“Hey, guys,” he said, as he clasped his gold watch around his wrist. “Have you been having fun?”
“Yes!” Maggie said. “We've been on the swings and earlier Aunt Wiwee played tea party with me.”
“Lucky you,” Wyatt said, turning to Lily and flashing a wink.
Lily chuckled. “Tea parties are serious business, you know?”'
“Oh, I know,” he said. “Trust me. I've spent lots of time down there with Maggie having deep conversations over tea.”
Wyatt was dressed to impress. He had on a sleek-looking, gray suit. Underneath it, he had on a black shirt. The top couple of buttons were undone, revealing just a tiny bit of his chest. A light gray tie was draped over his shoulders, which obviously still needed to be tied. He still looked gorgeous without it, though, and Lily noticed herself giving him a quick glance up and down his body. It was almost as if her eyes had a mind of their own.
“Are you leaving, Daddy?” Maggie asked.
“Yes, Daddy has to go to an event tonight,” Wyatt said.
“Okay,” she replied.
Wyatt seemed a little shocked by her response.
“You don't mind that I'm leaving?” he asked.
Maggie shook her head. “No, because Lily is here.”
Lily's heart melted and she turned to look at Wyatt. He shrugged and smiled.
“That's honestly the best thing I've heard in a long time,” he said. “I'm glad she's not upset.”
Wyatt squatted down and opened his arms.
“Come here, Mags,” he said. “Give me a hug.”
Maggie ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. Lily just watched, admiring the genuine love between Wyatt and his daughter. It always made her feel so good to see how well Maggie was taken care of by him.
“Alright, well you two have fun tonight,” he said. “I'll be back in a little while.”
With that, Wyatt left the house. Lily heard the sound of his Lamborghini starting up and listened until the rumbling faded off into the distance. She turned to Maggie and said, “Well, how do you feel about pizza and movie tonight?”
Lily got her answer when Maggie started jumping up and down in excitement.
“Pizza and a movie it is,” Lily said, with a smile.
The living room was dark, except for the flickering television scree
n. Lily had dozed off and opened her eyes right when the movie credits were beginning to roll. She glanced over to the other side of the couch to find that she wasn't the only one who had fallen asleep. Maggie was wrapped in a blanket with her head relaxed onto the arm of the couch. Her eyes were closed and she looked about as peaceful as could be.
I guess I tired both of us out today, Lily thought, while exhaling a giant yawn.
After a long day of playing, Lily and Maggie stuffed themselves with pepperoni and mushroom pizza. Then they decided that they'd have a double-feature movie night. Both of them had stayed awake through the first movie, but clearly, they hadn't been so lucky with the second one.
Lily reached her hands above her head and stretched, then slowly stood up. She made sure that Maggie was tucked in and cozy under the blanket.
“Hey, sweetheart,” she whispered. “I'm going to go take a quick shower. I'll take you up to your bed in a few minutes.”
Maggie didn't stir. She was sound asleep.
Lily admired the girl she'd carried in her womb for nine months. She was so beautiful and so sweet, that it almost made her want to have another one. Although, she told herself that if she ever got pregnant again, it would be with her own child.
As much as I loved being a surrogate mother, I think I'm at the point in my life where I'd want a kid that I could call my own, she thought. Plus, I don't think I could ever give a child away again. Not after carrying it in my belly for that long.