Maraïda: The Billionaire's Surrogate (Billionaire One)(Completed)

Jared and Mara sitting in a tree

Jared's POV

I soon realised the reasons why I could never see things in the same light as Sophia or Maraïda. I never in my life had a thing to complain about. I wasn't born rich or had wealthy perfect parents. I had to work hard, toil the soil to get to where I am today; but as compared to others, I was highly privileged. My traumatic experiences were limited to overbearing investors.

"Why hadn't you said something to me about this before?"

"What? Do you think I would just walk up to you and say 'hey J, I was molested and abused by my own father as a child, so I get weird around men like him and see him in them'?" She clutched the poor pillow harder to her chest; staring blankly into space.

"I am not like that! Stop it! I made a mistake and that's just it." I told her calmly. But she had a point. Not everything was so easy to just blurt out. But I wanted her to talk to me. To tell me about her sufferings. It was no longer just about her carrying my child. I had started feeling for a long time now the need to be a bigger part of her life; to be more than just Jared Shenko the man to her. I wanted to be more; I wanted to know more.

"What about now?" I leaned in closer to her, "Would you tell me now?" I placed my hands on her arms, running my thumb gently across her bear skin. She looked at me, searching my face, perhaps looking for a good enough reason to trust me with her deepest truths.

While she'd had a break down, I had at once called on Dr. Seuss and he sent someone right away. She was calm now and the Dr. had told me not to do or say anything that could provoke her sanity again. I'd call myself stubborn but that'd be an insult to mules. Lately the thoughts of a baby became very evasive of my memory. The need to be closer, to know more about her, all clouded my emotions and I forgot she was supposed to be only my surrogate. Now I even dreaded the thought of her leaving after the baby's born. She was becoming a part of me, that, I hadn't realised earlier; but now here, up close, I started understanding myself more. I wanted to be closer to her heart.

"Please let me in. I want to know. I want to know you. I want to be with you in this."

"Why? You never cared more than just for the baby. You never even wanted me. So why now do you want to know more? Jared you hate my crazy ass. You think more of me as a burden you have to bear for the sake of your baby and nothing more." Her words felt like a cut. Had this been her opinions of me? That I didn't care?

"You shut me out all the time so I took the initiative of staying away too. And I don't see anyway I could possibly care for this baby without caring for you Maraïda." I could not completely remember my movements but at this point I could smell her minty breath just thumb and index away from mine and the proximity of her body to mine,. I was that close, "Maraïda?"

"Jared please! Stop OK? You don't know what all of this is doing to me. You have no idea how hard I've been trying ever since I entered this house to stay in my lane. You just won't get it. You can't help me and that is it! Accept it."

"No! I am not just going to stop! Not now! Why don't you trust me?"

"I," she took a deep breath, then finally met her eyes with mine, her face inches close to mine, her hand on mine, "I trust you. If I didn't, I wouldn't be in this house with you. Before you and this baby I just wanted to die; but you came in and changed it all. I always thought you didn't want me here but now I know."

"Know what?"

"That I was wrong. You want me don't you?" Uh oh! "Please Jared, tell me you want me; and not just for this situation we are in." She shot me longing, desperate, begging eyes.

She'd gotten the message all wrong.

I wanted to be a part of her life, help her build it back up. I didn't want her! At least not in the way she was showing.

"Wait no! I mean yes! No! I want to but,"

"See! Stop!" She distanced herself from me, "Just stop it already. I'm hurting here and you don't care. You don't want me so go away. Leave me alone!" She pushed me off her bed but I could not move, I would not move.

"Stop it Maraïda! Just stop and listen to..."

"I don't want to listen to you so go away!"

It was funny to look at. If we had an audience, they should have been in laughing fit. She was so small and trying to push me off her bed but all I did was close both her hands with mine and not move. Soon the exercise was getting her tired and if she didn't stop, we would have had to be calling a doctor again. Had I said I was stubborn, she was ten times more. She continued her fake act of attempting to push me away from her bed. I would have loved to let it drag on but her condition was like a constant pending issue in my mind. It was first in all my thoughts and as much as I loved our little play, she needed to stop.

I had no choice.

I did the only thing I thought could calm her down. It was crazy but I did it anyway. I kissed her.