The Surrogate's Secret (5 page)

The next day, Sheri decided that other than Miguel’s abrupt disappearance after Charly’s phone call, she’d enjoyed their chat. With Rafael taking a decided turn for the better, she’d lightened up and felt somewhat closer to the man. Today was a whole different ballgame. She’d seen little of him, as he’d snuck in his time with her son while she’d gone to the apartment. Sheri didn’t want to acknowledge the pang of sorrow she felt from missing him, but it happened anyhow.

By the time Miguel returned, t
he large picture window in Rafael’s hospital room showed the blue sky had faded to dark. Miguel looked even more tired than usual, sad and downcast. He stepped over to see the sleeping baby and nodded casually. Wanting to cheer him up, Sheri tried out her Spanish.

“
Hola, mi amigo.  Rafael’s a whole lot better today. His color is good and he’s much more alert. He actually smiled at me earlier and took all his milk. The doctors visited an hour ago and said they’ll operate tomorrow.” She beamed with cheeriness, couldn’t help it. Sheri hadn’t been able to wipe the smile out of her heart or off her face since she’d heard the wonderful news.

She
waited for Miguel to answer, but he seemed to be in a daze. Sheri continued, “I called Felipe’s partner and he’s working as hard as he can to get the estate settlement finalized between the insurance company and the lawyers. However, today he admitted that it won’t be ready in time to pay for tomorrow’s operation.” Alight with hope and confidence, she smiled and held out her hand. She had no doubt that he would look after all the details so they could go ahead with the surgery. Hadn’t he been doing it since the nightmare began?

Her words had caught his attention. “You want me to pay the hospital bill?” His outstretched hand stopped before touching hers
. It dropped behind him as he turned away.

Sheri sensed
trouble. Terror struck her as she stared at the man’s hunched back. “What are you saying? You’ve ordered him to have the best care, and the costs are mounting. You know I won’t have anywhere near this kind of money until I receive the babies’ inheritance. How else can the bill be paid if you won’t look after it? You are aware that the hospital refuses to let the doctor go ahead unless they get their money first? Miguel, my son, your nephew needs this procedure before he gets any weaker.”

G
rabbing his arm, she swung him back to face her. She’d chosen to use their family tie on purpose to remind him of his bond to Rafael, something she never thought would be necessary. Where had her gentle supporter gone?

Miguel
spoke low, but she heard every syllable, every hateful word. “Sheri, I’ve always intended on paying, but only if you will agree to one small condition.”

“A condition? Are you crazy?”
Sheri’s interruption hung in the air. Heat flooded her face and she imagined her cheeks glowing red as her blood boiled. Her hands rose to cover her mouth and stop the recriminations from pouring out. It didn’t work. “You want to blackmail me with my son’s life? You can’t be serious?”

“Oh, but I am. I have to ask you a question, and I want you to think carefully before you answer me. Is there anyone
in your life who you care about? Someone you’re carrying on a relationship with? Or any reason at all why you couldn’t be married?” With a strange glint in his eye, he studied her like she was a specimen in a jar struggling to escape.

She didn’t scream, but it was close. “Married? Have you lost your mind? No. I’m not involved with anyone. And, I have no intention of getting married.
In case you’ve forgotten, I have two small babies to look after, and a living to make. I don’t need a
man
to mess up the works.” The last part she actually jeered.

He pulled a paper from his pocket and waved it past her face. “I have here a special license. If you marry me in the morning, at the Justice of the Peace, I will sign the che
ck, and Rafael will be on his road to recovery by tomorrow night.”

She slapped the paper away from her and watched him turn away. Hardening her lips, she curled them in on each other and held them between her teeth as hard as she could. Then she gathered her bothersome hair together in both her hands, shoved it over her shoulders, and clutched at the mass on the back of her neck. She stared upwards to stop the welling tears from dripping down. The ceiling didn’t give her any answers, and neither did the back of his head.

Feeling sick with disappointment and betrayal, she glared her displeasure. Each night since this disaster began, her last thoughts had been of the things he’d said and done for her during the day. Of how her skin tingled whenever he came near and then ached for him to come even closer. She’d reminisce about his kindness and thoughtfulness, his manly quirks, and the smile that started first in his eyes and then would slowly curve his lips.

