Colt grins and laces his fingers through mine. “Cool.”
And even though I should be mortified, all I can do is smile back at him. Because, dammit, as awkward as he is, that man wants to make a baby with me in every possible way. My heart flutters, and I grip his hand tighter. He glances at me, raising one eyebrow in that suggestive way that makes my toes curl. I bite my lip and wink at him.
And he knows exactly what that means.
As the consultation continues, we go over every detail, timelines, hormone tracking, supplements, procedures, and what each of us needs to do to give this surrogacy the best chance of success. There’s talk of diet, stress levels, and optimal conditions for both sperm and embryo development.
It’s overwhelming, but somehow, it also feels empowering.
We’re building our family. Piece by piece. Together.
Dr. Doherty explains, “Under normal circumstances, we would only transfer one embryo at a time as there are too many risks otherwise. That’s how we got Octomom,” he jokes, which earns a chuckle from the room. However, the gravity still hangs in the air.
But in our case, it’s different. We only have three viable eggs retrieved and frozen from my surgery months ago. And because of that, the plan is to transfer all three into Anna at once. Statistically, the odds of all three developing are low—not impossible, but unlikely. Still, the potential is there.
And Anna, Anna doesn’t hesitate. She’s all in. Whether it’s one, two, or three, she’s ready to carry our children. I look over at her, and for a second, emotion swells so big in my chest I can barely breathe. She sits beside Johnny, her hand restingprotectively over her stomach even though there’s nothing there yet. Her eyes are clear, calm, determined. She’s already acting like a mother for our babies.
She is, without question, the most selfless person I know.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have a friend like her. Someone who would give this much, love this hard, and ask for nothing in return. She is loyalty personified.
Colt squeezes my hand under the table, like he knows exactly what I’m thinking without me having to utter a word.
If he wasn’t my soulmate, I think Anna would be.
And that thought alone tells me that we are going to be okay.
Chapter Twenty-Four
DEE
Three Months Later
Things really took off after the wedding. The guys have been slammed with gigs and interviews, and the fans?They’re obsessed. Like the last three months flipped some invisible switch. Not that I’m complaining. Good change is rare, and I’ll take every bit of it.
The boys have cleaned up, too. Johnny’s stepped into dad mode now that Aston’s nearly crawling. Dingo’s staying sober out of respect for Sia, who’s six and a half months pregnant, and Colt’s been laying off alcohol and junk food in preparation for today’s sperm collection. The man loves a beer, so it wasn’t easy, but he’s been rock solid.His swimmers should be top-tier by now.I giggle at that thought.
The only one who hasn’t changed is Huxley. He’s still cold toward me, even worse, maybe. I figured the wedding would help, but he seems to miss the old Colt.
The party version.
The reckless version.
The one who nearly destroyed himself.
That Colt is gone, and I hope for good. His drug use came up in our counseling sessions, and while the doctors were concerned, Colt was firm that heneverwants to touch that shit again. It took time, but eventually, they saw what I already knew. Colt isn’this past. He’s the man buildingour future.
But now, it’s time.
The sample.
The moment we’ve joked about. Dreaded. Anticipated.
“You ready?” I ask, grabbing my handbag from the kitchen bench.
Colt lifts his head from his toast and smirks. “Yup. I’m ready to be jerked off by you any day of the week.”
I roll my eyes, fighting a grin. “Come on then.”
