The Virgin Cowboy Billionaire’s Secret Baby(63)
She faced him. “All right.”
He folded his hands on the table. “It’s about my family situation.”
“Oh.” She sat up a little straighter, tilting her head slightly. “Okay…”
He hesitated. “Look, I do want kids, but I’ve had a hard time finding the right woman. And I know Beth’s been frustrated trying to find a guy. Juggling work and dating, it’s…” He shook his head.
Mom’s lips tightened, but she didn’t say anything.
He went on. “I’d like to have kids before I’m in my forties, but I don’t want to rush into a relationship just so we can start a family. So I’ve been considering a surrogate and—”
“A what?” Her jaw fell open. “Are you out of your mind?”
He shrugged. “Well, I’m kind of running out of options at this—”
“That’s not how this works, Matthew!”
“If you think about it, it would work for everyone involved. I’d have some kids. The mother would too. There’d be no rush for a relationship. And you’d have grandkids.”
“That’s insane.” His mother shook her head. “Completely insane.” She flattened her palms on the table. “You do whatever you want. But personally? I’m disgusted you would even think of this. If you want children, you find a woman, you marry her and then you have them. That’s how it’s always been.”
He wasn’t surprised by her reaction, of course. And now that he’d offered her a scenario he knew she’d reject…
“How would you feel about a situation where a woman couldn’t have children with her husband, and asked for help?”
The hardness of his mom’s expression answered pretty clearly. “What do you mean, help?”
“Sperm donation.”
Her jaw dropped, and he thought she turned a little green. “For a woman married to someone else?”
He nodded. “With me involved with the kid’s life, just—”
“For God’s sake.” Narrowing her eyes, she folded her arms across her chest. “You can’t find a woman suitable to be a wife and a mother to your children, and you’d even consider letting some other couple raise them for you?”
“I’d still be involved with—”
“No, Matthew. There’s no ‘being involved with’ someone raising your children. You’re either a parent, or you’re not.”
“So if someone asked me to because it was their last resort, you’d want me to say no.”
“Has someone asked you?”
“The subject has come up, yes.”
She set her jaw. “Who?”
The suspicion raised the hairs on his neck. “A friend. From Chicago.”
“Mmhmm.” She eyed him skeptically. “And have you given them an answer?”
“Not yet. Like I said, it’s just something we’ve discussed.”
“I see.” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, I would hope you want no part of that. If they can’t have children, then they need to look into adoption. But fathering someone else’s children? No. That’s a terrible thing for them to ask you to do.” She released a breath. “Honey, I want you and your siblings to be happy. And I’m just worried that you and your sister have focused so hard on your careers, you’re letting your lives go right past you.”
“Mom, these are our lives.”
“They are now, but what about twenty years from now? When it’s too late for Beth to have children, and it’ll be too late for all the available women your age too?” Her brow creased. “I just want you both to be happy, and I’m worried you’re setting yourselves up for some big regrets later.”
“I know you care, Mom. I get it. But have some faith in us. Beth isn’t stupid, and neither am I.”
“Of course you aren’t.” Mom’s features hardened. “But I raised you both to put family first. And that’s why with the way things are now, your brother is going to get the farm. I—”
“Hang on.” Matt showed his palms. “Can we not get into the will today? I don’t want to go there. Not now.”
“Then why are—”
“I’m only trying to think about my future and my options. I don’t want to make this about wills and property, okay?”
Her features hardened, but then she released her breath. “All right. Well, I’ve just made some iced tea. Would you like some?”
“Sure. Thanks.” He followed her into the kitchen.
The rest of the visit was pretty uneventful. His mother regaled him with the latest gossip, which he didn’t care about, and then asked him about some improvements he and Beth were planning for the farm. At least that didn’t segue into another discussion about the will.