by K. C. Crowne
As I made my way down to the kitchen to start my day, my big, empty house hardly seemed so desolate. Already, I could imagine the sounds of little feet running around, and picture what it would be like to chase an adorable kid around the place.
I felt motivated, eager to finally make my house a home. For as long as I’d lived there, the mansion had been a crash pad, a place I ate food and got dressed before heading to the office or one of my charity clinics.
But now, things were going to be different. I was going to have a child to care for. And maybe even Carly and Adam – if they wanted to stay at my place. It was all the motivation I needed to start thinking about furniture and décor and all the rest.
Once I was in the kitchen, I got my espresso maker going before checking my phone. I had the urge to text Carly and see how she was doing. We hadn’t talked in a couple of days and I wanted to let her know I was there for her.
Morning! How are things on your end?
My espresso machine chimed to let me know it was done, and my phone made a similar beep – a text from Carly.
Hey. All good here. What’s up with you today?
Got a C-section for the morning, then some check-ups after that.
Ha, just a normal day bringing tiny humans into the world.
I chuckled at her response, which was followed by a few baby emojis. I sipped my espresso and thought about what I wanted to say next, not sure if it was the right time.
But after some mental back-and-forth, I decided to do it.
So, I’m thinking about telling the fam. Maybe some friends, too. What’s your take? Too soon?
I didn’t have to wait long for her response.
Not too soon at all. I was thinking about telling my friends about it. And Adam, too.
I set down my phone and took another sip of my espresso. This was a big deal.
Aright, so we’re really doing this. I’m going to start with Mum and Dad now. Want to check in with each other tonight and we can see how it all went?
Perfect. Talk to you then.
Another big, stupid grin formed on my lips. There was so much to do, and I couldn’t wait to start. More than that, I wanted to make sure we savored it. There was telling the family, there was the first ultrasound, there was the heartbeat – all these magical moments and I’d be lucky enough to experience them with a woman who…well, a woman who I felt a way for that I couldn’t quite puzzle out.
What was going on between the two of us? Was something happening?
I decided to mentally table that issue for now. I’d always been the kind of guy to go with the flow concerning life, and love was no exception. But still, just the thought of Carly was enough to make my damn heart skip a beat, to make me feel like some kid having his first crush.
Parents. That was step number one. I tossed back the rest of my espresso, grabbed my things, and headed out the door. The day was chilly and bright, perfect weather for my black overcoat. As I made my way to my car, I thought about how it would be fall before I knew it, and Carly would be on month nine, ready to give birth.
I’d heard countless parents say how the time had just flown by. That it seemed like I’d just confirmed their pregnancy and all of a sudden, they had their baby in their arms. All the more reason to savor each moment.
Once I was in the car and on my way, I dialed up the parents and put the phone on speaker.
“Hey, guys,” I said with a big smile on my face. “You ready for some news?”
Come one in the afternoon, I was in my office with my head hanging over the back of my chair.
I was beat, glad as hell to be taking the rest of the day off. The C-section had been a success, a beautiful, healthy baby brought into the world. The mother was fine, and after a few weeks of post-C-section recovery time, she would be right as rain.
I was enjoying a little bit of rest and coffee when my phone buzzed on my desk. I sat up to see that it was a text from my friend Patrick O’Connor.
Still on for lunch?
My stomach grumbled. Aside from a quick breakfast, I hadn’t eaten a proper meal all day. That was standard for whenever I had surgery. Not sure why, but I always felt like I had a clearer mind when my belly was empty.
Sure thing. Where you thinking?
Burger place called Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar. I’ll send you the address. Mind if Lola and the trips come? I’d feel a bit like an arse leaving her alone with them for the afternoon.
“The trips” was Patrick’s way of referring to Henry, Kieran, and Cora – the two boys and a girl he’d recently had with his wife, Lola. The man had gone from a single, world-traveling photographer to a married father of three over the course of a year, and as far as I could tell he was happier than he’d ever been.
Bring ‘em. The more the merrier.
Cheers. See you in an hour.
Patrick was Irish, and between our accents and slang sometimes it felt like we were speaking different languages.
I grabbed my things and headed out, eager to see my friend and get some food in my belly. I spent the short drive over to the restaurant thinking about Carly.
It was strange. I thought I’d had all the angles covered when it came to having a kid. But now that it was actually happening, I was realizing that there was so much more to it than I’d ever imagined; feelings and thoughts that one would never have without actually going through it.
For example, no matter what happened, our lives would be permanently joined together by our child. I wanted to date her like mad, but whether that happened was up to her. Either way, we were linked, our fates forever joined for the rest of our lives.
Fucking wild.
When I stepped inside the burger joint there was no doubt where Patrick and Lola were.
“Alright, alright – easy, little one.”
“Here, let me –”
“Now, now, gorgeous, that’s just gonna –”
He didn’t get a chance to finish before one of the babies began crying, setting off a chain reaction between the three.
