I turn to throw the blanket in the trash, but just as my hand hovers over the bin, David’s face crumbles. “Banka!” he wails.

“No, buddy,” Sam says patiently. “That’s not for you.”

“Banka!” Tears are running down my son’s face. He’s flailing his body around to the point where Sam is having trouble hanging onto him. He’s quickly growing inconsolable. “Banka! Banka, Mama!”

My fingers are still gripping the blanket. I step away from the trash and David’s face fills with relief. “Banka,” he pleads with us.

“Don’t give it to him,” Sam says. “I don’t want it in my house.”

David’s hand is outstretched, trying his best to reach the blanket. He didn’t even get this excited over the toy truck he got for his first birthday (although to be fair, he liked the box the truck came in significantly more). He’s really upset. All this over a blanket?

“I’ll just let him have it for now,” I finally say.

“Abby, no…

“Within a day, he’ll lose interest in it,” I say. “I guarantee it.”

Sam is shaking his head, but it’s hard for me to say no to David when he gets like this. He’s my only child and I spoil him. So instead of throwing it away, I hold the yellow blanket out to him. He takes the blanket happily, burying his face in the lingering scent of Monica’s perfume.

THE END

Acknowledgements

Considering that writing appears to be a solitary process, it’s amazing how many people I get help from before I complete a novel!

I’d like to thank my mother, for being the first person to read The Surrogate Mother, and the first person to say “wow” after reading it. Sometimes we all need a wow.

Thank you to Kate for plot advice and careful, brilliant editing. I’m very grateful to Catherine for lending me your expertise with the advertising industry and for help with the tricky last scene. Thank you to Rhona for your insightful advice on the cover, and to Zack for marketing advice. Thank you to Jenna for the beta read, and for cluing me in that Christian Louboutin is now trendier than Jimmy Choo. (Who knew?) Thank you to Jessica for your always bitterly honest feedback over the years. Thank you to my other, newer beta readers—Kate, Laura, Sarah, and Liz—your advice and thoughts were incredibly helpful. Thank you to my new writing group for your awesome feedback.