Page 45 of Better Than Baby

I glanced at my watch. “Already?”

“All night, Matty. Talk to her before she jumps on a plane.”

I nodded. “Got it. And lots of coffee. Sorry, but you’re on ice chip restriction for now, Lena.”

“Boo.” Lena struggled to sit comfortably, then gave up with a sigh. “I’m going to make up for it later.”

Her mother patted her hand and hummed. “Caffeine is terrible for you, dearest. The devil’s elixir. You shouldn’t drink it…ever.”

“So…nothing for you, Kathy?”

“Pish posh, I’d love a double-shot large latte with extra foam, please. And a healthy muffin. You choose. I’m not picky.”

I laughed, refusing her offer of money as I pulled on my jacket. “No, it’s on us. I’ll be back soon.”

I waited till I was outside to call my mother.

She answered on the first ring with an exasperated squeal. “Matthew! There you are. I’ve been worried sick. Are you a daddy yet?”

“No, Mom.” I filled her in on our trip to the hospital and Lena’s slow progress so far. “It should be today, though. I think. The doctor is supposed to come by at eight and talk about inducing labor.”

“Oh, my…oh, it’s so exciting,” she gasped.

“Yeah, it is,” I agreed, unable to keep the ridiculous smile from blooming across my face as I stopped at the crosswalk. I cast a quick glance at my surroundings and froze.

I’d gone to law school in Georgetown. I’d lived in this town for a few years. The university book store was close by and if I went south, I’d run into campus, my old apartment building, and so many of the places that had marked physical beginnings for Aaron and me. We used to jog on this street on the way to the park, and we used to go to that café he liked on M Street.

Out of the blue, I had a flashback of the morning we’d gone to breakfast for the first time. It had been like a date. A friend date. I’d convinced Aaron that I could be good friend material and I’d been over the fucking moon when he’d agreed to go for a run. We’d ordered omelets at the café afterward and talked about…everything.

He’d told me he was twenty-eight and had made turning thirty sound like a step toward the grave. He’d asked about my ex-girlfriend, the one I’d broken up with once I’d realized I was bi and had a huge crush on a guy I’d just met. I’d said that she and I hadn’t wanted the same things, but that wasn’t true. She simply wasn’t the one.

I’d admitted to him that I wanted marriage, kids, the whole nine yards one day. Not Aaron. That was too hetero, too banal. He’d claimed that he was happy being an uncle.

“So, what you’re really saying is that you would reconsider if you met the right guy?”I’d teased.

“Very funny. I guess stranger things have happened, and I’m not old. Yet. I may change my mind. Never say never.”

Now here we were. A dozen years later, married with a house, a dog, great careers, and not one but two kids on the way. Christ, we’d come a long, long way.

The light changed, and I moved with the crowd of pedestrians as if today were just any old Saturday and not one of the biggest days of my life.

“Are you at the hospital? It’s a bit noisy,” Mom commented in my ear.

I adjusted my earbuds and jumped in line. “I’m on a coffee run. After getting two lousy hours of sleep in a hospital room chair, we could use the good stuff.”

“Excellent call,” she agreed.

“Yeah, it’s nice to stretch my legs too, and it’ll give me a chance to make sure we get an appointment for the inspection soon. Like tomorrow would be great. Damn, I need to go home and put safety locks on the doors and?—”

“Matthew, the baby won’t require safety locks on doors for quite a few months. And who do you think is going to inspect your house? The pediatrician?” She laughed, clearly amused at the notion.

Whoa.I’d forgotten that we hadn’t told our parents about Xander. We hadn’t even had a chance to discuss it.

“Not exactly. I, um…I have a story for you. Remember the baby we were supposed to adopt last year…”

Okay, this probably wasn’t great timing, but on the other hand, it felt as if my window of opportunity was narrowing. I couldn’t wait any longer.

My mother gasped and put my dad on speakerphone. I had to repeat half of the story in between placing my order and picking it up. I was at the hospital entrance before I finished and let them know where I was.