Sure enough, Lola and Patrick were in one of the booths, the rest of the place sparse. I watched as Lola effortlessly scooped up two of the triplets and hurried them out.
“Oh, hey!” she said, her face lighting up as she saw me. “I’m just gonna –” she nodded her head toward the door as she hurried past me, and I barely had time for anything more than a wave.
I slid into the booth with Patrick, who was in the process of soothing the triplet who’d been left with him.
“Alright,” I said, leaning closer to get a look at the baby. “That’s…Henry, right?”
The tiny baby still crying, Patrick flicked his eyes up at me, an impressed look on his face.
“How’d you know? I mean, I can tell ‘em apart easy. But they’re my kids. Most people are guessin’.” He spoke with his usual thick, Irish brogue.
“Henry’s got that kinda-smooshed nose, like you. Cora’s the only girl, and Kieran’s as bald as Winston Churchill.”
He laughed. “Got to say I’m impressed. Now, if I could only get the little one to calm down.”
“Let me try. I haven’t had a chance to say hi to the kids in months.”
“Go for it.”
The squealing baby in his arms, he slid out of the booth and came over to me. Henry was red-faced, his mouth opened wide and his eyes winced shut. Patrick handed his son over and I took him carefully.
It was magical holding that perfect baby boy. He wasn’t mine, of course, but he was still precious, still amazing. As I bounced him, his cries slowly diminishing, the red fading from his face, I found myself thinking about what life would hold for him, where he’d be when he was a man my age. I was holding a life in my arms.
Henry calmed, and when he was silent Patrick regarded me with and stunned expression.
“That was…how the hell did you do that?”
“Babies pick up on energy,” I said. “And I’m feeling extra good right now.”
I rocked
Henry a bit more until a peaceful expression formed on his face. Didn’t take long before he was out. When the baby was fast asleep, I carefully brought him over to Patrick. His father gently picked him up from my arms, then set him down in one of the compartments in the three-baby stroller.
Once Henry was safely in the stroller, Patrick quietly opened the leather satchel on the seat next to him and slipped out his camera. He got in close to Henry with it, snapping a couple of pictures before placing the camera back in his bag.
“How’s the business these days?” I asked, nodding to the camera.
“Oh, good. Though I have to say, it’s gettin’ harder and harder to go on my work trips knowin’ these wee ones are waitin’ for me. Might sound crazy, but they’re the only subjects I want to take pictures of anymore.”
“Not crazy at all.”
“Anyway, back to you. What’s the reason you’re feeling extra good right now?” he asked.
“Sorry, sorry,” Lola apologized in a hushed voice as she approached, two now quiet babies in her arms. “They both finally wore themselves out.” Patrick helped her place Kieran and Cora into the stroller.
“So!” Lola said once she was seated. “What’s up, Ry? Haven’t seen you in a minute.”
“Been busy,” I replied. “How’s life with the triplets?”
She laughed, as if there was no way to even begin describing it.
“Exhausting, difficult, frustrating. But the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
That was saying something considering Lola was one of the leading ophthalmic surgeons in the nation.
Patrick gave her hand a squeeze when she finished, silently stating he felt the same way.
“Anyway,” Patrick said. “Ryan was about to tell us some news.”
“That right? Well, don’t keep us waiting.”
I took a deep breath and went into it. I told them about my plans to use a surrogate, how I’d found the perfect woman for the job, and now she was pregnant – and not from any in vitro process.
The two of them stared at me with their mouths slacked open slightly.
“You’re going to be a da?” Patrick asked finally, his eyes lighting up. “That’s amazing!”
“Ryan!” Lola celebrated. “This is the best news ever!”
The waitress approached at this point.
“Three triple-bacon cheeseburgers,” Patrick told the waitress. “With extra bacon, and cheese fries. We’re kind of celebratin’.” His eyes flashed in realization. “Wait, meatless patties for the vegetarian.” He squeezed Lola’s arm and she smiled. “And three Budweisers.”
“Don’t tell me you’re drinking the American beers now,” I said.
He laughed. “They’re not bad, really. But American beer is not what we’re here to talk about. Tell me about her!”
“Yeah,” Lola chimed in, a tinge of skepticism in her voice. “I’m curious who she is.”
“She’s a teacher, for one. Raises her little brother – their parents passed in a car accident years ago. She’s brilliant and beautiful and has an amazing heart.”
“There you go,” Patrick said. “Sounds like a match made in heaven.”
“But wait,” Lola interrupted. “You offered to make her your surrogate, and now she’s pregnant after you guys slept together once? Did you see any proof of this?”
“You think she’s lying?” I asked.
“I mean, hard to say. But if you’re paying her for all this you might want to make sure she’s on the level with you.”
I shifted in my seat, giving the matter some thought. I trusted Carly, but Lola’s words were a reminder to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds.
“OK, I’m more than happy to chat about all this,” I said. “But let me use the little boy’s room first.”
