The Surrogate's Secret (7 page)

Miguel
nodded and went in the direction her finger pointed. Between the narrow bed and the rather large crib was a small space he had to weave through. A window decorated with crossed sheers gave some light for him to negotiate his way, and a small nightlight near the crib guided him.  

The baby, now sleeping, stirred when he laid her down, but as soon as she felt the texture of her blanket, she snuffled, curled into a ball and
drifted back to dreamland. While he stared at the gorgeous creature, Miguel gently touched her curls. If hearts could melt, his pooled into a puddle somewhere inside his chest. This tiny baby looked so much like her beautiful mother that she delighted him, and a rush of awe made him catch his breath. 

In soft whispers, his words formed
, “Felipe, your babies are wonderful. They will be well looked after and loved as if they were my own. You have my promise.” Like a prayer, he spoke his intentions, and the pledge settled into his soul. 

After a last caress for the sleeping child, he let his gaze roam the small area. Aware of details, part of his training, he took in each corner of the room. Not an inch wasted, the two dressers took up what little space the beds didn’t use, which left only a small walkway to get to each piece of furniture. Tidy, but nevertheless full to bursting
; he didn’t know how Sheri could stand living this way.

He noticed a bouquet of flowers, very like the ones he’d bought his wife for their wedding day, displayed in a pretty vase, the lingering odor a reminder of his home in Chile.  It
thrilled him that she must have returned to the courthouse and retrieved his gift.

On his way out
of the room, he passed the tall dresser where a photograph of Felipe posing between a joyful Mary-Anne and a glowing pregnant Sheri took precedence. All three looked so happy that he had to swallow hard more than once before he could trust himself to return to his wife.

Just as he entered the living room, she called him to come to the crowded kitchen area where a
newly opened box and discarded wrapping sat in the corner.  She’d set the Danish-styled wooden table in the corner. Placemats, candles, and flower-patterned dishes added a festive touch to the simple meal.  Plus a surprising bottle of good Chilean red wine finished off the pleasing picture.

His size tended to overcrowd the space, but he tucked himself into the back corner, thoughtful to leave her working space.

***

She
ri saw him eying the label of the bottle, and she admitted. “Felipe brought three bottles of this wine to celebrate Mary-Anne’s birthday. It was the last occasion they ate here. Because he knew I’d never drink while pregnant, he wanted me to have a good stock for after the babies were born. Actually, I really think this being his favorite he just wanted to make sure there’d always be some here when they came over.” Her tender smile told Miguel how much she’d liked his brother.

“It’s my fav
orite, also. An old friend of our family actually owns the winery where this beverage was produced.” Miguel quickly removed the cork for Sheri and poured some into both glasses. “Did Felipe and Mary-Anne spend a lot of time here?” He folded his hands under his chin and watched the expressions flip-flop on her face, happy then sad, glowing and then weepy.

“Yes. Especially toward
the end of my pregnancy. I’d have to sit in-between them on the couch so they could both touch my stomach and feel their babies move. I used to tease them that they should move in here and sleep on each side of me at night.” Her bottom lip wobbled, she shook her hand as if to shoo something away and the reminiscing came to an end. “Can’t go there just yet. Not without breaking down anyway. But I’ll get stronger, and one day I’ll tell you all about how happy they were.”

“It’s a deal. Here, have some pizza.” He cut a huge piece and placed it on her plate. “You look as if a strong wind could pick you up and blow away with you.”

“Don’t you mean pick me up and blow me over?”

“Don’t you go getting finicky about my language skills
. I’ll have you know I’m a graduate of Harvard.”

“Whoop-de-do!” Teasing sarcasm suited her.

He loved the wicked gleam in her eyes.  “Woman, have some respect for a scholar who received top marks.”

“Excuse me, your smartyness, I apologi
se...”

The knock at the door stopped her
from finishing the sentence. “I’ll be right back.”

Miguel heard a male voice drown out Sheri’s, but he couldn’t make out the words. Just as he rose to check, she returned carrying another pizza box. “That darn
Charly doesn’t trust me to eat when I’m alone.” She put the box on the side counter and opened the top. “Oh, it’s my favorite. Lots of pineapple and ham.”

