Chapter 102
Sitting in the waiting room, I fidget with my phone, thoughts racing.
Do I want a baby? Definitely not right now.
Or in the next year or two. Looking around the room, I’m the youngest person here.
A guy walks in and then sits in a chair across from me.
I wonder if he’s here to support his partner.
Just as I’m beginning to calm down, Adam walks in.
“What the fuck?” I yell, turning heads in the room.
“This is our appointment,” he says, sitting next to me, so fucking cool and calm.
“Adam. Are you actually insane?” I glare at him. “This is my appointment.”
“Dani, we both know that this is going to happen.”
I roll my eyes. “Adam. I am not with you. I am so fucking mad at you for going into my phone and having my location shared with you. I am not yours. You need to leave!”
“Dani,” he says, trying to grab my hand.
“You need to fucking leave right now!” I scream, pulling my hand away. The guy that got here after me stands up, and I’m grateful. Toxic masculinity doesn’t seem so bad right at this moment. He’s looking at Adam, signaling that he needs to leave.
“Fucking hit him,” I say, seeing the anger radiate through Adam as he looks at the guy. “Remind both of us why we can never be together.”
Tears. They are in his eyes again. “I love you, Dani,” he says softly. “I’ll go. I’ll show you I’m not that guy anymore.”
“Just leave me alone. That’s the only thing I want from you.”
The guy steps closer, and Adam gets up. “I’m leaving.” He seethes.
I should have canceled this appointment.
“Are you okay?” the guy asks, and I recognize his accent. It’s a more intense version of Gideon’s.
“Fine. Thank you,” I say, then call Gideon.
“What’s up?” G asks.
“Adam showed up at the appointment.”
“What the fuck!”
“Can you come here? I don’t feel safe.”
“Did he leave?”
“The office, yes.”
“Okay. Text me the address. I’ll be right there. I love you.”
“I love you,” I say, hanging up.
The receptionist hands me a bottle of water. It’s a nice gesture, but it makes me feel weird. I take a deep breath and then take a sip.
“Sommer,” a nurse calls a few minutes later. I get up from the chair and walk toward her. I give the guy a soft smile, thanking him for asserting himself.
“When my boyfriend arrives, can you bring him to the room?” I ask the nurse as we walk down the hall.
“Of course. What’s his name?”
“Gideon Stone.”
She nods, and her face is signaling she is living for the drama, especially with the addition of another man to the story. What a mess.
The doctor and I exchange some basic pleasantries before he starts asking me about my plans to get pregnant.
“The advice I generally give women in their twenties is to consider freezing your eggs. It buys you more time and, statistically, leads to better outcomes in your thirties or even forties.”
There’s a knock at the door. The doctor makes a puzzled face. I look at my phone and see a text from G. “My boyfriend,” I softly share.
“Perfect. It’s best to talk about all these things together.”
Gideon sits next to me and squeezes my hand.
“We were talking about egg freezing. I know she’s twenty-seven. How old are you?”
“Thirty-seven,” he says.
The doctor nods. “There’s some emerging research suggesting that sperm isn’t as prime after forty. Something to think about and look into.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“It’s well documented that women have an increased risk for having a baby with Down Syndrome and other complications as they age, but we’re starting to see that sperm after forty could also lead to more complications as well.”
Gideon says, “I’ve already had a vasectomy. We don’t need to talk about me.”
The doctor nods, taking in the emerging tension. “Those can always be reversed, usually quite successfully.”
I look at Gideon. His jaw is firmly clenched.
“This is a consultation,” the doctor says, also picking up on how tense G is. “It’s my job to tell you both what you should be thinking and considering as you decide whether or not to have children.”
The appointment continues, more focused on me. I like the idea of being proactive, freezing my eggs to give me more time to decide.
As we wait for the Uber, G is noticeably quiet. “What?” I finally ask, wondering if this appointment really bothered him that much.
“I’m going to call Declan about Adam. We’re going to handle that once and for all.”
“You guys are going to what, kill him?” I laugh at the absurdity. “I don’t want that.”
“Maybe we talk to a lawyer? And see if we could issue a restraining order?” he asks.
“You know my history with Sorin,” I say, meeting his gaze. “We probably don’t have enough for a restraining order.”
He squeezes my hand. “I hate this. Him thinking he still has you.”
“Gideon is the only name on my lips,” I flirt, looking up at him.
He pulls me down, and we passionately make out. Pulling back from our kiss, he says, “Whatever you want to do. I’m not going to say anything. It’s your choice.”
It is my choice. I smile up at him, proud he is supporting me.
“Where are you going now?” he asks as we slide into the car. “I have it taking us back to my office.”
“If it’s cool with you, can I steal one of the conference rooms for the rest of the day? I don’t want to be alone.”
“Of course, baby. I don’t want to let you out of my sight right now either.”