Now, the real Miguel, a devil with no heart stood before her, turned away so she couldn’t see his face, ashamed more
than likely.

His hard voice broke into her trance.
“Will
you marry me?”

“Do I have any choice?”
She spat the words in his direction; wanting by the sheer force of her will to make him look at her, see the damage he’d done. See the hatred she now couldn’t hide.

“No. I don’t suppose you do.” His head lowered.

Like tiny poisoned arrows of hate, she shot words at his back. “Make no mistake, Miguel Rivera. I swear by all that’s holy, you’ll come to regret this...this farce.”

He already did. The minute the words popped out, Miguel knew he’d screwed up, gone about asking her in the worst possible way. After listening to her continual conversations with the love of her life, Charlie, he couldn’t stand it anymore. Day after day they carried on like the best of friends. Two people who loved and trusted each other. It made him green, and that made him sick. Jealousy meant caring, and he wouldn’t ever care for a woman again.

Disgust still
registered that he hadn’t seen his ex-fiancé for the lying slut she’d turned out to be. Either she should win an Academy Award for her acting abilities, or he’d better rethink his own prowess in being able to read people. Guess when his heart got involved… nope, not true. His heart never did get truly engaged with her. If it had, he’d never have been able to shrug off her treachery so easily or feel that pooling relief instead of gripping pain when he’d returned to find she’d married another.

During the nightmare flight
to Washington a few days ago, while his body dealt with the throbbing from some of his unhealed injuries, and his heart suffered overwhelming remorse, he’d cursed the fates for his mother being shot and his brother being dead. To both he’d made a promise. He would find and confront the woman who’d given his brother a child. Offer whatever she wanted, any price to let him take and raise the baby. In a small way, it would recompense his mother for the loss of her youngest son. Determined, if need be ruthless, he intended to carry out his plan. Only things have a way of messing up, or at least they did in his life.

Yesterday their long-time family doctor had been blunt when Miguel had called him for a report after an unsatisfactory talk with his mother. 
“She’s losing her stamina, her will to fight. The infection is taking over again.”

His heart stopped. “What can be done? I’ll come home now if you think it’ll help
.”

“Look,
Miguel. All she’s been talking about up till a few days ago is how she’ll be bringing up Felipe’s baby. I haven’t seen her so excited for years, and she was doing fine. Her body had overcome the worst. Then she just stopped chatting about all her plans and went into decline. This apathy has me more worried than anything else.”

“You think she’d respond to the treatment once again if I could bring her grandchildren home
? It would make that big a difference?”

“At this rate, without anything to change her attitude, she’ll be in danger very soon.
Body and spirit are inseparable, you know. Her overall health isn’t what it was since the time spent in the jungle. I don’t mind telling you Miguel, I’m very concerned.”

The doctor’s words had forced him to
accept that a decision had to be made soon. After these last few days of getting to know Sheri, claiming her babies through a court battle certainly wasn’t an option.  Mothering came naturally to the feisty little she-bear. He’d watched daily, her tenderness and loving attention as she’d all but willed her boy to get better.

Miguel
called their housekeeper next. “Maria, mamá is getting worse, no?”

“Miguel, she needs to be close to those babies. Can’t you convince the surrogate mother
the children will be better off here in Chile where they belong?”

“How do you expect me to do that
when her home is in Washington? She’s a good mother and she loves her babies. I can’t just take them away.

“Tu mamá had so many plans when she believed you would bring
her grandchild home and they doubled when you told her there were twins. She acted like her old self for a while. I hated to see her lose the sparkle, Miguel.” An audible sniff sounded before Maria cleared her throat. “Now she just lays there, turns away when anyone approaches and won’t eat. Says she has no appetite. She’s stubborn and foolish, but she’s also unhappy.”

“I don’t know what I can do short of marrying the dam
n woman. I can’t force her to give up custody.”

“So marry
her already. And make it soon.” The dial tone buzzed in his ear.

Her words hit him like a sledgehammer. Without boasting, he’d been aware of Sheri’s growing interest and had wondered about how she could give him the subtle come-on and still be attached to her beloved
Charlie. Seems she wasn’t. When she’d admitted to being free, he’d believed her implicitly. Obviously, pal Charlie hadn’t made any serious moves yet.

