Alison Roberts - The Surrogate's Unexpected Miracle

Their unexpected family

Ellie Thomas was meant to be a surrogate mother to the baby growing inside her, but when her best friend abandons her, everything changes. The moment her son is born, Ellie knows she could never give him up! But the one person she can turn to for help is the doctor who delivered her child.

Dr. Luke Gilmore didn’t have a picture-perfect childhood, but he instinctively wants to protect Ellie and her baby. He was only passing through, but he may have just found a reason to stay…

Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text Dear Reader Title Page Booklist Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE Extract Copyright ,

Have you ever been blindsided by something? Something totally unexpected that was huge enough to change your life for ever?

If you have, I really hope it wasn’t something awful—like an accident or a house fire—but something amazing—like meeting the gaze of the love of your life for the first time. Sometimes, though, even a disaster can turn out to be the catalyst for something much better to take its place.

I blindsided my heroine, Ellie, in this story more than once. I gave her a baby she never expected to have to raise. And then I burned her house down!

I guess I blindsided my hero, Luke, as well—but that was a much more gradual process and it took him a long time to realise that it had happened.

And it was definitely something amazing! :)

I do hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I loved writing it.

With love,

Alison xx

The Surrogate’s Unexpected Miracle

Alison Roberts

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Books by Alison Roberts

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Paddington Children’s Hospital

A Life-Saving Reunion

Christmas Eve Magic

Their First Family Christmas

Wildfire Island Docs

The Nurse Who Stole His Heart

The Fling That Changed Everything

A Little Christmas Magic

Always the Midwife

Daredevil, Doctor…Husband?

Mills & Boon Cherish

The Wedding Planner and the CEO

The Baby Who Saved Christmas

The Forbidden Prince

Visit the Author Profile page

at millsandboon.co.ukfor more titles.

For Ellie,

with thanks for letting me borrow your name. xx

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Their unexpected family Ellie Thomas was meant to be a surrogate mother to the baby growing inside her, but when her best friend abandons her, everything changes. The moment her son is born, Ellie knows she could never give him up! But the one person she can turn to for help is the doctor who delivered her child. Dr. Luke Gilmore didn’t have a picture-perfect childhood, but he instinctively wants to protect Ellie and her baby. He was only passing through, but he may have just found a reason to stay…

Dear Reader Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text Dear Reader Title Page Booklist Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE Extract Copyright , Have you ever been blindsided by something? Something totally unexpected that was huge enough to change your life for ever? If you have, I really hope it wasn’t something awful—like an accident or a house fire—but something amazing—like meeting the gaze of the love of your life for the first time. Sometimes, though, even a disaster can turn out to be the catalyst for something much better to take its place. I blindsided my heroine, Ellie, in this story more than once. I gave her a baby she never expected to have to raise. And then I burned her house down! I guess I blindsided my hero, Luke, as well—but that was a much more gradual process and it took him a long time to realise that it had happened. And it was definitely something amazing! :) I do hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I loved writing it. With love, Alison xx

Title Page The Surrogate’s Unexpected Miracle Alison Roberts www.millsandboon.co.uk

Booklist Books by Alison Roberts Mills & Boon Medical Romance Paddington Children’s Hospital A Life-Saving Reunion Christmas Eve Magic Their First Family Christmas Wildfire Island Docs The Nurse Who Stole His Heart The Fling That Changed Everything A Little Christmas Magic Always the Midwife Daredevil, Doctor…Husband? Mills & Boon Cherish The Wedding Planner and the CEO The Baby Who Saved Christmas The Forbidden Prince Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.

Dedication For Ellie, with thanks for letting me borrow your name. xx

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

HOW COULD SO many things have gone so terribly, terribly wrong?

Ellie Thomas could feel the shape of the phone she was holding against her ear. The edges felt sharper as her grip tightened. They were tangible and real.

What she was hearing couldn’t possibly be real.

Could it...?

‘Ava—are you still there?’

A moment’s silence and then she heard her friend’s voice again. Her best friend since...since as long as she could remember. A bond that had lasted throughout childhood. Through the trauma of Ava’s surgery and chemotherapy as a teenager. With happy memories like being Ava’s bridesmaid two years ago and the darker memories of her best mate’s despair at not being able to become a mother—a side effect of the treatment that had saved her life.

A friendship that had seemed unbreakable. Until two weeks ago...

‘Yeah...I’m still here.’ A stifled sob could be heard. ‘And...I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ellie.’

Sorry? Did that somehow make this okay?

‘Where are you?’ Ellie could hear the sound of an announcement of some kind going on in a noisy background. Was Ava at a train station? ‘Talk to me, Ave. We can sort this out. I’ve been trying to call you since the beginning of last week.’

Ever since she had heard that Marco, Ava’s gorgeous looking but sometimes volatile husband, had packed a bag and walked out on her.

The day after that awful row... The last time she and Ava and Marco had been in the same room together.

‘I was getting frantic,’ Ellie added.

Terrified might be a bit closer to the truth.

The silence on the other end of the line was unnerving. Ellie could feel a tight knot of fear that was making it difficult to draw in a new breath. This couldn’t be happening. A friendship like this couldn’t just evaporate because of something that hadn’t even been her fault. Not after all they’d been through together and especially not with what they were going through right now.