LITMIR.BIZ

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her of the lover she knew. During those two weeks, they’d spent as much time laughing and talking as they had making love. They’d walked around the city, dined in new restaurants and just enjoyed being in one another’s company. It was easy to be with Alex.

      Looking at him now with his bright, charming smile made her long to touch him again. For Alex to hold her and whisper into her ear the way he had before. But that was a pointless fantasy. Alex was just the latest in a long line of men destined not to stick around. As relationships went, Gwen had a miserable track record. She was always drawn to the men that would leave. A guy that was steady, loyal and committed to a woman didn’t even show up on her radar. Probably because she didn’t want one hanging around that long.

      “That’s not what I meant,” he said. “I meant I shouldn’t have presumed you were free for us to, uh … I mean, I hope if the father finds out about this that you let him know I didn’t realize you were taken. Will said you came up alone.”

      Gwen frowned. “‘Taken’?” Truth be told, she was anything but. Occupied, perhaps, but not taken.

      Alex’s glance darted to her left hand as it rested on the swell of her stomach. “I guess I assumed since you were having some guy’s baby that he might mind me groping you. I know I’d probably be crazy with jealousy if someone put the moves on the mother of my child.”

      That was one thing Gwen certainly didn’t have to worry about. “I assure you that Robert isn’t really concerned with what I do or with whom.”

      In an instant, a touch of Alex’s previous anger returned, and a dark pink colored the outer shell of his ears. His hazel gaze pinned her on the spot. “Robert who? Tell me the bastard’s name.”

      Gwen’s eyes widened in shock. She wasn’t quite sure if it was because Alex looked as though he was ready to punch the baby’s father in the face, or because he cared enough to go to the trouble. She thought she was just another notch in the proverbial bedpost. Certainly it wouldn’t warrant such a protective response from him. “What does it matter? What are you going to do about it?”

      “I’m going to sit him down and make sure he does right by you and his child.”

      “Good lord.” Gwen laughed. “You sound like my Paw-Paw. Are you going to take your shotgun, too?”

      “If I had one. I might go buy a gun just for the occasion.”

      Gwen’s lower back was beginning to throb from standing in one place for too long. It was just one of the joys the second trimester had brought, along with insatiable hunger and an aching, expanding belly. A fair trade for the end of morning sickness, she supposed. She moved over to the bed to sit at the edge. “I appreciate the offer, but that won’t be necessary. The situation is complicated and will take more than a few minutes to explain. But trust me when I tell you Robert is a perfectly wonderful husband and will be just as good a father.”

      “He’s married? Jesus, Gwen. Maybe you need a talking-to as well.”

      Gwen sighed and patted the mattress beside her. “Sit down, Alex.”

      He hesitated for a moment, then settled down beside her. He maintained what he probably thought was the proper distance from a mother-to-be, but she could still feel the warmth of him, and the scent of his cologne hovered in the air she breathed. It took everything she had not to close her eyes and imagine being in his arms again. Not that she ever would be. Even if he had been interested initially, there was nothing quite like a surprise pregnancy to kill the mood.

      “Listen, you’ve got the wrong idea about all of this. The father hasn’t done anything wrong. In fact, his wife knows about everything and approves. Robert and Susan are good people who suffered a horrible tragedy that no one should ever have to face. I had the power to help them, so I did.”

      Alex watched her speak, visibly struggling to see where she was going with this. She understood the confusion. Her own mother hadn’t approved, even when she had all the details. Especially when she had all the details. Only Adrienne, who knew Gwen was a marshmallow underneath her hard candy shell, could see why she had to do this for people who were practically strangers.

      She took a deep breath. “I told you this wasn’t your baby, but I didn’t tell you the whole story. The truth is this isn’t my baby, either.”

       Two

      “I’m a surrogate.”

      Alex fully understood the meaning of the term, but somehow he couldn’t connect it in his brain where Gwen was concerned. “This isn’t your baby?”

      “No. Someone else’s bun is baking in my oven. I’m just a rental. This is Robert and Susan’s baby biologically, and as soon as the adoption paperwork is filed, it will be theirs legally as well.”

      This was certainly unexpected. The pendulum of his emotions had swung wildly from one side to the other and back over the last few minutes. First, he was a father. Then he wasn’t. Now she wasn’t even a mother. He’d never anticipated that procreation could be this complicated. “Why would you agree to do something like that?”

      Gwen shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I? It wasn’t like I was in a serious relationship or had other plans that would interfere. I spend a lot of my time at the hospital, and that’s where I met them. Susan was a patient on my floor for several weeks after being in a severe car wreck in the Lincoln Tunnel. She was seven months pregnant at the time. Not only did she lose the baby, but she isn’t able to carry another child. They were such a sweet couple, going through so much pain. How could I turn down the opportunity to help them?”

      “You’re being compensated, right?”

      Gwen frowned, her nose wrinkling delicately. “Of course not. You sound like my mother. They’re paying my medical expenses, but that’s it. I didn’t do this for the money, and frankly, they aren’t in a position to pay even if it wasn’t illegal. This isn’t some fancy workaround for a rich, thin society woman who doesn’t want to ruin her figure with pregnancy.”

      Alex wasn’t quite sure what to say. She was a damn saint and probably the only woman on his roster who could come close to qualifying. He wasn’t used to being around women like that. “Are you getting anything out of this other than a warm, fuzzy feeling?”

      “Some distance,” she said. “When I volunteered to do this, I decided I would use the time to take a break from relationships.”

      “So, what, you’ve sworn off men?”

      Gwen smiled. “Yes, for now.”

      He wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. He lived in a world where people of means indulged in whatever, whenever they wanted. Alex let his gaze drop to Gwen’s hand as it rested on the soft swell of her stomach. Around her wrist was a silver charm bracelet with a heart-shaped lock charm. The one he’d bought her at Tiffany during their previous time together. “You’re wearing your bracelet,” he said.

      Gwen smiled and held out her wrist to look at it. “I’ve worn it every day since you bought it for me.”

      Alex shook his head. He’d practically had to force the gift on Gwen. She’d finally chosen the bracelet under the threat of not leaving the store until she picked something. She’d refused diamond earrings. The roses and wine had been a complete failure. But at least she liked the bracelet.

      “It’s my chastity bracelet.”

      “What?” Alex nearly choked. “Like a chastity belt?”

      “Slightly less medieval, but the same basic idea. I wear it as a reminder.”

      “You’re using my gift as a reminder to avoid men? The irony is rich.”

      Gwen shrugged. “It was perfect timing. You insisted I buy something. I saw the lock charm in the case, and I knew it was the perfect symbol of the new journey I was starting on. A subtle reminder to stay on track, as if being pregnant wouldn’t

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