Eden went to the couple. “First off, Eva and Thomas, the baby is fine, and I hope you have his room ready. He is going to need it soon.”
She looked at the dark-haired man. “You are the lawyer?”
“Yes. I specialize in contract law.”
“Great. Cram this one while I explain what my brother is about to do.”
She reached under the table and peeled off the contract that she had taken from her brother’s office. “This is the surrogacy contract. The real one. My brother is going to present a fake at the hospital. I want to make sure Eva and Thomas have this baby. The genetic testing in the file confirms that it’s theirs. He’s going to claim that Thomas fathered a child on me.”
She paused and breathed for a moment.
Rache got up and rubbed her back. “You good?”
“Yup. They need to go for custody papers before the baby comes out.”
The lawyer lifted his head. “They have all the records.”
“But those aren’t going to be the ones that my brother brings along. He couldn’t extort the Elite, but they paid hundreds of thousands to have a healthy baby.”
The dark-haired woman said, “Why are you acting like you have no say in this?”
Eden looked at her. “Because I don’t. My one talent lies in bringing healthy babies into the world, so my brother had me declared his ward with my power of attorney, and he’s been selling my body for the last seven years. This is the first time I had a family that actually cared on the other end of the delivery room.”
Thomas said, “What can we do?”
“Find me a different birthing centre. One where things are just between you and the doctor. One that won’t register me in labour until you have the baby so that you can take off. I won’t look postpartum within six hours of delivery, so we need a doctor to witness the birth, and then I will sign everything, and you can take him home, and the custody order will kick in immediately after that.”
The dark-haired woman’s eyes finally caught on how serious this was. “What happens if custody isn’t immediately established?”
“He sells an alpha-beta newborn to one of the more desperate of the stack of files he has on his desk. This is the long game for him and his omega. They are going to keep using me like this until they take off and leave me with all the responsibility. I just want to leave. I have a place to run to and my go bag. He will know the moment my passport pings, and the chase will be on.”
“Where will you go?”
“I have a reservation for a villa in the Wonder Islands.”
The dark-haired woman grinned. “I think we can help you out. Wait. Wait, are you in labour now?”
“Yup. Three and a half hours to go.”
Thomas and Eva clutched each other’s hands.
The lawyer looked at the paperwork. “This is useful. Thank you. The custody will kick in the moment the baby arrives, but there is a restraining order being filed to keep your brother away from you.”
The wife nodded. “I have a safe place for her to labour. There is a doula, a midwife, and a doctor on the way as soon as you say go.” She paused. “Do you mind an audience?”
“Nope. I am good.”
She looked at the couple. Eva was terrified, but Thomas looked like he wanted to punch someone. “I should also warn you that I am going to get a little bigger and paler when it comes time to deliver.”
The lawyer’s wife grinned. “My name is Penny, and the midwife is Luna, and the doula is Nora. The doctor’s name is Dr. Oriel, and they are prepping a birthing room. It will be ready when you are.”
“Can we go now?”
Rache smiled. “I am coming with. I am immoral support.”
Eden smiled and sighed as the contraction hit.
Eva was at her side. “Does it hurt?”
