Free A Baby For The Billionaire by Evelyn Troy

thinking about what
he’d said for the duration of the journey to her mother’s. His
words had left her halfway between confused and elated. Was he
starting to feel something for her, or was it just her wishful
thinking? She mulled over the last couple of weeks and how his
attitude towards her had seemed to change. Whatever it was, the
fact remained that he was a married man, and as such it really
didn’t matter what they did or didn’t feel for each
other.
     
    As she arrived at her mother’s house,
Alicia pushed all thoughts of Chase from her mind. Her mother’s
worsening condition made her determined that every free minute
would be time dedicated solely to her mom and not wasted on
thoughts about her and Chase’s messed up relationship. Her mother
deserved her full attention—Alicia owed her that much at the very
least.
     
    “How’s my girl today?” As always, the
first thought her mother had was for her daughter and not herself,
and as Alicia wrapped her mother in a gentle hug she could have
wept at how unselfish this amazing woman was.
     
    “I’m doing good mom. How about you?”
It was plain to see that her mother’s condition had worsened since
the last time Alicia had seen her. She had never been a large
woman, but now she was positively skeletal, and her clothes hung
from her thin frame. “You looked tired. Are you getting enough
rest?” She didn’t ask if her mother had been eating, because during
her last visit her mom had told her that she really didn’t have
much of an appetite these days.
     
    “There’ll be plenty of time to rest
when I’m dead and gone.” It was something that her mother had said
frequently over the years, but this time it made Alicia’s blood run
cold, as it was becoming increasingly obvious that her mother would
be resting sooner rather than later.
     
    “Let’s go and have a cup of tea, shall
we?” She changed the subject quickly, not wanting to dwell on a
future without her beloved parent. “I’ve brought some of your
favorite cookies to have with it.”
     
    Her mom smiled and took the arm that
Alicia had offered, and the two of them walked side-by-side into
the kitchen where Alicia put some water on to boil and her mother
sat at the table and watched with a smile still firmly plastered on
her face.
     
    “You look like the cat that got the
cream.” Alicia put her mother’s cup in front of her and sat down at
the table opposite her with her own drink. “What are you smiling
about, mom?”
     
    “Oh, nothing, dear. I’m just wondering
how long I have to wait before you tell me.”
     
    Alicia frowned in confusion. “Tell you
what?”
     
    “Why, tell me when the baby is due, of
course. What else could I mean?” Alicia was so shocked at her
mother’s words she almost dropped her cup. “Did you really think
that I hadn’t noticed, baby? I’ve known you all your life,
remember? You’ve never been able to hide anything from me for
long.”
     
    “You… I... It’s not...” Alicia
couldn’t formulate a coherent sentence, and in the end she gave up
even trying and just sat there looking across the table at her
mother who proceeded to give the biggest laugh that Alicia had
heard in a long, long time.
     
    “Oh, Alicia. If you could only see
your face right now.” Her mother had laughed so hard that tears
were literally rolling down her face. “It’s not very often that I
have the element of surprise over you these days, is it? I wish
that I had recorded this so that I could watch it again and again.”
Her mother’s mirth was wonderful, and while Alicia was relieved and
happy to see her parent in such good spirits, she was still shocked
at the reason behind it.
     
    “How long have you known?” Her voice
was full of curiosity. Why hadn’t her mom let her know sooner? It
would have stopped Alicia worrying over keeping the baby a secret
from her.
     
    “Only for a couple of weeks, but long
enough for me to start crocheting a blanket for my