Not that
he and Sheri had a hope in hell of any kind of a normal relationship since the woman now despised him. He’d heard her vehemence and disgust, watched in the mirror as she’d fought her tears and had felt the anger pouring out.

He knew he’d
have to give her time. Once she came around, maybe he’d try working the old Miguel magic. Hell, he used to be quite the lady’s man. If he played his cards right, anything could happen.

Everything had gone from screwy to worse the minute Sheri arrived late. Miguel greeted her with a lovely scented bouquet of pink magnolias and a smile filled with… relief?

“I don’t want them.” Her arms twisted behind her. 

The hurt look on his face threw her for a few seconds. He deserved her anger, but being a pushover for flowers, she took them when he shoved them toward her. They were so beautiful.

“You waited,” she said.

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you weren’t on time?” If he felt any emotion whatsoever, it didn’t show. His face remained stiff and his expression bland.

“You’re lucky I came at all. I almost didn’t.”

“I knew you would.”

“How could you know something even I didn’t?”

“We’d made a deal.”

Now why would he go and say something like that. Something guaranteed to soften her.

He broke the loud silence full of unspoken thoughts. “Why didn’t you let me pick you up? I could’ve saved you a bus ride.”

Caught off guard by his soft tone, some of her anger collapsed, enough for her to speak the truth.  “I’d hoped by the time I got here, you’d have re-thought this farce.”

“I couldn’t. There’s too much at stake. This had to happen.”

“Not for me it didn’t.”

Not in a million years would Sheri have envisioned her wedding to be an unhappy event. Tears of joy, maybe, but never ones that tore at her on the inside while, on the outside, her eyes remained dry.
I can get through these next few minutes
.
If anyone pushes me, I’ll just push back.
  

Her theory didn’t work well with the Justice of the
Peace. He insisted she repeat her ‘I do’ since he couldn’t hear her the first time. The door looked tempting, but Miguel snuck his arm around her waist as if he sensed her desire to run. Faced with the stranger’s expectation, she caved and spoke louder.

“You may kiss your bride
,” followed soon after. She lowered her head stubbornly. Who would have expected her new husband to sweep her into his arms and find her lips so easy? He succeeded because he’d surprised her, the rat.  However, it was done.
Mrs. Sheri Rivera. Bah!

“Mrs. Rivera, please sign the marriage licen
se before you leave.” She stopped dead about a foot from escaping. Her signature finalized their agreement. Damp and shaking, her fingers dropped the pen and it had to be retrieved. When the preacher passed it back to her, he seemed surprised to see her hands behind her back. They stayed there until she glanced at Miguel and saw his raised eyebrows.

“Oh just give me
the damn thing,” Sheri took childish pleasure signing her name without the usual flourish. While she waited for the others to sign and settle the bill, she looked around at the office-like surroundings. Thoughts reverberated.
I’m not going to cry.
When the lump formed, she swallowed and repeated.
I’ll not give him the satisfaction.

All the way downtown she’d prayed that he’d come to his senses. 
As soon as she saw him, well groomed in a dark suit and light gray shirt with matching tie, she knew there would be no reprieve.

She’d alm
ost come in jeans and a t-shirt. Unfortunately, at the last minute, Charly had talked her out of it. “You won’t like yourself, Sheri, if you act the brat.” So she’d flung them back on the bed and chosen a light-pink, flowing dress, one of her favorites. Hands on her hips, stubborn and not caring, she’d refused to wear the lipstick Charly held out, and even stuck her hair in curly pigtails which made her appear about eleven.

In contrast, he’d had his cut and styled. It suited him. He looked
charismatic and sophisticated. She liked his old look better.

Just then a young blonde strolled past, an implied message to Miguel in her smile. Was that an answer in his? Sheri gave her brand new hubby the eagle eye and dared him to comment. He spread his arms out and said nothing. S
mart man! Then he nodded toward an approaching limo, obviously a hire.

“Hold it.” She stopped by the litterbin. “These have served their purpose.” She dropped the flowers in through the swinging door in the front and then brushed off her hands.

Miguel looked down, hesitated, and then continued to guide her to the dark vehicle, but not before she’d seen his jaw clench and his eyes squint. Guess he didn’t like her behavior. Good! She felt much better.

Once they were settled into the back, he spoke first. “I stopped by the hospital to see Rafael this morning, after his surgery. He looked fine to me, and the doctors were cautiously optimistic about a speedy recovery. You’d already left?” He ended the speech with a question, inviting her to answer.