The two of them began eagerly talking as soon as I was out of the booth. More people had filed into the restaurant since I’d sat down, a line forming at the front. I sidled through them as I made my way to the bathroom, thinking about it all.
I doubted Carly. The doubt didn’t last, but Lola’s words had put it there. Maybe it was a sign that I really wasn’t ready for a relationship?
Chapter 22
CARLY
The last few weeks had flown by, and that was probably for the best. I’d been doing a little research on pregnancy here and there, and I’d found out that the first trimester was the one where things could most go wrong. If there was going to be a miscarriage or some other kind of complication, it was typically going to happen then.
So, for the first time in a long while I was glad at how crazy and chaotic my life could be. I’d been so busy with school, parent conferences, and Adam’s basketball games that I didn’t have time to be worried.
Ryan had been crazy-busy too, with something always seeming to come up whenever we had plans. The last time we’d made a date, or whatever it was, he had an emergency birth that he had to attend to.
I wasn’t mad, of course. But only being able to see him a couple of times since the big news made me miss the guy. And what the heck did that mean?
That afternoon we had plans to see Dr. R – turned out that he knew her from the medical community and thought highly of her.
Seated at the front desk in my classroom, the school day an hour over, I did my best to keep my attention focused on the lesson plan in front of me.
Damn, was it hard. Thinking of Ryan was enough to get me excited, and it didn’t take much excitement before I’d get turned on. The computer monitor in front of me was becoming blurry, my attention drifting to thoughts of us together.
I couldn’t go into that damn laundry room without thinking of what we’d gotten up to in there. I closed my eyes and imagined that day, how good it felt to be seated on the edge of the washer, my legs spread open and his tongue dancing over my clit.
Then I thought about how he hadn’t wasted any time pulling me off the washer and bending me over in front of him. I imagined his cock pushing into me over and over, stretching me out, bringing me to another orgasm.
And when he finally came, the way it felt when he drained himself…God, it was like nothing else, satisfying beyond compare to feel that orgasmic shudder of his body, followed by the tensing and releasing of his powerful muscles.
I’d never felt the way with a man that I had with him. The intensity of my attraction to him was almost scary. But more than that, it made me want to see him again like crazy.
At half past four, my phone buzzed with a text from Ryan.
Hey. Parked out front if you’re ready to go.
I smiled as I typed up my response.
Be there in two minutes.
I sprang out of my seat and gathered my things, hurrying out the door and locking it behind me. Ryan’s car was parked in the loop in front of the school, the engine rumbling. The day was bright and sunny, warm enough for only a light jacket. I couldn’t wait for spring to finally arrive, to be able to spend it with the man I was finding myself falling harder and harder for.
He reached over and opened the door for me as I approached.
“Hey,” he said, his voice deep and cool. He was dressed in a green Herrington jacket, dark jeans, a white button-up, and black sneakers. He was the perfect blend of dressy and casual, and it always blew me away how damn good he looked. A smile was on his face, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. “Ready to do this?”
“So ready.”
I climbed into the car, shut the door, and buckled up. The moment I was next to him my pussy clenched, and my heart rate picked up. Without thinking, I chewed my lower lip.
“You alright over there?” he asked as he pulled out of the loop and onto the main road. “You look a little tense. Nervous about the appointment?”
I didn’t like lying, but what was I supposed to say? “No, I’m actually thinking about yanking your pants down and hopping on your dick?”
“A little tense,” I said. “I did some online research and it got me
a little worried about all the stuff that could go wrong.” That wasn’t a lie, so I didn’t feel too badly about saying it.
“Can I give you a piece of advice as a doctor?” he asked. “And especially as an OB/GYN?”
“Shoot.”
“Just pretend that WebMD doesn’t exist. You’ll go on there with a stomachache and by the time you finally log off you’ll be convinced that you’ve got end-stage cancer. I can’t tell you how many moms-to-be that I’ve worked with who worry themselves into insanity with online resources. Most pregnancies turn out just fine.”
His words put me at ease. But when he reached over and placed his hand on my thigh to reassure me, the horniness returned with a vengeance.
One of the things I’d read during my research was that some women could have a higher libido during pregnancy. But I hadn’t been prepared for this.
“Um, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
He gave me a curious look before turning his eyes back to the road. “You sure you’re OK?”
“Yep!” But I was most definitely not OK – I was so turned-on I could hardly think straight. Relief washed over me as we pulled into the parking lot of the doctor’s office – at least I’d have a small break from the sexual tension.
We popped into Dr. R’s office, the appointment going well. The check-up was uneventful, but when Dr. R gave us a due date of November fifteenth, it made the whole thing real.
“How are you feeling?” Ryan asked as we left the appointment.
“Really, really, good, actually. Crazy how just having a couple of doctors tell you there’s nothing to worry about can go a hell of a long way in making you feel better.”
“That’s right,” he said. “Things can happen during a pregnancy – not going to lie about that. But you deal with them when they happen, and you don’t worry about them before that.”
