Donna Alward - Secret Millionaire For The Surrogate

She’d been falling in love and he’d been enjoying falling into bed until he got bored—or scared. Didn’t matter which. The end result was the same.

After that horrible pseudo-relationship, she’d vowed never to let herself get so carried away again.

She was far better off focusing on her business. So much so that she was considering using Juny as more than an assistant in order to train her up to take over a lot of the wedding and other photo shoot duties. The girl had a keen eye for balance and showed promise in creativity and innovation.

So she didn’t say it out loud but knew deep down that this wasn’t altruistic. In her heart she felt it might be her only chance to experience a pregnancy, and then when the baby was with Adele and Dan, she could be Fun Aunt Harper who got to run around in the mountains taking pictures of marmots and bears and elk and all kinds of things.

“You do want kids, then.”

His voice interrupted her thoughts and she realized they’d kept walking and were only a block and a half from her house. “Oh. Well, I suppose. If the right guy and the right time were to come around.” Standard response.

“How about you?” she asked, wanting to divert the attention away from herself. “Do you want kids down the road?”

He shook his head. “Uh-uh. I don’t like being tied down, you know? I’ve got the business and that’s enough. And I can pick up and travel when I want. It’s not that I don’t like kids. I just like my lifestyle better.”

She got that. And she also understood what it meant to move kids from place to place all the time. Her dad had been in the air force and they’d moved frequently when she was little. More than anything she’d wanted to stay in one place and have the same school friends for more than two years in a row.

She rather respected Drew for owning his choice and not apologizing for it. They didn’t feel the same way about children, but then, they didn’t have to.

“Besides, I have nieces and nephews and apparently another on the way. My parents aren’t hurting for grandkids.”

Hers were. Though they never said a thing about it. She was an only child. Yet they refrained from any pressure to get married or start reproducing. Instead their conversations revolved around her studio and photography. She really appreciated that.

She paused and pointed at the little bungalow on a corner lot. “This is me.”

“Cute place.”

She laughed a little. “It’s tiny and I can hardly turn around in my bathroom, but it’s mine. I’d rather have a small spot to live and better space for my studio, so...”

“Cool.” They stopped by the walkway leading to her front door and the silence grew slightly awkward.

“I should get in. Thanks for walking me home.”

“No problem. I did have a question, though.”

“Oh?” She turned to look at him, his dark eyes nearly black in the twilight. One thing hadn’t changed about Drew. He was still delicious. There was no sense denying it. But she wouldn’t have to worry about any more propositions. Not while she was pregnant. What kind of guy wanted to date a woman pregnant with another man’s child?

“The next time you go out on a hike, can I come with you? I’m guessing you know some good spots off the beaten track that I don’t.”

She frowned a little. “You realize that when I hike, I go to a spot and then sometimes spend a crazy amount of time waiting, right? For the right light, or to get the right shot. It’s not really a heavy-duty workout. You might be bored.”

“That’s okay.”

“I’m off on Thursday morning and thinking of going to Stewart Canyon early, before the tourists go crazy. It’s not off the beaten track, so to speak, but it’s a nice walk with some good photo opportunities. Have you done the Bankhead trails on other visits? Bear in mind these are easy, popular trails. But they’re interesting.”

“I’m up for whatever. Just name the time.”

“Then I can pick you up at the hotel at six.”

“Perfect.”

He gave a wave and started back the way they’d come, whistling lightly. No long look, no hand touch, nothing to suggest this was anything more than platonic and based on mutual interests.

So why was she feeling as if she’d gotten herself into a whole lot of trouble?

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