The Surrogate (Clearwater) Read Online Free Page B

if there’d be room for two car seats. Thankfully there would
be, because she wasn’t sure her little car would be adequate in the snow when
they brought the babies home.
    Michael hopped into the truck
and started it. He shoved the shifter into Drive and looked over at her. “Can
you believe girls? Me, a father to two little girls. What the hell do I know
about raising girls?”
    She laid a hand on his thigh.
It felt somewhat intimate but it was the only spot she could touch to give him
comfort that wouldn’t interfere as he drove along the snow-covered roads.
“Don’t doubt yourself now, you will be a great father.”
    “I hope so.” His words didn’t
sound very convincing, but only time would show him that he’d be a good parent.
He leaned forward, looked up at the sky. “I don’t think the snow will get too
bad for another hour or so. We’ll stop by Tiny Treasures and get some groceries
then go home.”
    The drove back to the store in
silence, each of them lost in thought. Jessi’s emotions were running havoc, her
stomach churned. She was happy, yet she felt like crying for her broken heart.
It was all becoming too much for her to bear. The nine months of pregnancy was
enough to form a strong bond between her and the children before they were even
born. It would only get worse once she gave birth. She wondered, not for the
first time, why she got into the surrogacy parenthood. Why did she think she
could walk away from the babies without being torn in two?
    * * *
    Michael carried the last bag
in from the truck. The food had been put away before he lugged in the bags from
Tiny Treasures. Jessi sat on the couch with her feet on the coffee table. As
anxious as he was to get the nursery set up he still refused to allow her to
carry anything in or upstairs. She had done her part by helping him pick out
the stuff, and now with the cribs delivered he could prepare the room for his
daughters.
    He balanced the bedding sets
in one hand and locked the door before he stepped into the family room. “I’m
going upstairs to get things in order for the nursery. You coming up?”
    She shook her head. “Leave the
bedding down here, I’ll get it washed.”
    “Laundry is upstairs. The
previous owner had the place plumbed for it. Guess it makes sense with the
family bedrooms upstairs, but it took time to get used to.” He set the stuff
down. “What’s wrong? You seem distant, upset.”
    “It’s nothing. Go ahead, do
what you need to.”
    It only served to raise his
suspicions something was off when she refused to meet his gaze. “Jes, over the
years we might have drifted apart, but I can still tell when something’s eating
at you.” When she continued to remain silent he racked his brain to figure out
what was wrong. “Did you want boys? Is that what this is about?”
    “It doesn’t matter what I
want, they’re your children.”
    Suddenly he felt even more
confused. “What?”
    “Dammit, Michael! I know I’m
supposed to just be some damn incubator but things have changed. This is all
messed up now. Peg’s gone, taking with her the happy, home filled with love
that I thought the children would be raised in. Helping with the nursery,
finding out they’re girls—it all just brings home that in a few weeks you will
have your family and I’m supposed to just go back to my life in Denver. I can’t
cope with it.” Tears ran down her face, breaking his heart.
    “What does this all mean?”
Fears of her running off with the twins played through his mind. He knew he had
rights to the girls even without paperwork. It was his sperm that helped create
the twins, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t make things difficult for him. After
all, she was the biological mother.
    “It means nothing. I’ve never
been one to go back on my commitments. This will be no different.” She pushed
off the couch, stormed past him, and up the stairs. Michael stood there
dumfounded.
    He wanted to follow, to say
something that would