“I should visit the bathroom before I ingest any liquid,” she said with a pointed look at me. Understood. But the plan was foiled when Summer and Rosie took her by the arm on either side. “We’ll come, too.”
As they headed off, Franky threw a nervy look over her shoulder.
Hatch turned to Conor. “Okay, spill.”
“Remember that time you warned me to wrap it before I tap it because I said people were too attached to their sperm?”
Hatch’s expression froze. As if the doc would have bothered with a boy like Conor Kershaw as her donor.
“Don’t worry, bro, it’s not me! Someone else we know decided that it was time to unwrap it and tap his swimmers for a very important mission.” He added a chin jerk my way, just in case it wasn’t clear.
We had agreed that when people knew she was pregnant, they would know the rest.
“Well, kids, let me tell you a story.” I filled them in with an abbreviated version of events.
“So, turkey baster?” Conor asked. “Sounds sexy.”
“I’m not going to elaborate any further, but I really need to talk to your dad before this game of telephone gets out of control.”
Both of my nephews looked blank.
“Whisper network. Later.”
I pulled Theo out of a conversation with former Rebels greats, Gunnar Bond and Cal Foreman. “Could I have a word?”
“Sure.”
Blood was fizzing through my veins. Finally, I felt like I was in the right place at the right time with the right woman. Except she wasn’t interested in me and I wasn’t sure anyone else would see this the way I did.
Here goes. “Franky’s pregnant and I’m the dad.”
He looked like I’d walloped him with a hockey stick. “You’re the dad?”
“She needed a donor. I stepped up.”
“Dude, this is huge.” Regrouping quickly, he gave me a hug. “When did this happen?”
“She’s due in early July. We’ve known for a little while, but we wanted to keep it under the radar until we got through the first trimester. She’s here tonight, so we thought it was time everyone knew.”
He smiled. “A lot of ‘we’ in there. So you two …?”
“No, it’s not like that.” My heart felt heavy. “But we’re going to co-parent. To be honest, I’m not sure why she agreed.”
“Because she recognizes a good thing when she sees it.”
“She only wanted a donor. I kind of muscled my way in.” Put like that, it sounded like I’d taken advantage of her desperation for a child. Agree to my terms or watch your dream wither on the vine.
Theo was studying me closely. “So the co-parenting was your idea?”
“It was. I’ve always wanted kids; I just didn’t want the hassle that goes with it.”
“Like a wife or partner?”
I sighed. “I’m not like you, T.”
“No, you’re not. Doesn’t mean you don’t have it in you to settle if you find the right one. Hey, I’ve been there. Baby first, falling in love later.”
I gave a mirthless laugh. “You knocked up Elle, but you were already falling for her long before that.”
