“However, what are we going to tell people if I appear out of nowhere and marry you?” I peeked at him, fighting the urge to throw myself at him.
“We’ll have to agree on exactly what the story we tell people is. Coming up with something believable shouldn’t be that complicated.” I didn’t have the level of confidence about the matter as he did. “The non-disclosure clause shall remain in force even if our arrangement is no longer practical for either one or both of us. Nobody else should know about it, regardless of what the future holds.”
I moved on with a placid nod. The next paragraph spoke extensively about the monetary exchange. Money was the subject of the next segment. As I read through everything he wish to give me, my jaw dropped.
It was all spelled out in black and white, from the stipulations he mentioned the night before to the bank accounts I’d have access to while with him.
“Nicholas, I can’t accept all this. All of this is unnecessary.”
“It isn’t excessive in any way. I’m asking you to do a complete 180-degree turnaround in your life for me. Furthermore, the large sums will provide us with both peace and safety. I’d like to know that you’re with me because you want to, not because you have to. If you know you’d lose millions if you left, I’m sure you’d rather stay.”
His trust issues came out in full force in this conversation ”
So staying, despite being independently affluent, will give you peace of mind?”
I purs my lips in concentration as heed.
“How much money do you have?”
The grin reappeared. “Don’t worry about the figures on these pages; I have billions.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. I should’ve known better.
“All well, then. Give me a few million dollars.” I took another look at the page. “However, I dislike this payment scheme for every child we have. It gives me the impression of being a glorified incubator And I don’t appreciate it.”
He smirked. “Well, in exchange for providing me with heirs, I’d like to compensate you.”
My eyes narrowed slightly with irritation. “They would also be my children” I believe that having half of my DNA is sufficient compensation. By including this phrase, you’re treating me like a cold storage facility for eggs or something.”
He cleared his throat.”I’ll do as you wish. We’ll get rid of this clause.”
I snatched a pen from his desk and scratched the errant lines.
When I got to the next section, my rage transformed into melancholy. He had stated that if we ever divorced after the birth of any children, he would be given sole custody of those children.
He wanted me to have his children and then relinquish my parental rights?
To me, that was a deal-breaker.
If I let this happen, what sort of mother would I be? What if I signed a paper promising not to battle tooth and nail to keep my own children?
I didn’t want to be that kind of mother.
I looked up and saw him staring at me as I shook my head.
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
” What do you mean?” he asked. The fear in his voice and the frown on his face made me sigh.
“Nicholas, any woman who signs away the rights to her unborn children is unfit to be a mother in the first place. It’s both insulting and concerned that this is included in the contract. Go find someone else if all you want is a surrogate. ” I jumped up and tossed the contract on his desk. “I don’t think I’ll be able to participate in this.”
“Wait!” He sprung to his feet and dashed over to me before I could reach the door.
When his hands gripped mine, I kept my gaze on the floor and tried to ignore the jolt of electricity traveling through my skin.
“You’re insulted by my request for sole custody if we split up after having kids, right?”
I nominated but didn’t raise my head to look at him.
“Willow, that actually makes me feel better.”
I looked up at him at that point, scanning his eyes for any signs of deception.
“So, what’s the deal? Why would you put something like that in there?”
“I wanted to make sure you were concerned.”
My mouth hung open. “Did you put that in as a test?”
“Yes.”
My skepticism had to be written all over my face.
“I swear to God. If you just sat down and listened to my explanation.”
I let him guide me back into my chair, but I kept my gaze fixed on him as he walked back around his desk, pulling out more documents.
When he handed the pages over to me, I took them ready.
This section was entirely rewritten on these pages. He was telling me the truth.
“Joint custody?” I asked, relieved.
He smiled and nodded. “Of course, this is only in the event of our separation… which, ideally, will not occur, if things go wrong, we’ have shared custody. He took a breath and let custody. I read for a moment.
“I’d have to stay in Quentin?” My question was more of a statement. There was no way I was staying away from my kids.
“Yes. I’d like for us to continue to live close to one other.”
As I read the modified clause, the anxiety I’d felt began to disappear. This made a lot more sense and gave us both greater control over our children’s lives. However, I was still irritated by the initial contract’s phrasing.
“I can agree with you on this, but please don’t play mind games with me. In this situation, trusting you is challenging enough for me. I don’t need you testing me at every step.”
He was hiding a grin behind his palm when I looked back up.
“What?” I exclaimed angrily.
“Nothing. When you’re upset, you’re just gorgeous.”
As I imagined how he would look enraged, a surge of lust stimulated through me. I bit my lower lip and pushed myself to stay put.
“Avoid biting your lip.” I was taken aback by his low growl.