First
Miguel looked at his own offering and swore very low. There wasn’t a piece of ham or pineapple in sight. He’d asked for one smothered in mushrooms, olives and feta cheese. Then he swore because he’d finally gotten a chance to meet this Charlie and he’d blown it by not following Sheri to the door.

Losing
his appetite, he stood and wiped his hands. “I just remembered that I need to make a long-distance call. I must go.”

“You can use my phone, Miguel. I don’t mind
and I do have some questions that I need to ask you.”

“I have my cell-phone with me. It’s the number I don’t have. It’s back at the hotel room. Look, I’ll call you tomorrow, and you can ask me whatever you need, or even send me an e-mail, and I’ll answer.” He withdrew his wallet and pulled a card out from a side pocket. “Here’s my personal e-mail address.
”  He left the room and knew she trailed close behind. With the open door in his hand, he turned in time to see the distress she couldn’t hide. “You want me to stay?”

“No, I’m being silly. It’s just that we’ve had so little time to get to know each other. Sometimes, when I’m alone, you seem like such a stranger.”

“It will change once we go home, little one. I promise.” His lips brushed hers before he could put on the brakes, before he even knew of his intentions but once aware, he backed off.

As soon as he got her away from her
damn Charlie, when he had her all to himself, he’d start winding his way into her affections and his nemesis could go straight to hell.

   A few days later, Philip Knowles stood with his hand stretched toward Sheri as she approached his desk. His height might have intimidated if she hadn’t gotten accustomed to Miguel’s tall stance. She’d met this man once before and found it easy to relax under his caring persona and kindly manners. With one hand, she supported her front-carrier where Carrie-Anne lay fast asleep cuddled toward her, and the other she reached out for him to shake.

“Philip,
how are you? Thanks so much for making time to see me today.”

He leaned over to peek under the covering blanket. “She’s a beauty, your little replica,” he said, pointing to the sleeping baby whose long dark eyelashes shadowed her pink baby cheeks.

“Everyone says she looks like me, but she does have her father’s gray eyes, they both do.” Sheri fondly stroked the sleeping baby’s head and brushed at the slight golden wisps of new growth.

“Please sit.” He pointed towards the chair in front of his desk and waited until she’d settled. “How is Rafael since I saw him the other day at the hospital?”

“His surgery went very well. It’s amazing how quickly he’s gaining strength. Still, he misses his sister, looks around all the time. I swear he actually listens for her. Miguel thinks he’ll do even better once they’re back together again.”

“Ah yes, Miguel. How is he?” Philip’s anxious look made her hesitate. 

“Fine.” She sensed his concern but didn’t understand it. Shrugging, she continued. “As I told you on the phone, I’ve recently married Miguel and shortly we’ll be moving to Santiago.”

“Yes, so you mentioned. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. We had to rush everything because his mother is ill. We hope by bringing the twins home, she’ll come to accept Felipe’s death and recover more quickly.”

“I’m sure you’re right. I know from the way Fe
lipe talked about her, that she must be an incredible woman, strong and supportive. You know, when the terrorists held Miguel prisoner in Colombia, and the American government wanted to write him off as a dead man, it was Andrea who took a team and went after him.  I believe she got shot during the rescue attempt, and—”

“What?
! How do you know all this?” Sheri’s shocked expression stopped his rambling.

“Right. Sorry. You weren’t aware of what went on, were you? I remember Felipe saying that he didn’t think the disturbing news should be shared with Mary-Anne or yourself. He wanted you both to be happy waiting for the birth of the babies. Being Felipe, he couldn’t help but protect you both from the upset.”

“Now I understand why he seemed so jittery the last few days before the accident. Even Mary-Anne commented on his behavior. We put it down to him worrying about the approaching delivery.”

