Chapter Twelve #2
“Me either. So, to Anna’s we go, then home to start our search,” I say as Colt pulls out onto the street.
We don’t think to ring ahead.
We’re too caught up, tossing around baby names, laughing over what gender we might have, dreaming of what our life could look like. It isn’t until we pull up outside Anna and Johnny’s that it even crosses our minds that it might be a bad time.
“Oh, crap, what if they’re busy?” Colt asks as we walk to the door.
I shrug. “If they are, we’ll leave and tell them another time,” I offer.
He nods and rings the bell.
A few seconds later, Johnny answers, his shirt covered in spit-up.
“Hey, guys. We weren’t expecting you today, were we?”
I shake my head, trying not to laugh at the sight of him.
“No, sorry for dropping by unannounced. We have some good news, and we wanted to share it with you both.”
“Well, come on in. Sorry about the mess. Anna’s just done a load of washing, there are bibs and throw-up towels everywhere,” he says, stepping aside.
“Thanks, mate, and don’t even worry about it. You should see our bedroom at the moment, Princess has turned it into a full-blown dog playhouse,” Colt jokes, and Johnny laughs.
I hobble toward the kitchen, Colt following behind. As we walk, I point to Johnny’s shoulder.
He glances down, huffing. “I swear I’ve never known anyone to puke as much as my kid does,” he says, making me giggle.
We head into the kitchen, where Anna’s folding laundry with one hand and rocking Aston with the other. She looks up and smiles warmly when she sees us. “Hey, guys. Sorry about the chaos. We weren’t expecting visitors,” she says softly.
“Don’t even stress, Anna. Now, let me see this little cutie patootie,” I say, leaning over Aston’s rocker. He’s drifting off to sleep, his tiny fists curled tight. I gently rub my finger along his cheek, my heart aching in the best possible way.
Anna watches me closely, and sensing her concern, I glance up.
“Don’t worry, Anna. I’m feeling much better today. That’s actually why we’re here,” I say, still cooing over Aston’s perfection.
“Oh yeah? What’s going on? You both seem… happy?” Johnny says, a teasing edge in his voice.
I look at Colt and nod, silently giving him the go-ahead.
“Well, we went to the hospital today—” Colt starts.
“Oh no, is everything okay?” Anna cuts in quickly, her voice laced with concern.
“Yeah, everything’s fine, Anna. We had a meeting with a fertility specialist. We talked about the steps we need to take to start trying for a baby with Dee’s harvested eggs,” Colt explains, a proud smile lighting up his face.
Anna turns to me, throwing her arm around my shoulders. “So you’re gonna start trying soon?”
“Not immediately. Probably after the wedding,” I explain. “There’s a lot to do first, finding a surrogate and the whole medical process, but at least now we know where to start. And it’s exciting.”
She hugs me tightly, and I hug her back.
“Where do you find a surrogate?” she asks.
“Through an agency,” Colt answers. “The doctor gave us a whole stack of pamphlets. We’re gonna start looking when we get home.”
Anna frowns slightly, glancing at Johnny before speaking, “So basically… a complete stranger would carry and give birth to your baby?”
Her words catch me off guard.
“Well… yeah,” I say hesitantly.
She shakes her head and looks back at Johnny, who smiles and nods.
“Wouldn’t you rather have someone you know and trust?” Anna asks, her voice steady.
“Of course that would be better, but—”
“Let me do it,” she blurts out.
I freeze, staring at her, mouth open.
She’s smiling brightly, and Johnny is too.
When I glance at Colt, he looks as stunned as I feel.
“But you just—”
“I know, I know. I just had a baby. But if you’re willing to wait, maybe six months, I’d love to do it for you. You guys are my best friends, and if you’re going to have a child, I want to be part of it. So, let me be your surrogate.”
Her smile is blinding.
I’m too shocked to speak.
“Maybe you should talk about it with Johnny first,” Colt suggests carefully.
Johnny steps forward, grinning. “It’s okay.
Anna and I have already talked about it…
back after the accident. We agreed that when you were ready, Anna would offer.
She wants to do this. And even though the thought of my best friend’s swimmers inside my wife makes me wanna hurl a little,” he says, grinning wider.
“I know it’s the right thing. We want to help you guys. We won’t take no for an answer.”
“Well, that’s not exactly how it works, but I get the generalization,” I say with a laugh before emotion clogs my throat.
Colt walks over to me, cupping my face with his hands. His eyes are so full of love, so full of hope, mine immediately well with tears.
“What do you think, Dee?” he asks, his voice rough as he wipes away a tear rolling down my cheek.
I turn to Anna, who’s biting her lip, smiling so big it hurts to look at her. “Anna… you really need to think this through. There’s a ton of counseling. And all three eggs could take, and you could end up carrying triplets. There’s so much that could hap—”
“I know,” she says without hesitation, interrupting me. “I know everything that goes into it. I have done all the research. And I don’t care. I would carry ten babies if it meant giving you a family. I want to do this. I am doing this.”
I laugh, half in disbelief, half in awe.
Even Colt lets out a short laugh and says, “Well, I’m not knocking anyone up, but I’ll let my little swimmers find their way to Dee’s egg in a dish in a lab.”
We all burst out laughing, the heavy emotion breaking enough.
Anna steps closer, her hands gripping mine. “Please, Dee. Let me do this. For both of you.”
I turn back to Colt. He dips his chin in a slow, silent yes.
I bite my lip, tears brimming, and finally nod.
Anna squeals, bouncing in place, then wraps her arms around me so tight I almost drop my crutches. I clutch her back just as fiercely, overcome with emotion.
“Thank you, Anna. You don’t know how much this means to us,” Colt says, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.
“It’s my pleasure. Thanks for letting me,” she says, pulling back to look at me.
Beautiful, selfless Anna.
My best friend.
My baby’s future life-giver.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and she leans in, hugging me again.
And for the first time in a long time, I believe it’s really going to happen.
Our family.
Our future.