When Macy saw Cam, she left Kenny and met her at her car.
“Next time I can drive,” Cam said, trying not to sound nervous.
“Yeah, you’ll have your truck soon.” Macy’s smile was beautiful but distracted.
Then it hit Cam. What if this was a delayed reaction to what she’d said and done at the cookout? What if she and Michael had decided Cam needed to be out of their lives?
As they got into Macy’s car, Cam reminded herself that Macy hadn’t shown any signs of discarding her friendship in the time since Cam’s drunken screwup.
“Where would you like to eat?”
“Doesn’t matter.” And it didn’t, since she wasn’t convinced she’d even be able to eat.
Macy drummed her fingers against the steering wheel as she pulled her Saturn out of the parking lot. She did that when she was deep in thought. Cam knew her habits and her signs of discomfort. She was almost as nervous as Cam was. Cam could tell by the way she used her index finger to pick at the nail of the thumb she’d stopped tapping against the steering wheel.
Outside her window, a car wash and strip mall and countless restaurants drifted by. Since Washington Road had almost every conceivable dining option, they could have been going anywhere.
Macy steered into the parking lot at a Red Lobster. That was Cam’s favorite but not Macy’s, so Cam figured things must be serious. She heard a low ring and saw the glow of Macy’s cell phone that was tucked into the sun visor.
“Hey, Eileen. Yeah. The lake tomorrow? I don’t see why not.” She parked the car but left it running. “Oh, Gary’s going, too?” She looked at Cam, carefully, as if she’d find an answer scrawled across her face. “You know, I just remembered, we have plans with Michael. Yeah, maybe next time.”
Macy turned off the ignition, and Cam wondered if she had any idea how bad of a liar she was. “What are you and Jeremiah doing with Michael?” she asked. Macy didn’t answer, and Cam smiled. “I wouldn’t let Jeremiah go anywhere with that freak, Gary, either.”
Cam made a point of not looking at the death row lobsters when they went in. It was still early, so they were seated right away. Cam slid into the booth and started fidgeting with her menu. She didn’t need to open it. She already knew she’d order the fried shrimp. Whether or not she’d be able to eat it was a whole other matter.
When the food came, Cam ate a few bites but mostly just fussed with her food. She wished Macy would say what was on her mind and get it over with.
“You aren’t hungry?” Macy asked.
Cam looked at Macy’s mostly uneaten broiled flounder. “You aren’t either?”
Macy took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Cam dunked a shrimp into the cocktail sauce and left it stuck there. “I’ve known for a while that something’s going on.”
“I wanted you to hear it from me.” She stabbed at her fish with her fork and looked up. “Do you know what a gestational surrogate is?”
That didn’t sound even remotely like “pack your bags, loser.” Cam looked at her. “What?”
Macy sat back a little. “Do you know how sometimes a woman will carry a baby for someone else?”
“Yeah, but—”
“I’m going to carry a baby for Dorianne and Kenny.”
Since Macy was studying Cam’s face, Cam was sure her confusion was evident.
“You’re going to get pregnant by Kenny?” Cam couldn’t wrap her brain around what Macy was saying.
“In vitro. An embryo belonging to Dori and Kenny will be implanted, and I’ll carry it for them.” She took a bite of flounder and another one, real fast, like she was trying to get nourished for Cam’s reaction.
“You’re going to be pregnant.”
Macy held her gaze and nodded. “Yes.”
Jealousy jabbed at Cam’s breastbone. She attacked her potato with her fork, working the butter in. She didn’t want to share Macy with some baby, or have her spending all of her time with Kenny and his wife.
Cam wanted to beg her not to do it, and she wanted to ask how this would affect their relationship. Would it bring Macy and Michael closer? Would it make them start thinking about having kids together?
“Cam?”
She stared into her cocktail sauce and concentrated on the flakes of horseradish. “What did Michael say?”
Macy let out a nervous chuckle and tore a biscuit in half. “Michael didn’t say too much about it, at least not near as much as Jack.”
