TW: There is talk and practice of IVF (without mentioning it by name), egg donation, and surrogacy.
Nearly 20 years after their first date, Trent and Thomas had their second first date. Thomas had suggested dinner, but Trent negotiated a coffee date instead.
("We're taking this slow," Trent had said. "We've been inside each other," Thomas replied. "You were the one who wanted to start over," Trent countered. "Starting over starts with coffee.")
Ever the diligent journalist, Trent had written down a list of questions and concerns he had for Thomas regarding the pursuit of a new relationship together. They were both older now and elbows-deep into their careers, plus they had 15 years of life experience without the other person. What did they expect? What did they need to feel happy and secure? Did either of them expect to ever get married now that it was legal to do so?
"What about kids?" Thomas asked nonchalantly, causing Trent to almost choke on his coffee.
"What about them?" Trent said after wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Thomas pointed to the notebook in front of Trent. "Are they on your list?"
"No," Trent said. "Are they on yours?"
"I don't have a list," Thomas said. "But if I did, I might have stuck one on there."
"You want a kid?" Trent asked. He tried thinking back on conversations they had had about the future when they were first together. It seemed like they were just kids themselves at the time, but he didn't remember Thomas ever mentioning he wanted children.
Thomas shrugged. "I mean, I've thought about it. I don't have siblings, Trent. Neither does my father. The Nickleby family tree potentially ends right here."
"So you want to have a kid just to keep the bloodline going? Or do you genuinely want a little you running around someday?" Trent asked, as if this was an interview.
"Quite the heavy first date conversation," Thomas mused. "What's next? Side-by-side burial plots?"
"Oh, that's easy," Trent said. "I have no intention of being buried. So that's a definite no from me."
Thomas's eyebrows slid up as he took a sip of his drink. "Well then… I guess you can cross that topic off your list."
"That wasn't on my list, thank you very much," Trent said with a slight bite to his tone.
Thomas nudged Trent's foot under the table with one of his own. "Did you tell your sister I'm back?"
Trent nodded. "She says hi, by the way."
"How are she and all her boys doing?"
"Grand," Trent said with an easy smile. (He did love his nephews.) "Connor is nearly 18 and Jack is just about 13, I think. Antony is still teaching. Allie's now a VP at her consulting firm. Everyone's well."
"That's great," Thomas said. "And your parents?"
"They're fine. I'll see them next Sunday," Trent said in a tone Thomas knew meant to not ask anything further about them. "How are your parents doing? You never did say what had happened with your dad. Is he going to be okay?"
"Yeah, he'll be fine. They thought it was cancer of some sort, but the growth ended up being benign. I'm honestly surprised neither of them had a heart attack from all the stress, but they're both doing okay. Mum's happy I'm only a short drive away now instead of an entire ocean."
"Are you happy?" Trent asked.
With a smile, Thomas nodded. "I missed being here. I loved New York, but I couldn't see myself there forever. I think I needed to go, though. Just to see what else was out there." He cocked his head and looked fondly toward Trent. "What about you?"
"What about me what?" Trent asked.
"Are you happy?"
With a sigh, Trent responded, "I'm content." Thomas grinned and shook his head. "What?" Trent asked.
"Nothing," Thomas said. "Let the wooing begin."
Trent's social calendar certainly was more full than it had been the past few years now that Thomas was back in his life. There were still long hours at the office and evening or weekend games to cover, but then there were drinks and gallery openings and odd arthouse films and museum exhibits and private photography sessions and late night phone conversations that spilled into the early morning. Trent was exhausted but also more awake than he had felt in a long time. He appreciated that Thomas planned activities around Trent's work schedule without having to remind him to check Richmond's calendar for the upcoming weeks.
Though he would never admit it to anyone, Trent thought it was infinitely more fun dating Thomas as a grownup instead of during and just after university. He liked having his own flat to go to by himself in the evenings—to smile to himself and think about where they had gone and what they had done together. At the same time, he loved having Thomas over every now and again for quiet evening in and then breakfast the following morning. On workdays, Trent would grab a kiss and some coffee and head into work. But on weekend days when Trent didn't have to be at a game until the afternoon, they would spend time in bed, with Thomas attempting to help Trent finish a crossword puzzle in between lazy kisses and making plans for the following week.
"Can we move our movie to Thursday?" Trent asked as he pointed to a date on Thomas's open phone calendar. "Jack asked to interview me for one of his school assignments, but the only free night he has this week was Tuesday. The amount of after school clubs that boy is in, I don't know how Allie and Ant keep up with him."
"Do you like spending time with Jack?" Thomas asked, pulling up their movie tickets on his phone and cancelling them.
"I do," Trent said, filling in one of the words in his puzzle. "He's more curious about things than Connor was. He's quite shy, but he really pushes himself. I admire him very much."
