Nick #2
“W-we’re going to see Vandal’s Way?” Grady stammers, staring at his VIP concert tickets.
Tatum chuckles. “Yep—and you’ll get to see Ethan again, and meet Madden and the rest of the band.”
For the first time all evening, my son is speechless.
After Ethan Ramsdale’s band brought on a new lead singer, Madden Ryker, they had a single hit number one in the UK six months later.
They quickly went from playing dingy bars to selling out arenas in what felt like overnight.
Grady met Ethan last year for Thanksgiving, and ever since, my son is their most loyal fan.
“Do you think we could take a picture together?” Grady asks shyly.
“Of course, buddy!” Tatum says.
“We can get you a t-shirt, too,” Leah adds.
Grady adjusts his glasses, taking a few deep breaths. The corners of his mouth curl slowly as he blinks back tears. “Thank you.”
Tatum beams. “You bet, kiddo.”
“Let’s put these in a safe spot, partner.” Taking his tickets, I immediately head to our study, placing them inside a marked folder before slipping them into the desk.
As I turn to leave, I step on one of Angus’s chew toys and nearly take myself out.
Damn dog …
Standing up, I notice some shredded paper in the recycle bin. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I try to match the edges together. Southeast Houston Fertility Specialist …
Oh no …
Over the past year, Leah and I have been exploring options to expand our family.
We fertilized her harvested eggs only to learn that very few were viable.
Leah, my beautiful, ever-optimistic wife, struggled to be hopeful.
Still, we decided to give surrogacy a chance.
We met Trina in August. She was kind, compassionate, and everything we could have hoped for.
When she miscarried at seven weeks, it devastated all of us.
Last month, we agreed to try one more time as a Christmas present to ourselves.
Just one more time.
Did something happen?
“Hey, Cowboy, I—” Leah freezes, staring at my hands. “What are you doing?”
I hold up the shredded paper. I briefly glance up at her before tossing it back into the bin.
“It came in the mail yesterday.” She cautiously steps forward. “I didn’t want to ruin tonight before it could happen.”
I swallow thickly. “Is it about Trina?”
Leah slowly nods.
“She backed out, didn’t she?”
Leah sighs. “She did … and who can blame her, Nick? It was our baby, but … she went through the loss, too.”
I stand, dragging my hand across my chin. I’m terrified to look at my wife right now because once again, life has taken something from her, and I can’t stop it.
A burst of laughter echoes through the house, but it doesn’t quite reach the silence festering around us.
“Can we—” her voice cracks—“can we do this later? Can we just go back to who we were ten minutes ago?”
Our gazes meet, the soft gleam I love so much has dimmed. I cross the room, taking her in my arms, and press a kiss to her forehead. “Ten minutes ago, you were carrying this alone. You’re not anymore, darlin’.”
She leans into my touch as we collect ourselves. Joy has always found a way into our lives. Miracles, however, seem much harder to hold on to.
There’s a knock at the french-style door.
“I hope we’re not interrupting anything.” Chelsea and Tatum stand outside, diverting their eyes as if they walked in on something sacred.
“It’s okay,” Leah says, warming up flawlessly. Her years growing up on a religious pedestal really helps her hide her emotions. “Did we run out of wine?” She nervously chuckles.
The women step inside, closing the door.
“Should I leave?” I ask, but they wave for me to sit down.
“No, no, I, uh …” Chelsea clasps her hands. “It involves you, too. I just … this is going to sound crazy and all, but … I need to say this before I lose the nerve.”
“Chels?” Leah begins, her hand finding mine.
Chelsea blinks back tears, Tatum already tearing up behind her.
“We've watched you and Nick for years. We've watched y'all survive things that would've broken most people.
We've watched you fight like hell for each other, for Grady, for your marriage.” Her lip trembles, fighting back a sob.
“You are already incredible parents. And maybe this isn't fair for me to say, but I think y'all deserve a chance to have biological children of your own.”
Leah and I exchange a look, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Chelsea clears her throat. “I can't promise anything. I can't promise it'll work. I can't promise there won't be heartbreak involved, but—” she shrugs, giving a bright smile through her tears. “Let me be your surrogate.”
For a brief moment, I forget how to breathe.
My wife’s nails dig into my skin, holding herself upright. “Chelsea, I can’t—”
“Hold on.” She raises a hand. “Just listen. There’s no pressure or expectation. This won’t make anything weird.”
Tatum pulls out a tiny gift box and pulls out a folded up piece of paper, handing it to us.
“Tate already ran preliminary labs last month. I’m in great health. I’ve had two uncomplicated pregnancies—one of which was twins. I’m just older now.”
I take the labwork, and we glance over it together—not that any of it makes sense. “Chels, we can’t let you do this. You have your family to think about.”
She smiles. “I am thinking about my family.”
Leah and I glance at each other, overwhelmed by the moment. We shake our heads. “Well,” I start, “we’d need to talk to the specialist—”
“And we would want to compensate you for everything—”
“And maybe we should contact a lawyer—”
Chelsea waves her hands dismissively. “No decisions need to be made tonight. Just … think about it. Let me know, and—” she chuckles—“I guess we’ll get started.”
I pull Chelsea into a tight hug. “I don’t even know what to say. Thank you, Chels.”
“Thank, Tate. It was actually her idea.”
I glance up to my best friend’s wife. To the woman I made the biggest mistake with. To the woman I broke and abandoned. And my body wrecks with sobs as I pull her into a hug. “Thank you, Blondie,” I whisper. “Thank you so much.”
She nods, giving me a kind smile I don’t deserve. She gently presses a hand to her bump. “Mistakes don’t mean we don’t get to have a happy ending.”
“We love y’all,” Chelsea chimes in, hooking an arm with Tatum’s. “We’re going to dive into some dessert. Take all the time y’all need.”
The door clicks shut behind them, leaving Leah and me alone in the silence. As the seconds stretch into minutes, Leah lets out a water laugh. “What just happened?”
I chuckle under my breath, slumping onto the chaise lounge. “I—” I shake my head—“I have no words.” I start laughing harder.
“Did Chelsea really just offer to grow our baby?”
Our baby. “Looks that way.”
Leah shakes her head in disbelief as she begins to cry. “What did we do to deserve friends like this?”
“C’mere.” I take her hand, pulling her into my lap. I nuzzle my nose into her fragrant hair, breathing her in. “I don't know … but I'm damn grateful for them.”
Maybe that’s the thing about miracles. They’re impossible to see coming. Then one day, somehow, life is happening inside one.