“It’s expensive and I’m already deep in debt from college.” She shakes her head. “And you know what the schedule is like here. I’d never have time for both.”

She makes a good point.

“Don’t you see, Abby?” Her eyes are shining. “This is perfect! I can give you the baby you want, and you can help me get my advanced degree, which would be a drop in the bucket for someone like you with a trust fund and everything. It’s a win-win.”

Technically, everything Monica is saying makes sense. But in reality, it’s insane.

“You don’t want to do this, Monica,” I say. “Think about what you’re offering. This would be, for all intents and purposes, your baby. You’d be willing to just give away your own baby?”

“I’m not ready to be a mother.” Her eyes become distant. “There are so many things I want to do in my life before I’m tied down with a child. But you—you’d be a fabulous mother, Abby. Any baby would be lucky to have you as a mother.”

“God.” I rub my eyes. “I know you mean well, but… it’s a bad idea. We work together…”

“I’d quit.”

My mouth falls open. “What?”

“As soon as I start showing,” she says. “I’ll leave so it doesn’t become an awkward situation. If you can cover my rent, that is.”

“But I thought you wanted to be a creative director…”

“Right.” She nods. “But it doesn’t have to be here. With my Master’s degree and a strong letter of recommendation from you, I’m sure I could find a good job at another agency.”

No. This is crazy. I’m not going to consider this. Sam and I are going to adopt. As amazing as this potentially could be, it’s a terrible idea.

“And we look alike,” she adds. “The baby would look just like you.”

“I don’t care about that.”

“You don’t?”

I shift in my seat, which creaks loudly under my weight. “I just feel like you’re not thinking this through. You’re only offering because you feel sorry for me.”

“No,” she says firmly. “I’m offering because I like solving problems. And I figured out a way for both of us to get our dreams.”

She’s right. This would be a way to get the newborn baby I’ve been dreaming about. The dream I thought was gone forever.

Am I honestly considering this? Oh God, I can’t believe I’m really considering this.

“We would need to have a contract drawn up by a lawyer,” I say carefully. “And I’d need access to all of your medical history. Would you be okay with that?”

Her eyes light up. “Of course. You can have access to anything you need.”