"Did you like taking care of your nephews at all when they were little? Must have been nice for them to have Uncle Trent change nappies and read bedtime stories and all that"
"I didn't mind helping out," Trent said. "I did all the voices and everything when I read to them. Learned right quick how to get vomit and shit out of all sorts of fabrics. Those mum groups online really know their stuff."
Thomas chuckled. "I've been thinking about it again, Trent."
"Thinking about what, darling?"
"Having a kid."
Trent dropped his pen to the floor, well out of reach from where he was laying in bed.
Thomas sat up and looked down at Trent. "Now before you say no, let me state my case first." He held up a finger for each of his points. "One: I think we would be fun dads. I'd handle all the arsty shit. You know all the sports and knowledge stuff. They'd be cultured as hell. Two: Our kid would be loved. Three: My mum hasn't said it out loud in so many words, but she wants a grandbaby. But that ties in to point number two—the kid would be loved. Not only by us, but extended family. And they'd already have older cousins nearby to look after 'em. Four: I could be the stay-at-home dad. I already am only doing photography by appointments now, I could easily schedule things around taking care of a kid. And five…." Trent raised his eyebrows, waiting for Thomas to finish. "Five," Thomas emphasized. "There is no one else I would want to have a family with than you. I love you, Trent. And if you say no, I get it. But I needed to tell you that its been on my mind ever since our coffee date."
After a few moments of silence, Trent found his voice. "Thank you… for sharing that… with me," Trent said. "Please don't ask me to answer you right this second."
"No, of course not," Thomas said quickly. "Just think about it. Please."
"He really wants to have a kid," Trent said in lieu of Hello or Hi or literally any other traditional greeting one should say to one's sister when he saw her for their standing weekly dinner date.
Once Allie realized Trent wasn't going to say anything else, she nodded and said, "Okay."
"Okay?" Trent repeated as he pushed up his glasses on his nose while yanking out his chair from the table at the diner they had decided on that week. It was halfway between their offices and had the best selection of pie in town.
"Yep," Allie said, handing a menu to her brother just so he could have something to keep his hands busy. She knew he was going to order the shepherd's pie (he always ordered the shepherd's pie). "Look, little brother, my opinion does not matter in the slightest here."
"Oh, so you do have one," Trent said, flipping the menu over in his hand. "You just aren't going to share that."
"Correct," Allie replied. "But I will ask what you want."
"Shepherd's pie," Trent said immediately.
"No, I know that, you prat," Allie said as she rolled her eyes. "Do you want a kid?"
Trent's eyes widened. "No? I don't know? Maybe? Did you know you wanted kids?"
Allie shrugged. "Ant and I had talked about it and everything, but Connor was still kind of a surprise."
"Gay men can't have surprise kids, Al," Trent grumbled. "But Thomas wants a Thomas Jr. and I know he says it's my decision, but I feel like he's already made one for me like he often does."
"If he wants a kid and you really don't, you don't have to stay with him," Allie said gently. She wasn't always Thomas's biggest fan, but she also knew her brother had a huge soft spot for him. It wasn't that Thomas was a bad person, it was just that it seemed like he took her brother for granted every now and again that rubbed Trent the wrong way. It never lasted long, and Thomas always course-corrected, but it would shake Trent's confidence in himself enough for him to snap a bit. And when that happened, Allie was on the other end of the phone or across the diner table helping to piece her brother back together.
"I love him," Trent said, matter-of-factly.
"I know," Allie replied.
"There's just so much that goes into it. We'd have to find an egg donor and a surrogate. We'd need to move in together and get a room set up for it. He said he would be willing to be a stay-at-home dad, but we'd both need to do first aid classes. I'm pretty sure he's never changed a diaper, let alone had a child accidentally leak fluids on him."
Allie sat for a moment, carefully weighing the words she was about to say. If Trent had already looked up information about egg donors and surrogates and first aid classes, it meant he had already made his decision—he was just scared because it was such a big one. "If this is something you do want, I could help you."
"Do you still have any of the baby stuff from Jack?" Trent asked.
"I meant finding an egg donor." She sighed. "Look… after all the complications I had having Jack, I had a bunch of my eggs frozen. If any of them are still viable, you can have them. Meaning if Thomas is dead set on having a little Thomas, then the other half of that kid's DNA could be a Crimm. Remember we did those DNA tests for fun last year? You and I have pretty much the same genetic make up… it'd be like the two of you made a baby together."
Trent's mouth was hanging open at the offer. "Why hadn't you told me you froze your eggs?"
"Because it hadn't mattered until right now," Allie said. "You've never mentioned potentially having a kid before and I was never going to bring it up because whether you want kids or not is none of my fucking business. I was never going to force you to have that conversation."
"Can I think about it?" Trent asked quietly. "Now that I know that the kid could kind of be both of ours… that makes a difference, Al."