“That excited him, made him happier than I’d ever seen him, but this news about Miguel unbalanced him. Then just before their
crash, Felipe mentioned a phone call he’d had with his mother, Andrea.  They’d both been worried sick about Miguel’s disappearance and had been badgering the State Dept. to do something, send in a team, or try negotiating with the terrorists. But the government had accepted his death, and continually put them off.  When Andrea talked about taking things into her own hands, Felipe couldn’t coax her out of it. He’d made up his mind to return to Chile and take charge himself. Unfortunately, a few days later, he and Mary-Anne were killed.”

“That’s why we couldn’t contact Miguel or his mother about the funerals. She must have left to go to Col
ombia by then.”

“Yes
and her long-time employees had sickness in their family and it was decided that they would go to visit relatives in Spain”

“My goodness. Everything went wrong, didn’t it?
The poor dear, it must have been horrible for her.”

“She’s a headstrong woman who loves her family. I have no doubt her knowing that you’re bringing those two beautiful grandchildren home will be the best medicine in the world. Especially since Rafael is now the rightful heir. In Chile I believe that kind of tradition is still important to an old, wealthy family like the Riveras.”

“Except that
Rafael can’t be the heir. As Miguel is the oldest, won’t his first born son have the right to that title?”

Philip looked shocked for a moment, and then his pale complexion turned bright pink. He swung his black leather office chair to contemplate the garden scene outside the window. His sigh made her uncomfortable.

“What? What’s wrong? Philip you’re not telling me something here. I think you need to. Is there a problem with the settlement?”

The brooding man faced her and leaned over to take her hands in his across the cleared wooden surface of his rectangle desk. “No, the settlement is all but finalized and will be deposited by the end of the month. Look, Felipe promised me he would tell you the truth. I guess he never got the chance.”

“What truth? Philip, you’re scaring me.”

Philip leaned back, palmed his forehead and rubbed back and forth. She recognized he was in conflict and sat waiting quietly.  Finally, he spoke. “
Before he left on that mission, Miguel flew to Washington for the sole purpose of banking his sperm with us.” Again, he stopped and she got the distinct impression he searched for the right words.

“Go on.”

“Sheri, you can’t imagine how much I dislike being the one to tell you this.” He rubbed his hands together nervously. “When your insemination process started, one of our newer techs had mistakenly chosen the wrong specimen. He mixed up Miguel’s with Felipe’s. Probably because of the same last name. Instead of Felipe’s deposit being sent to the other clinic for insertion, we actually forwarded Miguel’s. It wasn’t until a few days before Felipe’s death that we found out the error. Those babies you gave birth to are Miguel’s direct descendants.”

“O
h, no!”

“Oh
, yes. Felipe had promised to explain everything to you and Mary-Anne. For him, there wasn’t a problem. As it turned out, when we’d tested his own sperm, chances were, you’d never have conceived because his count had dropped quite low. He’d deduced from taking anabolic steroids when he’d run the Boston marathon. After the news leaked of Miguel being missing, Felipe had decided to accept fate. Raising his brother’s child would be a blessing.”

“Why have you not told Miguel?”

“I honestly thought you both
knew
. To make matters worse, when Felipe ordered his own bad sperm to be destroyed, we thought all along because of the mix-up that we’d destroyed the last of Miguel’s deposits. But the same incompetent tech by then had realized his mistake and secretly reversed them, trying to cover up his error. Therefore, we disposed of Felipe’s. Miguel’s deposits are safe, and we’ll hold them until he himself tells us otherwise. Since you’re now his wife, I’ll leave the telling to you.” He smiled, leaned back in his chair, and shrugged, as if a big weight had been lifted.

Thoughts bombarded
, bouncing crazily in Sheri’s skull. What was she to do now? Once Miguel heard this news, he’d know that he had parental rights to her babies.
Damn.
Once his mother had fully recuperated, her plans were to file for a divorce. Then he could meet someone else and have other babies. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her hand unconsciously went to her lips so her teeth could work on a fingernail she hadn’t touched in days.

All h
er plans were screwed. She’d seen his love for her son, scratch that, make it his son
. God!
With his money, he could fight for the children in court, and no doubt win. Revealing this secret might risk her ever having sole custody again.

