Chapter 28: Chapter 28

The next morning, I go to work at six in the morning, so I’m out of the house before Bellina gets there. The morning goes by really quick and when lunchtime rolls around, I’m super nervous about seeing Luis. I put on my coat before heading out—the coat covers my stomach. I plan on telling him, but I don’t want that to be the first thing he notices.

When I get to Lenny's, he’s already there. He sat close to the door so I could see him. He looks the same—hasn’t changed a bit.

“Hey,” I say hugging him, careful not to get too close.

“It’s so good to see you,” he says as we sit. “You look great.”

I smile. “Thank you—so do you.”

“I ordered you coffee,” he says, motioning to the coffee dispenser.

“Oh, thank you, but I just want water.”

He raises an eyebrow at him. “Who are you and what did you do with Ciara?”

I chuckle softly. “I’m trying to quit,” I lie.

The waitress comes over and we order. I get the same thing I always get here: sunny side eggs, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes.

“How have you been?” Luis asks after the waitress leaves.

“Busy. I started working, so it takes up a lot of time. What about you?” I ask, not really wanting to talk about me yet.

“Good,” he smiles. “I started working in a clinic. It’s pretty cool, huh? Actually putting all your knowledge from college to work. It’s the real thing—real people, real everything.”

“Yes. It makes all of those sleepless nights worth it.”

We talk about general things as we eat. Whenever he tries to get personal, I switch the conversation back to him. After we’re done, we leave and he walks me to my car.

“When can I see you again?” he asks shyly as we come to a stop.

“Luis…” I hesitate. “Listen, you are a really nice guy, but I can’t date you. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

He frowns. “Oh—I’m sorry. Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No.”

He half-smiles, looking embarrassed. “You don’t like me…I get it.”

I shake my head. “It’s not you, it’s me.” I stop, then laugh. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to use the oldest excuse of the book.”

He chuckles. “What is it, then? Listen,Ciara, I really like you. I’d like to get to know you more, spend more time with you…”

I look away, then sigh. “I can’t, Luis. I…I’m a surrogate.”

“What?” he asks, confused.

“I’m a surrogate,” I repeat.

“Like…those women who have babies for other people?”

“Yes,” I say, unbuttoning my coat. “I’m pregnant,” I say, stating the obvious.

He stares at my stomach. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” I say. “I don’t go around telling people this, but I thought you deserved an explanation.”

“Wow.” He chuckles softly. “I didn’t expect this.” I don’t say anything, so he continues. “So…you can’t date?”

I shake my head. “I’d rather not—I have too much going on right now.”

“Yeah, I understand…what about after you have the baby, though?”

I frown. “I would never ask you to wait.”

“I want to; I really like you.”

Ugh. Why can’t I like him instead of Evans? A normal guy with no clubs, no popularity, no baggage. I wish I liked him instead—it would make all of this so much easier. I shake my head. “That’s not really fair.” Before he can say anything, I continue. “Why don’t we just wait? Time will tell.”

He nods with a smile. “Okay.”

“Okay.” I smile. “I’m sorry I have to get back to work.”

“Right,” he says, opening the car door for me. “Thank you for seeing me, and for being honest.”

“Thank you for understanding,” I say getting in the car. He shuts the door and I smile at him. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

“Take care.”

I nod before driving off. I feel bad about leaving him there, but this really is for the best. I don’t want him to wait around for me and I don’t want to date right now. Like I told him, time will tell. As long as I’m carrying this baby, my life is not my life.

I go back to work, thankful for the distraction. By the time I leave, my feet ache, and I sigh with relief when I get back to my car. I sit for a moment before actually driving home. When I get there, I notice Evan’s car parked outside. The thought of seeing him makes me happy and I smile as I get on the elevator.

When I walk through the door of the condo, he’s sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in his hand. The TV is on, but he’s not watching it. He’s wearing a dark blue suit today and he looks up, smiling. “Hey.” His bangs fall over his forehead and he runs a hand through his hair to push them back.

“Hi,” I say, closing the door behind me. “Are you alright?” He seems tired—like he hasn’t slept in weeks.

“Work has been busy,” he says.

I don’t want to go to my room, so I grab a water bottle after taking off my coat. “How was work?” he asks from the living room.

“Good.” I smile. “I’m at the point where I really love my job and don’t really mind that it’s busy.”

He half-smiles. “That’s good—that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

I nod, leaning on the counter. “Yeah.”

There’s a beat of silence. Neither of us move or say anything. It’s crazy how being in the same room with him makes me feel—my heart pounds in my chest.

“I told my parents,” he finally breaks the silence.

“What did they say?”

He shrugs. “My mom was furious, of course. I was ready for that. She’s always cared about what people say about us and it’s really annoying; my dad was a little more understanding.” He looks at me. “They want to meet you. Of course, I told them not right now,” he says with a chuckle.

I smile. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you not tell them because you were trying to protect me from the media?”

“Yes. It took me a long time to get adjusted to people following me with cameras. It’s mostly stopped, but I’m positive that the moment word gets out, it won’t be too long before they find you. I don’t want you to have to deal with that.”

“Thank you—I’m sorry I was being selfish yesterday. I understand why you hadn’t said anything.”

He nods. “I’ll do pretty much anything to keep you away from cameras, but I can’t guarantee it. Unless you want to stay locked in the condo until you give birth.”

“My parents don’t know. Do you think I should tell them?”

He stands and walks toward me. “Why don’t we worry about that later, when the time comes?”

I nod. “You’re right.”

“How’s Flora?” he asks, taking me by surprise. Does he actually want to hear about my friend? About my day?

“Nervous,” I smile, “but happy. You should have seen her in the dress. She looked stunning.”

“I’ll see her at the wedding.”

I frown. “You’re going?”

“Of course; she invited me.” He looks at me, his blue eyes glowing. They’re beautiful. “Besides, you’ll be there, right?”

“Yeah.” I say, enchanted by him.

“Great,” he smiles. “It’s a date, then.”