4. Micah

"Ijust got done with my date. What are you doing?" Micah asked Conner.

"Having a drink at Howlers'. If you wanna stop by, I'll buy you one and you can tell me all about the woman."

Half an hour later, Micah took a sip from the cold mug of beer and said, "I like her. She's a nice woman."

"Do you like her well enough to have sex with her and to raise her baby?" Conner asked.

"I do. She's a beautiful woman so it won't be hard to have sex with her. Plus, the sex is a means to an end. The whole point of the transaction is to have a baby."

"Why do you want to have sex? You could just whack off into a cup, the doc could mix everything up and put it inside of her," Conner said. "It is usually a very successful procedure."

Micah shrugged and said, "It just doesn't feel right to me. I know that a lot of people do it that way, especially since they can't get pregnant naturally, and I applaud them. However, I don't want my kid to start off in a petri dish."

"It would just be a couple of cells at that point, but whatever floats your boat," Conner said. "What are you going to do if the baby is a bear shifter?"

"I'll love it just the same as if it was going to be a wolf shifter," Micah said. "I don't have any prejudices against anyone."

"How does Lucy feel about all of this?"

"She's not sure, although I think that she's a little more comfortable with the idea since we had dinner together and she got to know me better. It's a big thing for her because she's a virgin."

Micah laughed as Conner's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"

"As much as I possibly can," Micah said. "I'm ready to start a family. It'll just be on my own terms."

"What if she says no to the sex?"

"Then I whack off into a cup, they extract eggs from her, and my child begins life in a petri dish."

"Fair enough," Conner said, raising his glass in a toast. "You'll make a good dad."

"Thanks," Micah said, clinking his glass against Conner's.

They played a couple games of pool, and Micah won two out of three. "I'm feeling lucky," Micah said. "You owe me ten bucks."

Conner slapped the bill in Micah's hand and grinned.

For the first time in a long time, Micah had a hard time sleeping. He stared at the ceiling, counting the swirls. Anxiety teased him. His gut told him that Lucy would agree to his suggestion, but he still had doubts.

He waited until eight to call Lucy, even though he was up at five. Micah must have looked at his watch a million times until he couldn't wait any longer.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" Micah asked.

"Sure," Lucy said.

He had a huge stack of pancakes and she wolfed down a huge omelet. She noticed that he watched her eat.

"I've always enjoyed meals." She laughed. "My mother said she couldn't keep up with feeding me even when I was a baby."

"At least you still have manners while you eat," he said. "It wasn't like you were stuffing your face with handfuls of food and chewing with your mouth open."

"My mother was a huge stickler for manners. We would get into big trouble if we were rude in any way."

An awkward silence settled over them.

She finished off her orange juice and gently set the glass down on the table. "I agree to your terms."

A huge smile spread across his face. "Awesome."

Lucy smiled weakly. He could tell that she was still uncomfortable with the idea of having sex with a stranger. Hopefully, between now and then, they could get to know each other better and she wouldn't be so nervous about it.

"Since you don't have a place of your own, I have a suggestion. I own a huge mansion with a lot of rooms. I have a male and female caretaker, Ronnie and Michelle, who will spoil you. They are terrific people. My cook, Vera, is an amazing woman, and there is no one who can prepare a meal better. She'll make sure to fix everything you love. I'll pay you a weekly stipend of two grand and, of course, all the medical bills, clothes, and supplies you need," Micah said.

"Two grand a week?" she asked, disbelievingly. "Plus, room and board?"

"Yes. What you are doing for me is priceless."

She nodded and smiled.

"You'll have plenty of time to work on your book and save money for your next adventure," he said.

"That sounds good," Lucy replied.

He thought that her voice was tinged with a trace of doubt. Micah wasn't sure whether it was from the idea of having sex, carrying a baby, or giving it up at the end.

"If this is going to work, you have to be completely honest with me about everything. That includes your emotions and thoughts."

She nodded. "I understand."

Micah called the clinic. The doctor said that he could fit them in if they came immediately. Ten minutes later, Micah and Lucy entered the reception area.

"You are ovulating normally, but we are still going to give you some boosters," Dr. Ratcliff said. "There are some side effects."

"What are those?" Lucy asked, wringing her hands. She bit her bottom lip and stared at the doctor, nervously.

"Don't worry. You aren't going to grow horns or anything like that, although some people might think that you have if your mood swings are extreme. You might also feel nauseous, have headaches, and have hot flashes. Your breasts could become tender."

Lucy looked at Micah and grinned. "Are you sure you're going to be able to deal with the mood swings and all that?"

