Baby Maker

Chapter 10

By the time Jax got me back home, I was exhausted from crying and my head was pounding. Jax ended up missing the rest of his work day because of me. He didn't even start driving until I was done crying. I went straight to my room and laid down. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm down. I knew that this wasn't fully Jax's fault, but at the moment, I needed someone to blame. It wasn't long before someone was knocking on my door. I sighed before moving to sit against myself headboard.

"Come in," I called. Jax walked in before sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Are you feeling a little better?" He asked. I nodded and kept my eyes on my lap. I was embarrassed that I cried so hard in front of him.

"If it makes you feel any better, you can blame the hormones," he tried to joke. I didn't laugh.

"What changed?" I asked suddenly. Jax's smile fell as I finally lifted my head.

"Why are you suddenly being nice to me?" I clarified. Jax's hands rubbed over the front of his pants as he faced away from me.

"It's not that I was trying to be mean to you to start with. I'm not heartless, I'm just a businessman, and securing my one and only offspring was a priority at that time," he tried to explain. I understood what he was saying. Even though he barely knew me at first, the baby was important. Jax stood with a sigh.

"Get some rest. I'll be at work tomorrow," he said before leaving my room, turning the lights off on his way out. I laid down gratefully and closed my eyes. I was exhausted.

***

16 weeks pregnant. The official marking week that I was out of danger of an early miscarriage. It was also the week that marked when we could start looking for the gender of the baby. Like usual, Jax was at work, and I had a doctor's appointment I didn't tell him about. Esther knew my plan, but I wanted it to be a surprise for Jax. Going into the doctor's office by myself felt weird, but exciting. Jax kept his word and went to every appointment with me, but I purposely didn't tell him about this one, because I wanted to find out the gender first then surprise Jax. He's been working hard trying to balance dealing with me, Siobhan, and the company. I figured he could use a happy moment. The doctor laid me back against the reclined bed before starting on the ultrasound. I, myself, was nervous to see what we would be having. The doctor smiled at me kindly after taking about five pictures.

"Would you like to know what you're having?" he asked. I nodded quickly as I tried to look at the ultrasound screen. He chuckled before turning the machine to face me.

"That right there... shows us that you're having a healthy baby boy," he explained. I couldn't help the smile that made its way to my face. Jax would be excited. He wanted a boy. I asked for a fee extra pictures before going back to the house. When I arrived, there was a lot more faces in the house than I was used to. Siobhan was on the couch with an older, stern-looking couple. The couple glanced at me as I walked in.

"You must be my son's surrogate, Amina. I'm Moira and this is Donovan. We're Jax's parents," the older woman introduced themselves. Something about their aura was intimidating. Even though the woman was smiling at me, she didn't seem that friendly. Where was Jax?

"Nice to meet you," I answered quickly. I made my way to the kitchen to find Esther. "What's going on?" I whispered to her. She sighed as she kept preparing the food.

"Jax's parents dropping by for a surprise visit with his future fiancé? I'm sure it has something to do with Siobhan," Esther answered. I stayed with Esther while she prepared dinner. I knew that going back to the living room would make me feel uncomfortable. When Jax finally got home, he was just as confused as I was when he came into the kitchen.

"When did they get here?" He asked us.

"Right around four? They want to stay for a family dinner," Esther answered. Jax sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Nothing good can come from this," he muttered to himself before going back to the living room. I sighed before I started helping Esther set the table. By the time everyone sat down for dinner, I didn't know what to do, and Jax's parents were talking business.

"We do need to start planning the announcement, engagement party, and wedding soon," Siobhan smiled, tying into the conversation they were already having. I ate my food quietly and debated on when would be an appropriate length of time for me to leave.

"In fact, I was thinking maybe it would be good practice if I moved in with Jax beforehand," Siobhan added. I paused with food in my mouth. Siobhan wasn't as sneaky as she thought she was. With one sentence, I understood her motivation for dropping by with Jax's parents loud and clear. It was about me. She wanted to keep an eye on me.

"I don't see why not? You'll have to live together anyway after you're married. Plus, it's not like he cares about his privacy. His surrogate lives here," Moira agreed. Her disdain was me was apparent. I was the smear in her precious son's life.

"Mom. Why don't you ask me first? Plus, Amina is living here so I can closely monitor her condition. Siobhan has no reason to live here beforehand," Jax argued. I was surprised he said anything at all.

"Why? She's just a surrogate. And as soon as the baby is born, you'll never see her again and Siobhan will be the child's mother," Moira argued back. Her words hurt me. I knew the consequences of signing that contract, but hearing her words out loud and so bluntly made my heart ache. I would never see Jax or this child ever again. I was getting too used to watching the child grow in my stomach. I did what I swore I wouldn't: I got attached to the baby without even realizing it. I stood quickly and went to the kitchen to grab the ultrasound pictures. Going back to the dining room, I handed them to Jax with my eyes on the floor. I was trying my hardest to keep it together, but I was failing miserably.

"It's a boy," I said to him softly on the verge of tears before I excused myself to my room.