Chapter Twenty-Five
DEE
A Few Days Later
Colt and I are sitting on the couch, absentmindedly watching some crappy reality television trash when his cell phone rings.
I keep my eyes on the screen, because Colt’s phone ringing is a very common occurrence in our home, but when he inhales sharply, sitting up taller, I can’t help but take notice.
“What’s wrong, babe?” I ask.
He flashes me the screen showing it’s Dr. Doherty calling. The doctor who is handling our embryo implantation.
My eyes widen, and I shift closer to him. “Well, don’t leave the poor man hanging! Answer it!” I screech probably far too enthusiastically.
Colt smiles wide, and swipes the call, putting it on speaker. “Hey, Dr. Doherty, tell us the good news,” he says with that casual confidence I wish I shared right now.
I shake my head, unable to speak, and Dr. Doherty chuckles on the other end. “Hi, Colt. Is Dee there too?”
I nod like the man can see me, and Colt answers for me, “Yeah, she’s right here.”
My heart feels like it’s going to punch its way out of my chest.
What if he says none of my eggs fertilized?
What if it’s all been for nothing?
I grab Colt’s hand, my fingers trembling. He pulls me onto his lap without hesitation, wrapping his arms around me. My breathing quickens—too fast. I’m spiraling. Colt kisses the top of my head and begins stroking my hair in slow, calming motions.
“Okay,” Dr. Doherty continues, “I’ve got some good news and some not-so-great news.”
I freeze, every muscle in my body locking up. Colt’s grip tightens around me.
“All right, give it to us straight, Doc,” Colt says gently, like he’s bracing us both.
“The good news is, we have fertilized eggs.”
A smile breaks across my face so wide it actually hurts. My chest finally expands with a full breath.
“And the bad news?” Colt asks, still grounded, still steady.
“One of the eggs didn’t take,” Dr. Doherty says, his tone even. “We have two strong embryos, and we’re ready for transfer on Wednesday.”
Colt looks at me, watching my reaction as I nod slowly.
“So… two babies, not three?” I ask.
“That’s right. One embryo wasn’t viable, just not strong enough to sustain life. But the other two are developing well.”
I nod again, a wave of bittersweet relief crashing through me. We knew the odds weren’t high that all three would take.
But two out of three?
Two out of three ain’t bad, as the Meatloaf song goes.
“Hello? Are you still there?” Dr. Doherty asks.
“Yes,” I say quickly, clearing my throat. “Sorry. Just… taking it in.”
“I’ll let you two celebrate,” he says kindly. “We’ll see you on Wednesday for the transfer.”
“Thanks, Doc. Really,” Colt says. “For everything.”
“We’ve still got a long journey ahead, but we’re heading in the right direction. Take care, you two.”
The line clicks off.
Colt picks me up and throws me on the bed, hovering over me as I squeal. His lips are on me fast, and my hands fist in his hair as we both smile.
I’m beyond ecstatic.
Two babies.
Two. Whole. Babies.
A part of me and a part of him.
Nothing could dampen my good mood. Colt grinds into me, and his erection between my legs has me throbbing with desire. Suddenly, the phone rings, making us break apart. He looks down at the phone, and it’s Anna. He sits up on the bed and rearranges his crotch.
“Anna, did he call you?”
She screams down the line, making Colt and me both wince.
“Anna, you okay?” I ask, concerned.
“I’m so fucking excited,” she yells, making us both laugh.
“I know, we are too. Anna, I’m gonna bloody kiss you next time I see you,” Colt says, and I look at him with my eyebrow raised and a smirk. He shrugs, which makes me giggle.
“Well, I think impregnating me with your spunk is enough. No need to get all mouth moshed together and stuff,” Anna says, and I can’t help but laugh at her.
“Mouth moshed? Is that even a thing?” I ask, and she giggles.
“I dunno made sense at the time, you know, moshing mouths together. Like people in a mosh pit are all forced together, so you know, mouth moshing. Oh, shut up, it makes perfect sense to me.”
“You’re weird, but hey, Wednesday’s the big day, huh?” Colt questions, then kisses my head.
“Sure is. I’m nervous, to be honest,” she says, and I tighten my hand around Colt’s.
“You’ll be fine, and hey, don’t worry if they aren’t perfect. They do have their father’s genes, so there’s bound to be something strange, like two heads or seven fingers. Things like that,” I joke, and Colt chuckles.
“Nice, baby. You think I’m some monster under a bridge. Got it, thanks,” he teases, and I giggle, then lean up and kiss him.
“Will you two stop making out while I’m on the phone, please?” she begs, and I let out a mock sigh, breaking away from Colt.
“Sorry, it’s hard to keep my hands off him at the moment.”
We all laugh.
