Sloan was doing as well as could be expected. I wouldn’t say she was thriving, but she was functional again. And some of that was Evelyn’s doing. In addition to helping us with our son, Evelyn had also stepped in to represent Sloan in probate court to help her keep her house. Not that it was much to hang on to. I was over there weekly trying to keep it standing. But the gesture had meant the world to all three of us. And after that, I found it very hard to rebuff her attempts at being in her grandson’s life.
Kristen was still leery. But I didn’t worry about it. Oliver was the first thing Evelyn ever acknowledged that Kristen had done right.
Kristen bit her lip nervously, and I put a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you sure you can handle this, Mom?” she asked.
Oliver had always been with at least one of us at any given time. It was his first sleepover. But today was a special occasion, and we needed the house empty.
Evelyn waved her off, a diamond tennis bracelet flashing on her wrist. “Yes, yes. You two go. Happy birthday. Enjoy your night, dear.”
Evelyn turned back into the house, whispering to Oliver that they were going to see his mommy’s piano. The plinking sound of baby hands on keys followed as we closed the door behind us.
We stood on the porch. “Free at last,” I said, slipping my hands around her waist.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. “We’re gonna do that thing we like, all night, right?”
I cupped my hands under her ass and nipped at her lip, smiling. “It’s been so long…”
“I know—can’t wait to get you in bed,” she whispered.
I grinned. “We’re talking about sleeping, aren’t we?”
We laughed against each other’s lips, and I kissed her deeply, right there on Evelyn’s porch.
Fuck, I never got enough of my wife. She was the sexiest woman alive. I loved every inch of her. I loved her stretch marks and her scars, the specks in her eyes and the birthmark on her neck. All her flawless imperfections.
I was grateful every moment of every single day that Brandon brought me to her. She was my everlasting gift from a man I’d never forget for the rest of my life.
I broke away and put my forehead to hers. “So you want In-N-Out for lunch and steaks for dinner, right?”
She nodded and put her hand over my heart where the tattoo of her name was. “Josh? I think I could be ready again to keep trying. Should we start talking about surrogacy? Carmen is still down for it, right?”
I knew why she was asking. She still wanted to give me my baseball team. But my dreams had changed.
Seeing the strain of the in vitro process and how much it took out of her emotionally and physically—I just wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to enjoy our son. She never complained, but I knew she was tired of the doctor’s visits and the hormone injections and the disappointment. If she was up for it in a few years, maybe we’d try again or look into the other options. We were young—we had time. But I didn’t want her to do it for me because she thought she owed it to me. She’d done enough.
I put my hands on her face. “Let’s take a break, Kristen. I’m happy where we are. And if this is our family, I’m good with that.”
The relief was visible in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
My mouth curved up into a smile. “I’m very sure. I have everything I need.”
A Note from the Author
When I sat down to pen this novel, I knew I wanted to write a story that felt real—a story that could include hangry, neurotic women who actually get periods, and the men who love them (lol).
With infertility being a serious and prevalent issue, I felt like I had a responsibility to tell this not only compassionately, but also authentically. So for this I went to someone who lived it.
While Kristen’s love story with Josh is fiction, her infertility journey is inspired by real events.
Kristen’s character is based on my best friend, Lindsay, and her struggle with infertility. I talk about it now with her full permission, the same way I wrote about it.
Lindsay had a full hysterectomy at the age of just twenty-nine after dealing with debilitating reproductive issues for years. While she was able to conceive her two children