“Wait, what?” Lisa stared at me, a bit dumbfounded.
“You heard me, woman. I want to have a little baby with you, so I will stick your ass with a needle and deal with your crazy hormones so that we can make that happen. You have an appointment set up by Lucas.” Oh, the face she made was priceless, and I somehow captured it on camera even with my wet hands.
“I didn’t even say I was ready. Calliope has only been with us for a few months. What if having the baby makes her feel like we’re trying to replace her or something?” She seemed worried, angry, and excited all at once. Her face kept changing with each emotion.
“Don’t worry, we’ll talk to her about it. She will understand. She seems to enjoy having a sister. I am sure she won’t mind another sibling.”
I hugged her, trying not to touch her with my wet hands, but holding her tightly against me with my arms. She rested her head against my chest and gave me a small smile.
“Okay. We talk to her first, and if she’s okay with it, then I’ll go to the appointment.”
“Deal.”
It was getting dark by the time everyone left, having stayed for dinner as well. Lisa and I seem to have a welcoming house, since no one wanted to leave. Our attention was now on our princess and the conversation we needed to have with her. We sat her on the couch between us and got ready to have a serious conversation. I had to remember that she was a child even if she was a super genius. She was still learning how to name and deal with her emotions, and this was going to bring up emotions she may be unsure of.
“We wanted to talk to you about us having a baby.” I got right to the point.
“You will always be our child, no matter whether we have babies of our own. You are the daughter that made me a mother first, and nothing will change that.” Lisa held Calliope’s hands as she spoke, seeming teary eyed.
“You are special, and amazing, and although we didn’t create you, you were made for us. We want you to keep that mind through all this,” I added.
“I may not be able to carry my baby, but I want to try. If I can’t carry it, I can have someone else do it for me and your daddy. These women are called surrogates. Your father and I would get a surrogate, if my IVF treatments don’t work, and have her carry the embryo we would make. It doesn’t always work, but we are hoping it will for us. That baby will have Davis and my blood running through them, but they would be just as much our child as you are. There will be no difference between the two of you except how you look. Do you understand?” Lisa tackled the delicate subject graciously.
“I understand, Mommy.. I really thought you were going to tell me you were pregnant. I am sorry you can’t carry the baby yourself, Mommy.” Calliope gave Lisa a big hug, honestly feeling upset for her mother.
“Thank you, sweetheart. Are you sure you’re okay with us having a baby? We can wait until you are ready, Calliope. You are a big part of this family and having a baby is a big deal, one that can’t be taken back.”
“I know, Mommy. I am sure that I want you and Daddy to have a baby.” She nodded her head.
“Thank you, princess.” I rubbed her curly hair, frizzing it the same way I do Liv’s. She just smiled up at me without a care in the world.
Seems I was going to have two adoptive daughters, my first-born girl, and now a new baby. I would be a father of four, and I could not wait to see what Lisa and my baby would look like. Starting late in life would make things better. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I could be here to better support Lisa through it.
My family would always be my top priority. Thank you, Lisa, for bringing love and happiness back into my life.
Epilogue
Lisa’s P.O.V.
“Are you guys ready to see your baby?” The technician asked as I held Mandy’s hand with Davis’ in my other.
Mandy was an angel, agreeing to be our surrogate when I still could not carry. Sadly, I couldn’t defy those odds, but Mandy stepped right in. We inseminated her almost two months ago, finally getting to see our baby for the first time today. I didn’t think this would work, but when Mandy called and told me she got the positive pregnancy test, I cried like a baby. It still astounds me how much my life had changed since Davis entered it. For once, I believed I could have a happy ending too, and it was only getting happier.
“Very!” I smiled, squeezing Mandy’s hand in excitement. The technician squeezed the blue gel on Mandy’s lower abdomen, placing the ultrasound wand over her skin. She moved the wand around until the image of a small baby appeared, but as she moved it around more, I could swear I saw another. They told us there was a possibility that we could end up with more than one baby, but I never imagined we’d luck out like that. “Is that- is it two?” I asked, trying not to let myself get too excited or too scared, for that matter.
“In fact, it is.” The technician smiled as she continued staring at her monitor. “Here is baby A, and here is baby B.” She pointed them out, adding the wording on the screen for us. “You’re having twins!” she announced.
I screamed a little too loudly at the news. Honestly, I think that was the first time I had ever yelled in excitement about something. Davis hugged me tightly, kissing my temple, looking ready to cry alongside me.
“Thank you, Mandy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I know she didn’t exactly make this happen, but it’s thanks to her it was happening. I would forever love Mandy for this, be indebted to her even if she doesn't believe I need to be. She was allowing me to have my own children with Davis, all the while going through the pains of labor and having her body change for children that would not be her own.
“It’s my honor, Lisa. You and Davis are family to me, and I am happy I can do this for you guys. I have a kid of my own, so it’s not like my body hasn’t been through this already.” Her eyes were twinkling with emotions as she spoke to me, ready to cry herself. We were all an emotional mess for our own reasons.
The technician printed the ultrasound pictures for us and we held them like the precious treasures they were. We walked with Mandy to the patient room, all the while staring at the pictures, engraving them into my memory for the rest of my life while we waited for the doctor to come in. She spoke to us about the due date, things to look out for, and spoke about pregnancy with multiples. I paid close attention, as I planned to help Mandy in any way I could. Only an act of God could keep me away from Mandy for most of this pregnancy.
“I can’t wait to show these to Calliope!” I told Davis, as we headed out of the office to our car. Mandy was at our side, as I refused to let her walk behind us. She could lead the way if she wanted, but she didn’t. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, still feeling eternally grateful, and squeezed her tightly against my side. “Thank you, Mandy.”
“Stop thanking me. I am not doing anything except housing a couple of munchkins inside me. Now people are going to give me good seats on the subway, and they’ll move out of my way while I walk. At least once my stomach shows more, which will be sooner with there being two.” She laughed, like she didn’t care that these two babies were going to stretch her skin beyond belief.
