MR. MORENO'S SURROGATE ✔️

15 - Leilah

I wake up to Cayson patting me awake. It's been two days since me and Elijah argued. Kind of argued. Was it an argument? Whatever.

"It's eight right now," he says, patting my waist softly.

I stir awake and I blink a few times to adjust to the sunlight pouring through my curtains. I look up at Cayson as he sits at the side of my bed.

"Any word from Elijah?" I ask doubtfully.

He sighs and puts his head down a little, shaking his head. "No," he says. "But hey. I'll get you breakfast from your favorite place to cheer you up," he suggests.

With a smile, I raise my eyebrow. "I never told you where that was,"

"That was an invitation to let me know where. My treat," he says.

"You're very sweet." I say, sitting up.

Suddenly I get the urge to throw up. I hurriedly stand to my feet and I run into the bathroom, throwing up as Cayson rushes to my side to hold back my hair and rub my back. When I'm done, I breathe heavily, sitting back and crying as Cayson looks at me as if he's unsure what to do.

"What's the matter?" he asks, sitting on the floor with me.

"I'm starting to think that this was a bad idea." I say, hyperventilating between words.

"What was a bad idea?"

"This kid. Living here. Everything. Elijah's barely around and I'm starting to think I'm carrying this kid for you more than him."

"I can see where you're coming from. But it'll all be worth it in the end, right? You'd have a son or a daughter that you love with everything you have in you and nothing else would matter but the simple fact that you're happy with baby. You'll have someone to put all your love into, and you'll be able to love someone like you want to be loved," he says, looking off as he speaks.

"I think that was more for you than it was for me. Was he really that bad?" I asks, my crying reduced to sniffling every couple seconds.

"Who?" he asks.

"Your dad."

"He wasn't capable of love. He wasn't capable of emotion in its entirety. After mom committed, he just shut down. But we'll leave a pin in that. For now," he says, getting up and pulling me up with him. "We should get ready. Meet me downstairs in about thirty minutes. We gotta go."

I nod my head and he smiles and leaves me in the bathroom. I spend the next thirty or thirty-five minutes getting ready. I decide on a simple outfit- an tight, stretchy emerald green shirt and sweats to match with white sneakers and curled hair, then when I'm done, I head downstairs. Cayson's standing at the door with a sleek black suit and no tie, when he sees me, he raises an eyebrow.

"You ready?" he asks.

"Yep. Let's go."

He opens the door and lets me out first, then he walks out and closes the door behind him, walking behind me while he puts his shades on. He tells me which car to get into and when we get to the car, he opens my door and lets me slide in, then he rounds the car and gets into the driver's seat, starting the car and starting the drive to the office. When we get there, my phone starts to ring in my pocket. It's Tyler.