“Jack knows about this?”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t my doing. My mother dragged him into it.”
Ex-husband or not, Cam hated that Jack knew before her. Didn’t Cam’s friendship with Macy count for more than that? A sense of betrayal rose up from her feet, left behind a tingling in her toes and settled in her gut. The sensation reminded her of being up too high, like on a roller coaster or that damned mile-high bridge in the mountains. “Who else knows?”
“Of course Dori, Kenny, and Michael.” She paused and continued when Cam nodded. “Russ, Eileen, Sharon, and Jeremiah.”
Cam put down her fork and let it clank, not caring if people stared. “Everyone but me.”
“My mother told Jack, and Jack told Russ and Eileen.” She sighed. “Then Kenny and Jack had a blow up at Jack’s parents’ last night. One thing led to another, and Kenny decked him.”
A half smile stole onto Macy’s lips. It almost made Cam smile, but she was still too irritated. “Sharon knows?” The memory of Sharon’s anger the day before did not help the churning in Cam’s stomach. She fantasized about free-falling off the mile-high bridge, allowing microscopic ice particles to embed in her on the way down.
“I needed legal advice.”
“Legal advice?”
“Jack threatened to take Jeremiah away if I go through with this.”
The anger jolting through Cam displaced the self-pity. Unlike her initial jealousy, it was primal. The idea of anyone threatening Macy over anything infuriated her.
“Sharon doesn’t think Jack has a chance to take Jeremiah away,” Macy said.
Cam took several slow breaths and sat, not moving, thinking about doctor appointments and baby stuff that wouldn’t include her. She didn’t even know how to act around pregnant people.
“I would appreciate your support in this.” When Cam didn’t respond, Macy tapped her fork against the edge of her plate. “Please?”
“I wouldn’t figure you’d care. You didn’t care enough to talk to me about this earlier.”
“It’s not like it was up for debate.”
The words stung.
Cam thought about Sharon, about standing in her doorway. Her small, bare feet looked vulnerable, but nothing about her was. Instead, she was powerful. Sharon was in control because she knew the truth and wasn’t afraid to throw it out there. Sharon’s words slammed into Cam: you are so self-absorbed.
“I wanted to work out the details before telling you or anyone else, but my mother got hold of it, and it took on a life of its own.”
Cam fished the soggy shrimp from the cocktail sauce and stuck it into her mouth. It was several moments before she could make herself swallow it. “This will change everything, won’t it?” Yes, she was self-absorbed.
“It won’t change the fact that you’re like family.” When Cam looked up, Macy’s black eyes held onto her, not letting her look away. Macy smiled. “I’m serious, Cam.”
That was the last thing Cam had expected to hear. And the one thing she needed the most. Tears threatened, so she looked away. Even if they were like family, she still didn’t want Macy to see her cry.
A smile snuck onto Cam’s face, and she found herself once again on the swinging bridge, a mile up, looking down through a fog of ice crystals. Terrified—yet not.
Chapter Sixteen
Commissioning Couple
Sharon opened the door, smiled real big at Kenny and Dori, and said, “The commissioning couple has arrived.”
�
��Commissioning couple? Wow, Kenny, we have a title now.” Dori walked to Macy, who stood behind Sharon, and gave her a quick hug.
Kenny rolled his eyes, not really wanting a title. But he didn’t want to not be nice, so he used a teasing voice and said, “Oh, goody.”
Kenny rubbed his sore knuckles, the ones that told his cousin Jack he didn’t have any say in what they were doing. Jack had told Kenny that his wife being barren wasn’t his problem, and Kenny needed to stay the hell away from Macy. Kenny reminded him they weren’t married anymore. Then Jack reminded Kenny that he and Macy had a kid together, one that came the normal way. Jack said he didn’t want his son around their screwed-up situation. Kenny didn’t know what else to say, so he punched Jack.
Macy sipped from a glass of water. Kenny knew if anyone could take on Jack and win, it was her. Especially with Jeremiah involved.