She didn’t.  Instead, Sheri ignored him and stared out the window at the city’s decorative cement planters, home to a wide array of limp flowers. Today’s forecasted heat wave topped the charts, and her sympathy increased for those walking. At least the luxurious car’s air conditioner kept the atmosphere cool even if her inner temperature boiled.

“Sheri, please.”

He didn’t like her attitude. So what?

“We’re now husband and wife, and we have two children in our care. There’s no time to pout, or to punish. I will do everything in my power to make this marriage work. Can’t you please meet me halfway and forgive the way I proposed?”

She turned to stare at him, astonishment stamped over her tight features. “Your kiss-ass technique needs a lot of refining Miguel. I’m not sure I can ever forgive you,” she admitted, the glare in her brown eyes building until she wished they could shoot real bullets.  “Do you even know how much a woman cherishes the dreams of her wedding day? What you’ve forced me to do is archaic and horrid.”

How she came to be in his arms, she’d never know. The devastating temper she’d been feeding for the last twenty-four hours dissolved, leaving her with only the hurt.
The best cure-all for heart pain had to be a hug. In her book, it was anyway. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t cry. Now look what he made her go and do.

Tears poured out. Then came the moans from stress
too long held in, worries too many at once and fear too hard to hide. His arms gathered her close and her traitorous heart sped up. She felt his kisses on her forehead, while his gentle, large hands cradled her shoulders and her face, caressing and patting.

“Lo siento, Cariño.” Her puzzled sigh made him switch to English. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I should have explained my situation to you. About how ill my mother is, and that I felt the only hope for her to get better is
by knowing her grandbabies would be coming to Chile, to their rightful heritage.”

Sheri quieted
then listened to his softly spoken words and his deeply accented voice. Like strokes of gentleness, it soothed. “Why didn’t you just tell me the
truth
? Tell me your mother had taken a turn for the worse. You know I would have brought Rafael and Carrie-Anne to see her if it would have helped in her recovery.” Her hiccups cut off word endings and made understanding difficult.

He caught the last bit. “But would you have stayed?”

“Well, no, of course not. Our home is here in Washington. But we could have made an agreement and arranged trips once or twice a year.”

“Not enough. Those babies belong in Chile
, where they have a birthright, a future and a family.” Before she could speak, he added. “I do know, if left to your own devices, you would have given them the best life you possibly could, but you don’t understand what they would have missed. We will leave for my home very soon and you will see. Just promise me to keep an open mind.”

“How soon is soon?” she
asked, trepidation apparent.

“By the beginning of next week. I must return to Santiago
before many more days have passed. My mother needs us, and I have left my company running itself for a very long time. My responsibilities cannot be ignored any longer.”

Sheri pushed away from his comfort, swiped at her face and slid back to her side of the backseat. “That’s only
five days. I can’t possibly be ready by then. I’ll have to join you later. We can travel once Rafael has fully recovered and the apartment has been closed down.”

“I’ve already passed it by the doctor and b
arring any unforeseen complications, Rafael will be fine to travel. As far as your stuff, you can give away everything or incinerate it for that matter. Whatever you need will be provided by the many stores in Santiago. They have wonderful shopping malls, and the downtown area is—”

“Excuse
me!
Are you crazy? I’m not giving away my belongings. And you listen to me, Miguel Rivera. My stuff is not garbage for a furnace. It’s precious, and I’ll be keeping everything, including the apartment.”

“You won’t
need it—”

“And don’t tell me what I’ll be needing.”

“Stop interrupting me. I’m only trying to tell you that I can buy you whatever you want. You’ll never have to worry about money again. You don’t have to work.”

“Not work? You
’re crazy. I love working. And I will use my own money. For the twins, we can come to some arrangements, but my expenses are non-negotiable. I will also be keeping my apartment and paying the rent until I feel it’s safe to let it go. And…” She held her hand up to stop him from butting in. “I will be checking with the doctors myself to see when it’s safe for Rafael to travel. If you think for one minute that you will be taking charge of me like you do with everything else, my man, you have a lot of re-thinking to do.”

Before he could hold her back, while the car stopped at a red light,
she flung open the door and high-tailed it through the traffic.