Even so
, how could she possibly keep the truth from him? He had a right to know. God help her, she’d have to take some time and think this through.

An old adage came to her in a flash. When you know you’re doing
something wrong, but you aren’t sure what’s right—do nothing.  

***

“Mamacita, don’t be silly. Stay in the hospital. Even though you’ve pulled off a miracle in these last few days, the doctors are still concerned about you.”

“Sure, the old goats charge extra for the worry. I’m fine now that I know you’re bringing Sheri and the babies to Chile. I’m going home where Maria can look after me.”

“Maria isn’t a nurse, she’s a housekeeper.”

“Bite your tongue, mi hijo, and think. Can I get away with any nonsense with that crabby
, old harridan?”

Miguel snickered and added
, “She’s pretty tough, but my money’s on you. Fine, I’ll stay out of it because I have a big favor to ask, and I know it would be more difficult for you to arrange from the hospital.”

“Anything, Miguel. You know I’d do anything. I’m so pleased with you today, you could order the sun, and I’d get that old witch Maria to conjure a spell.”

He chuckled. “What kind of medication are they feeding you?”

“Aha! My lips are sealed
. Tell me. What is it you want from me?”

“I’m in trouble because I forced Sheri into a marriage ceremony in the
building of the justice of the peace. A rather dismal setting without any of the trappings young women today find so necessary. Don’t snort, Mamá. It isn’t ladylike.”

“Then don’t talk rubbish. Of
course, your bride wants the trappings. Her wedding day should have been special. Leave everything to me. She shall have her moment to shine.”

“Te adoro, mi mamá. I leave everything in your capable hands. Adios.”

“I adore you also Miguel. You’ve made me a very happy woman.”

Miguel clicked the off button on the phone and held it under his chin. Should he have waited and let Sheri get to know his large family before throwing her to the uncles, aunts and cousins? Did she even think of their union as a reason to party
, maybe a pity party?

His cheeky wife could turn either way in the blink of her beautiful soft brown eyes. He would phone his cousin
, Paula. She owned two ladies shops in Santiago, one being a wedding store--in fact the biggest and best in the city. He bet she could come up with a lovely dress for his new bride to wear for the celebration. Getting to know Sheri’s tastes over the last while, he bet she’d like something flowing, a creation with lots of beads and sparkles. The things woman went gaga over.  He’d buy her a wonderful dress if it would win her over.

Hell, if this party did the trick, maybe it would get her delicious little body into his bedroom and naked in his bed.
It might even help her forgive him for conning her into the marriage altogether.

He thought back to the day of their wedding. She’d taken it for granted that he’d stay at his hotel after they’d married. It hadn’t entered her mind that he’d want his husbandly rights. And seeing her distress, he hadn’t wanted to push. But he knew this marriage didn’t stand a chan
ce of lasting, or becoming real unless they found some way to connect and bond. A healthy sex life would be the answer.

Loveless lovemaking with her would be no problem for him. Her beauty intrigued and pleased him. Her luscious frame would entice any man. Looking into her eyes
, sprinkles of gold and green in melted chocolate, he saw kindness mixed with shadows, and every once in a while a softness that made him catch his breath. Everything about her made him happy, though to be honest; it was her golden swarm of curls that tended to be his favorite attribute.  His hands itched to play amongst all that beauty and his eyes itched to see the lavish mass coiled over her naked breasts.

In the beginning, he’d fought his growing attraction for her because he’d believed her attachment to
Charlie had priority. Despite his discomfort, when he’d asked if she were involved with someone else, he could have sworn she’d answered truthfully.  Slapping his hands on his knees, he stood, paced and muttered.
Cool it! Sheri’s not another Margarita
.

Years of military training had taught him many things.
To date--his best skill was that he could pick out a lying cheat as if they had a red light on their forehead blinking ‘Lie’ ‘Lie’.

Of course, his faith in that skill had taken quite a blow since his own fiancé had played him for a fool.
Maybe he wasn’t as good as he’d always believed or maybe in Margarita he’d just found the ultimate liar.