“That’s not what I mean,” he said. “I think you and I might be able to help one another out.”
“How?”
“Well, you want to have a baby, right? But the expense is a problem?”
“That’s right.”
“And I want to have a baby, but for me the issue is the timing. Apparently, it’s going to take a long time to find a suitable surrogate and get through the red tape,” he sighed. “What I mean is… it sounds as if you and I are the solution to each other’s problems.”
She sat back in her chair. He couldn’t be suggesting what it sounded like he was suggesting. “You’re not saying you wantmeto carry your baby?”
“I’m saying it’s worth thinking about,” he said. “I have resources, Chelsea. I’m the CEO of Gold Standard.”
“You’re MilesAspin?” Her head spun. She tried to bring to mind pictures she had seen of the famous entrepreneur. How had she not realized that it was him?
I suppose because you don’t expect to run into a famous tech mogul in a fertility clinic.
Miles nodded. “I am,” he said. “My father is Silas Aspin, and more than anything he wants me to provide an heir to Gold Standard before he dies. My child would be that. And if youagree to this, money won’t be an issue for you at all. I’ll take care of everything, every step of the way. I’ll see to it that you and the baby are set up for life.”
She struggled to process what she was hearing. “But then… my baby would have to become the CEO of Gold Standard someday.”
“I would hope that they’d accept that role,” he agreed. “I wouldn’t be able to force them to. If they decided to step down from the company, they could.”
“But you wouldn’t like that.”
“I wouldn’t do anything about it,” he assured her. “Having an heir is my father’s dream, not mine. I’m just trying to make him happy before he dies.”
She nodded slowly. Though she could hardly believe it, she was considering his proposal. “I’d be able to be present in the child’s life?”
“You’d be a full-time parent,” he said. “I’d want to be involved too, but I don’t have any desire to take anything away from you, and all things considered, I’d prefer for my child to have a mother.”
She nodded slowly.
“There’s just one thing,” he said. “Since we’re doing this for my father… I would want him to meet you. I don’t want him to know I’ve opted for surrogacy. I want him to think I’m doing this the conventional way. So, I’d want us to tell him that you were…”
“Your wife?” Her eyes went wide.
He laughed. “I think girlfriend would be sufficient,” he said. “We don’t need to trick him into thinking we got married. Just that we have a personal relationship.”
“But I’d have to pose as your girlfriend for the next nine months,” she said. “Atleastthat long.”
“We could work out the finer points later,” he said. “At some point… assuming his health improves, I mean… we could stage a breakup. But tell me, is this something you’re willing to consider? Or am I wasting my time?”
“You’re not wasting your time.” Chelsea could hardly believe what she was saying. How could she be seriously thinking about getting involved in such a bizarre arrangement?
But on the other hand… how could she refuse? It didn’t seem as though she would be able to have a child by any other means. And Miles was right. He had the resources to solve all her problems. She had even had that thought herself when they had first arrived here.
She took a deep breath. “All right,” she said, wondering whether she was going to regret this. Half-regretting it already. “You’re right. This is a good solution for both of us.”
“Are you saying you’ll do it?” His eyes opened wide.
She nodded, “I’m probably crazy, but… yes. I’ll do it.”
CHAPTER 7
MILES
Afterward, Miles would be in shock at how fast everything had moved from that lunch. But while it was happening, it still felt slow. There was such a sense of urgency around it all that he couldn’t get through it quickly enough.