Sharon offered them something to drink—soda, wine, beer, water.
“Diet soda, please,” Dori said.
Kenny saw that Sharon had some wine. “How ’bout a beer?”
Dori held out her hand. “And I’ll take the car keys.”
Watching Sharon as she got his beer from the fridge, Kenny couldn’t help but think she didn’t look like a lesbian.
“Should we get started?” Sharon led them into the dining room, where they settled at a fancy table. “I have to tell you, I haven’t found a lot of legal information,” she said.
“Isn’t this pretty commonplace now?” Macy asked.
“I seen it on Montel,” Kenny said. “Or was it Springer?”
Dori shrugged.
Sharon said, “Some states have very specific laws governing all aspects of this procedure.”
Macy looked at Sharon. “Let me guess. Georgia’s not one of them.”
Kenny eyed the peanuts and the chips with salsa Sharon had set on the table. He got to wondering if the snacks would be any different if Sharon had gays over instead of them. Then Dori nudged him under the table, so he quit thinking and started paying attention instead.
“So,” Sharon said, “here’s what I would recommend. We’ll draft the contract to follow the guidelines from the 1996 bill. The bill never went anywhere, but it’s a good place to start.” She looked around, but only Macy nodded.
“What would be in the contract?” Dori asked.
“Here.” Sharon slid a typed page across the table to Dori and Kenny. “This is just to give you an idea.”
“What’s that mean?” Kenny pointed to the first thing on the list.
“The gestational surrogate, Macy, has sole consent with respect to management of the pregnancy.”
“Yeah,” he said, “but what does it mean?”
“The bottom line is that while the baby is inside Macy’s body, Macy calls the shots. She does have to follow this next one, though.” Sharon pointed at the second item on the list. “She must get all reasonable medical care before, and during, the pregnancy. But whether or not there’s any testing—or even discontinuing—that’s up to Macy.”
Kenny knew he looked shocked, no way around it.
Macy was quick to speak up. “We just need to be sure that we agree on things before we get started.”
“On what things, exactly?” Dori asked.
Sharon said, “Genetic testing for one.”
Kenny scooped up a handful of nuts. He was pretty sure he didn’t like where things were going. “Testing for what?”
“Health issues,” Sharon said.
“We’ve all had physicals. We’re all healthy.” Dori looked at Kenny, then at Macy, waiting for full agreement.
“Then there’s the issue of multiple pregnancy,” Sharon added.
Kenny about choked on a nut. “Multiple?”
“They are going to implant three to five embryos in a cycle—to increase our odds,” Macy said.
Dori sighed. “But it also increases our chances of twins or triplets or—”
“That’s how them people on Montel have all them babies,” Kenny said.
Dori shot him a look before turning back to Sharon. “What you’re saying is that if Macy ends up pregnant with triplets, it’ll be up to her whether or not to go through with all or any of them?”
“Yes, and you and Kenny will be responsible for them once they’re born.”
“We can’t afford no triplets.” Kenny popped a chip into his mouth and washed it down with a swig of beer.
“You can reduce the number,” Sharon said.
The color drained from Dori’s face as she stared at Sharon. “We would have to pick one and abort the others? How could anyone choose?”
“Your doctor would decide which embryo, or embryos, would have the best chance of making it. He’ll talk to all three of you about this when you see him next.” She sipped the last of her wine. “There are still some legal things to be worked out.”
Kenny looked around at how serious everyone was. He wished someone would lighten things up. Hell, he would, if he had any lightening up left in him. But he didn’t. He guessed it’d got buried under that heap of paperwork the lesbian lawyer had piled in front of them. He wasn’t knocking her. It was great that she was helping. Good thing Macy had a lawyer friend, lesbian or not.
“Okay,” Kenny said. “Give it to us like you’re reading Sur-ro-gating for Dummies.”
Sharon sat back. “In a nutshell: Macy has rights and responsibilities while she’s pregnant with the child or children, but after giving birth, her say is done. Then all the rights and responsibilities are Kenny’s and Dori’s.”