"Yep. But if they get to be too bad, I'll just go work on my house project." He laughed.

They started the treatments immediately because Lucy was at the perfect place in her cycle.

The doctor explained the process and exactly what they should expect. He told Lucy, "You need to come back every day at the same time for treatments. We'll check your basal body temperature to determine when you're ovulating. Then, you two can do your thing and hopefully, we'll have some good results."

"Thanks, Doc," Micah said. "Lucy, do you have any questions?"

She shook her head. Micah was pretty sure that she was a little overwhelmed by the whole process and hoped that she wouldn't change her mind. He already liked her and thought that she was the perfect person to carry his child.

"Let's get back to the hotel and get your things."

Lucy was quiet during the ride over.

"A penny for your thoughts," he said.

"Nothing in particular. I'm just thinking that it seems surreal. It's an adventure, though," she said.

He patted her hand and was surprised to feel a little bit of electricity pass between them. Micah had just met the woman, but he couldn't deny that there was something special about her.

Her eyes opened as wide as saucers when they pulled in front of his mansion. "Welcome to my humble abode."

She glanced at him and grinned. "Your small hut, huh?"

"Something like that."

Ronnie and Michelle ran up to meet her as soon as they walked in.

Micah introduced them and said, "Expect these guys to act like your fairy godparents. They will likely spoil you rotten. They still try to spoil me."

"It is our right," Michelle said, grinning. "We never had kids of our own, so you guys are it."

"Let's put your things in your suite," he said.

"Suite?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He led her up the winding wooden staircase and down a hallway. He stopped in front of one and opened the door with a flourish.

"Here you are," he said.

"Oh my," she said. "Wow."

The room was decorated in cobalt blue. There was a king-sized poster bed against one wall, with nightstands on either side. An ornate cherry dresser, chest of drawers, and vanity completed the set. A small room off to the side had a couch, chair, and a television. It also had a full bathroom.

"This closet is as big as my bedroom back home," she exclaimed. "I could literally put my bed, dresser, and everything else I owned in this room. Who in the world has this many clothes and shoes?"

"Trust me, I know people," he said dryly, thinking of Caroline. "I know a couple women who would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on clothes, shoes, and whatnots that they wore only once."

"I don't think I could do that, even if I make millions from my books, which is highly unlikely," she said. "I would be more likely to spend all that money on something worthwhile, like an animal sanctuary or arts programs for kids."

"You sound like a good friend of mine," Micah said. His heart twinged just a bit as he thought of Angie and how much he had cared about her.

"Let me show you the rest," he said.

Micah was amused at her reaction as he showed her the indoor swimming pool, hot tub, library, game room, and what seemed like a hundred other rooms.

"I designed all of this when I was a kid," Micah said. "I always told my parents that someday, when I grew up, I was going to be rich and build my own house. I designed something like this."

"Color me impressed," Lucy said.

"Of course, when I got older, I realized that I couldn't have only play rooms or rooms for my horses and motorcycle and that I needed bedrooms and such for people. I had to redraw my plans somewhat."

"Were you sad?" Lucy asked, grinning.

"Maybe a little," Micah admitted.

His phone blinged.

"I have a meeting to get to," he told Lucy. "Michelle, will you finish showing her around and introduce her to Vera?"

"Absolutely," the older woman said with a warm smile. "Come on, Lucy."

Micah left, knowing that Lucy was in good hands. Even though they knew that Lucy was only a temporary fixture in their lives, she would be treated as though she was their own daughter.

The head of his commercial sales department, Tom, was already in the conference room, along with Martha, and a couple other employees.

"You'll be glad to know that we sold that old shopping center in Albuquerque. It will be made into a restaurant, a veterinarian clinic, and several other businesses. It is one of the more expensive sales we have made to date, which is great because my wife has been after me to take her on a cruise," Tom said. "This commission will let me do that and will pay for my kid's next year's college tuition."

Everyone laughed.

"Nice job," Micah said. "Round of applause for Tom."

Everyone clapped.

Ginger, who was the head of his housing community sales, announced that her team had also been very busy lately.

"I'm not going on vacation, though. My oldest kid needs braces," she announced wryly. "They both play travel sports, too."

The team continued to discuss their successes and their next plans.

"Nice job, all of you. I'm very pleased with your efforts and successes. I foresee some nice Christmas bonuses in your stockings this year," Micah said.

He settled back in his office chair and steepled his fingers, smiling widely. Micah was pleased. Life was looking great. He had a couple of cool million added to his bank account, which he could use to put into his pet projects, like the homeless shelter. And, he would be a father soon. Life was looking good for him.