Riding the Storm - Brenda Jackson [4]
The fertility clinic had called to let her know that everything had checked out and they had found a sperm donor whose profile met all of her requirements. There was a possibility they could schedule the procedure in less than a month.
She felt downright giddy at the thought of having a child. Her mother had died when she was ten, and her father’s recent death had left her suffering with occasional bouts of loneliness. She had been an only child; she never had a sibling to share that special closeness with and now more than ever she wanted a child to love and to add special meaning to her life.
At first, she had looked at the pool of guys she had dated over the past couple of years, but for the most part they left a lot to be desired—they’d been either too overbearing or too overboring. So she’d decided to try a fertility clinic. After doing a load of research she had moved ahead with the preliminary paper work. Now in less than two months, she would take the first steps in becoming a new mother. A huge smile touched her lips. She couldn’t wait to hold her baby in her arms. Her precious little one would have chocolate-colored skin, dark eyes, curvy full lips, cute dimples and…
“Good morning, Jayla. You seem to be in a rather good mood this morning.”
Jayla looked up and met Storm’s gaze. Although she had decided to avoid him for the remainder of her time in New Orleans, she wasn’t upset that they had run into each other again so soon. She was too elated with life to let anything or anyone dampen her spirits today.
“I am in a good mood, Storm. I just received some wonderful news,” she said smiling brightly. She saw the curiosity in his eyes, but knew he was too well-mannered to ask her for any details. And she had no intention of sharing her plans with him. Her decision to venture into single parenthood was personal and private. She hadn’t shared it with anyone, not even Lisa, her best friend from work.
“Mind if I join you?”
Her smile widened. “Yes, have a seat.”
She watched as he sat down and noticed his outfit complemented his physique just as it had the day before. He definitely looked good in a pair of cutoff jeans and a T-shirt that said Firefighters Are Hot.
“So what are you having this morning?” he asked, glancing over at her plate.
“Buffet. And everything is delicious.”
He nodded. “Umm, I think I’ll try it myself.”
No sooner had he said the last word, a waiter appeared and Storm informed the man that he would be having the buffet. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said standing.
Jayla watched as he made his way across the room to where the buffet was set up. She couldn’t help but watch him. She knew there was no way she could feel guilty about being drawn to him, since she had always been attracted to him. And at least she wasn’t the only one, she thought, glancing around and seeing that a number of admiring women had turned to check him out. However, it appeared he was more interested in filling his plate than in all the attention he was getting.
Jayla blinked when she suddenly realized something. Storm’s features were identical to those she had requested when she’d filled out the questionnaire for the fertility clinic. If the clinic filled her request to the letter, the donor whose sperm she would receive would favor Storm and her baby would almost be his clone.
She shook her head, not believing what she’d subconsciously done. When she blinked again, she noticed that Storm had caught her staring at him, lifted his brow in question and then stared back at her.
Jayla’s heart thudded in her chest as she watched as he crossed the room back to her with a plate filled to capacity. “Okay, what’d I do?” he asked sitting down. “You were staring at me like I’d suddenly grown an extra nose or something.”
This time, Jayla had to force herself to smile. “No, you’re fine. I just couldn’t help but notice how much food you were piling on your plate,” she said instead of telling him the real reason she’d been staring.
He chuckled. “Hey, I’m a growing boy. All my brothers and I eat like this.”
Jayla