tell Miss Marshall I’ll be right out. I just need to pee first.” I hear the door close.

  “Sally?”

  “Alice? Is that you? Are you okay?”

  Quickly opening the stall door, I walk out and see her standing there. I point toward the toilet. “Can you look? I’m too scared.”

  Frowning, she looks past my shoulder and starts walking in. “What is it?” Then she spots the pregnancy test. “Ah, I see.” She clears her throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her pick it up. “Hmm…”

  Hmm? What does that mean?

  “Well?” I ask, turning to her. Her face is impassive. I can’t tell whether it’s good or bad news.

  She sighs. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but...” My shoulders instantly sag. Her face lights up. “In a few months, you’re going to have to buy bigger clothes.”

  I gasp. “What?!”

  She starts laughing and turns the test around for me to see the two pink lines. “You’re pregnant, honey.”

  Placing both hands over my mouth, tears fill my eyes. “I’m pregnant?” I ask, my voice muffled. I just can’t seem to believe it.

  “Bun in the oven, up the duff, knocked up, in the pudding club, the pea is in the pod.”

  Laughing, I wrap my arms around her. “Oh, my god. I can’t believe it, Sally.”

  She squeezes me tightly. “I’m happy for you, babes.”

  “Thank you,” I answer, pulling away. Then I start panicking. “I have to tell Sarah and Ethan. Oh, my god. They’re going to flip. I need to tell them... I need to...”