“Oh, Anna, by the way, the doctor said you can’t have sex while you’re pregnant. It’s a surrogacy rule or something,” Colt warns, and I scoff, slapping him on the chest.
“It is not, you liar.” She laughs.
“No, really, I don’t want my kids scared by the vision of Johnny’s dick coming toward their heads,” he teases, and I can’t help but laugh at his antics.
“Anna, don’t listen to him,” I state, and Colt smirks.
“Don’t worry, Colt, Johnny and I are gonna make your kids hate sex ’cause we’re gonna do it so much,” she says, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Do it? Are you in high school, Anna?” Colt asks. “But seriously, don’t scar my kids too much, okay?” Colt confirms, and I slap his leg.
Anna laughs. “Yeah, yeah, okay, but if you have a girl, she’s automatically paired up with Aston. They’re going to be childhood sweethearts,” Anna says, and I laugh while Colt screws his face up.
“Wait, aren’t they like half-brother and sister or something, though? Isn’t that a bit weird?” Colt asks, and even though they won’t be related in any way, that could be a tiny bit weird.
“Hmm… yeah, true. Well, then, Sia has to have a girl, and she can be paired with Aston. Your kids can find their own love of their lives,” Anna replies.
“Yeah, that sounds better. Plus, all that matchmaking stuff is bullshit anyway. No one would have ever paired me with Dee, and yet, here we are, the perfect couple,” Colt says, kissing my forehead.
“That’s true. So, in two days, you’re knocking me up, Colt. How does that feel?” Anna asks, and I wince.
Even though I know how it all works, it still freaks me out that part of Colt will be inside Anna, and it creeps me out even more that a part of me will be inside her too. This whole thing is weird, but I’m so glad it’s happening and that in the end, we might have two beautiful children to love.
“Well, you know I’ve always wanted to knock you up, Anna. It was only a matter of time,” Colt jokes.
“Yeah, right, Colt. That would be like banging your sister, and that’s just freaky. Unless, of course, you’re into that sort of thing. Hey, who am I to judge?”
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Cold laughs. “If you need anything at all, let us know. It’s not hard, seeing as you live about five minutes down the road, but seriously, if you need anything at all, just let us know,” I say, trying to bring the conversation back to a more serious tone.
“Thanks, Dee, and trust me, everything is going to be fine. I can feel it. See you Wednesday, guys,” she says.
“Yep, see you then,” we both say, then Colt ends the call.
I look at Colt and exhale as he smiles at me brightly.
“This is really happening, Dee. We’re gonna be parents,” he says, and I nod with excitement.
“I know. I mean, I knew this was all going to happen. I just can’t believe we’re going to have two babies, Colt.
Not just one, but two. We’re so lucky the technology is available to do this.
I don’t know what I would’ve done if none of the eggs had fertilized,” I admit, and he pulls me into his lap.
“Well, we don’t have to worry about that because two of them did, and you, me, and a couple of kids sound bloody awesome,” he says, kissing me.
It’s well past dinner time, and we spent all day in bed.
It’s time to celebrate, and unfortunately for us, we can’t go to a restaurant for dinner, for obvious reasons, so we order take-out. We veg out for the night, watching television while I cuddle Princess and Colt strums on his guitar, writing and singing about second chances.
***
The two days leading up to the embryo transfer have been the most nerve-wracking of my life. Honestly, I’m more anxious now than I was before walking down the aisle. Anna’s healthy in every way, physically and mentally, but that doesn’t stop the worry.
What if this doesn’t work?
What if something goes wrong?
What if Anna can’t give them up after she gives birth?
I know, legally, she probably couldn’t keep them, but that doesn’t stop the what-ifs.
Colt’s quiet too. He’s been in his own head all morning, and I can’t help wondering if he’s second-guessing everything.
“You ready to do this?” he asks, stepping in from the ensuite.
I nod, but it’s a half-hearted one.
“That wasn’t very convincing,” he says, sitting beside me. “You okay?”
“I’m scared,” I admit. “Nervous. Excited. Jealous, even. It’s just… a lot.”
He nods, understanding instantly. “I figured the jealousy might creep in eventually. But baby, this is a miracle. Even if you’re not the one carrying them, they’re still ours. Yours and mine. And that’s something to celebrate.”
I inhale deeply, his words grounding me. “You’re right. In a few months, we’re going to have two wonderful babies. Are you ready for dirty nappies and spit-up?”
“As long as they’re healthy, I’ll clean whatever they throw at me.” He grins. “We’re ready, Dee.”
I nod again, this time more confidently. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
We swing by Anna and Johnny’s to pick them up. Anna practically bounces into the car, glowing with excitement. Her energy settles my nerves like nothing else could. She’s strong. Capable. If anyone can carry our babies, it’s Anna.