Marc exhaled. “We’ll figure that out later. Somehow.”
“Somehow,” I agreed.
It seemed so far-fetched. Women who kept their babies moved to government neighborhoods like the one Bette had supposedly been sent to, and with another pandemic sweeping the country, they were more like internment camps. Marc had told me all about it. They were fenced in now, and there was security. No one could leave and no one who didn’t have clearance could go in. If I lived there, that would include Marc.
How would we do it, then? Pretend we started corresponding after my time here and it eventually turned into a relationship? It could work, but it would most likely be years before we were allowed to be together. Not until the pandemic ended, at theearliest.
The thought sickened me, so I pushed it aside. I wouldn’t focus on that now. Now I would put my energy into this baby. It was all I could do.
“Canada is taking in refugees,” Marc said from out of nowhere.
“What?”
“Refugees,” he repeated. “They’re offering asylum to any fertile woman who can get across the border. We could go there. Make a new life for ourselves.”
I snorted but only half because the idea of us getting to Canada was so ridiculous.
“Of course, they’re taking in fertile women. It’s not out of the kindness of their hearts, Marc, so don’t think it is. It’s to help them build up their population.”
Marc frowned as he thought about it. “Maybe or maybe not. Either way, it’s got to be better than here.”
“I’m sure it is,” I said, “but it’s also impossible.”
“Yeah. I know.”
He sounded so forlorn that I planted a kiss on his cheek. “We’ll figure it out. I promise. For now, I’ll talk to Hilary. Let her know I changed my mind about keeping the baby.”
His hold on me tightened. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, but it’s not just for you. I couldn’t give it up, Marc. Not now. I love you too much.”
In response, he rolled me onto my back and covered my mouth with his.
For the first time ever,I was actually looking forward to seeing Hilary. I had a skip in my step as I headed to her room for our session, and holding in my smile was impossible. Every time I thought about Marc, I thought about our baby, and vice versa, and for once, the future looked bright. I didn’t know how we’dmanage to get our family together, but I was confident we’d figure it out. Then we’d live happily ever after.
I knocked on Hilary’s door five minutes before my scheduled time and it opened a second later. She had a slightly shocked expression on her face, which morphed into suspicion when she took me in. I got it. I was pretty sure she’d never seen me smile before today, and as big as it was, it had to look clownish. Not that I cared. I was flying high.
“Good afternoon,” my minder said as she motioned for me to come in.
“Good afternoon.”
I took the couch as usual, grinning from ear to ear despite the way Hilary was eyeing me. Maybe I should have tried to rein it in, but from my perspective, there was no reason for her to be suspicious of my good mood. If anything, she should be happy I was finally coming around and enjoying my time in this place.
“You’re in a pleasant mood today,” Hilary said when she’d taken a seat. “Did something happen?”
“I’m pregnant,” I replied with a shrug, “and I’ve decided I want to keep the baby, so I’m happy.”
Hilary blinked. “You want to keep the baby.”
It wasn’t a question, but I responded anyway. “Yes.”
“But you’ve been adamant this entire time that you had no desire to be a mother.”
“I changed my mind. You told me I might.”
“Yes, well, that was before I got to know you. With as sure as you’ve been, however, I didn’t think it would be an issue. You’ve said over and over again that you didn’t want a baby.”
For some reason, I felt compelled to defend myself. “But I’m allowed to change my mind. It’s in the contract.”