Dori nodded and stared at Kenny until he gave in and nodded, too.
Macy asked Sharon, “What about the birth certificate?”
Sharon leaned forward. “I’m still trying to get a definitive answer, but here’s what I have so far.” She shuffled through some papers. “The ideal situation will be to get a pre-birth order. That would mean Dori and Kenny’s names go directly onto the birth certificate.”
“Since we’re the genetic parents,” Dori said.
“Yes,” Sharon replied.
“How hard is it to get that order?” Dori asked.
“I don’t know. It’ll depend a lot on the judge.”
“There’s lots you don’t know.” Kenny’s words came out harsher than he’d meant. He didn’t want to sound like he didn’t want her help. It was just all so much to take in.
“Yeah, there is,” Sharon said. “This isn’t the easiest subject to get information on. And this state that we live in isn’t the most progressive, either.”
“I used to like that about Georgia,” Kenny said. He finished his beer and wanted to ask for another, but after looking over at Dori, he figured he better not.
“Sharon, what happens if the judge doesn’t let us do that?” Dori asked.
“Then the child will be considered born out of wedlock, and the birth certificate will list Kenny and Macy as the parents.”
Dori’s face was white as caulking.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that you two will have your baby,” Macy quickly added.
“With you as the legal mother.” Dori looked like she was going to cry. Kenny almost couldn’t stand it.
“Not necessarily.” Sharon ran her finger along the bottom of her empty wineglass. “If that’s what happens—and it may very well not be—then we’ll petition the court to have your name substituted on the birth certificate. And then we’ll also have to petition the court to have the baby legitimated as Kenny’s.”
Kenny’s head spun. “It sounds hard.”
“Yeah, but, Kenny, remember that’s the worst-case scenario. And I’ll be handling all of that. At that point, you two will be busy with your baby.”
“Our baby,” Dori whispered to Kenny.
“I know this is a lot of information to digest. Let’s call it a night, and everyone sleep on it. I’ll draw up the contract, and if everyone is still interested—”
“Of course we’re still interested.” Dori turned to Ma
cy, panic obvious on her face. “Right?”
“Absolutely,” Macy answered without hesitation.
Kenny’s finger traced a trail along the grout between two squares of cream-colored tile and gathered his chip crumbs along the path. People with kids didn’t have tables this nice, or this hard to keep clean.
Everyone turned to Kenny. He looked up and nodded. He thought about how he’d have to go home and look again at their furniture, see if it was okay for a kid. Then he thought about how he could make the crib himself.
“Okay,” Sharon said. “I’ll draw up the contract. Then you’ll be ready to start with the medical side of things.”
“I have my psychological evaluation on Tuesday,” Macy said.
Kenny didn’t even want to think about his own shrink appointment coming up right after Macy’s. Besides, he was busy wondering if he should make Dori a rocking chair. He could surprise her with one that matched the crib. Dori would like that. He hadn’t done anything that cool for her in a long time.
Chapter Seventeen
Breaking
Macy was building up the courage to go talk to Michael when Dori called.
“Macy, it’s me.”
“What’s wrong?” She sat on the edge of the sofa and leaned forward to slip her shoes on.
“I had to tell you about an article I read. I know the next time we meet with Sharon, I’ll freak out about it. It’s a case where everyone ends up fighting for the baby, but no one gets it. It says these things often turn into pure chaos.”
“I read it. But it was a hired surrogate and anonymous egg donor—a group of people who didn’t know one another.” Macy tied her shoelaces into double knots and asked, “Where are you?”
“I’m still at work. But I can’t concentrate on anything. In the beginning, their intentions were good, too.”
She made her way down the hall to the bathroom. “Okay, Dori, let’s break it down. First, what are the chances of you and Kenny ever splitting up?”
“That’s not an issue.”
“And what’s the likelihood that I’d run off with your baby?”
“Won’t happen,” Dori said.
Nesting Page 15