"The eggs might not even be viable, Trent," Allie reminded him. "But talk it over with Thomas. You'd still have to find a surrogate and do all that other stuff."
It was ultimately decided that if one of Allie's eggs took, they would have a kid. If it didn't work, then it wasn't meant to be. Trent didn't know whether to be excited or sick when they got the news. They were told not to really celebrate until their surrogate was past the first trimester, so they kept a lid on things, only sharing with Allie and Ant what the doctors had told them.
Things happened fast once it looked like the Nickleby/Crimm kiddo was actually going to make their appearance in the mid spring of 2017. In between work and the start of the new football season, Trent and Thomas looked for a new flat. They hadn't lived together in ages, but this time they had enough money to buy a place and could be more choosey with what they needed, as opposed to renting the first two-bedroom entity that they could afford. They decided on a four-bedroom/two-bathroom flat within walking distance of Nelson Road so Trent could get to and from home games with relative ease. There was a huge park nearby and plenty of cute shops and restaurants. It seemed like a safe neighborhood and there were several good preschools and primary schools in the area.
As they got their new place furnished and the baby's room set up, as well as their bedroom, a guest bedroom and a shared office for Trent/photography studio for Thomas, Trent's nervousness intensified. Things hit their peak when they got the all-clear from the doctors that they could start telling people their good news—they were having a girl and everything was going smoothly with the surrogate's pregnancy.
Sonogram in his pocket and a huge bouquet of roses for his mom, Trent and Thomas made their way to Trent's parents' home for Sunday night dinner. Trent had told his parents that he and Thomas were together again and that they had moved in with each other. He gave them a month to get used to that before he planned to spring on them that they were going to be grandparents. Allie skipped the dinner that night to let Trent and Thomas share the news on their own. She had offered to come as a buffer, but Trent knew he needed to do this without her help.
Thomas held Trent's hand under the Crimms' dining room table, knowing how hard it was for Trent to sit there while his dad frowned and squinted at the semi-blurry picture they knew was their daughter.
"Whose baby is she?" Gerald finally asked, eyeing his son and Thomas.
"She's our baby, Dad. Both of ours," Trent said evenly. "Allie donated eggs she had frozen a while ago, so the baby will genetically be both a Crimm and a Nickleby. Even if she wasn't, though, she'd still be your granddaughter."
"I'm so happy for you boys," Eliza said with tears in her eyes. "I can't wait to spoil your little angel."
"Thanks Mum," Trent said with a smile. "We want you in her life as much as you are able." He cleared his throat. "Both of you."
Gerald grunted and handed the sonogram back to Trent.
Trent took that as a win. No comment was better than a negative one.
T-minus two months until the baby arrived. Nearly everything on Trent's list for what they needed to get ready was crossed off and Claire had finally secured a freelance writer he thought was suitable to cover Richmond games for him surrounding the birth of his child if he had to miss any. Two weeks of paid paternity leave was pittance, so he had arranged to take unpaid leave if needed. He was grateful they could afford him taking time off of work and that Thomas's schedule was so flexible. He saw Allie and Ant handle the birth of two kids as young working parents and hoped he and Thomas could do even half as well with their one little one as much older working parents.
Trent was relaxing on the couch after a long day at the office full of frustrating meetings about needing to write more toward social media and using SEO-forward wording in their articles for better traction online because it would be better for ad sales in the long run. Nothing about quality of the content of the articles… just clicks, clicks, clicks.
"Would you like a drink, babe?" Thomas asked from the kitchen.
"Yes, please," Trent replied, eyes closing.
"Was it a bad day or a bad day?" Thomas asked.
"The first one," Trent said. "But I'll still take a double, if that's what you were really asking." He smiled when he heard Thomas laugh in the other room.
"Here you go," Thomas said as he walked into the living room.
Eyes still shut, Trent held out his hand, expecting his tumbler but became confused when something small, hard, and fuzzy was shoved into his hand instead. He opened his eyes and sat up, looking at the black velvet box Thomas had given him. When he lifted its lid and saw two plain silver bands cushioned inside, he stilled.
After taking a couple seconds to try and process what was in his hand, Trent looked up at Thomas and found him grinning from ear to ear.
"Look, I know it wasn't on your baby list, but what do you think about having our child not be born out of wedlock?"
(Trent wouldn't tell this to anyone but his sister years later, but his first thought was that he was annoyed Thomas didn't ask him about it first.)
"You want to get married?" Trent asked, looking back down at the rings. It wasn't like the topic had never come up, but it also wasn't something either of them talked about at length.
"You are my family, Trent," Thomas said as he sat down next to Trent and put a hand on Trent's knee. "My light. My love. The father of my child. Our child. I know we don't need the pageantry of it all to know that we all belong to each other, but for our still yet to be named little girl, I thought it might be easier for her down the road if her dads were a legally united front."
Logically, Trent knew it made sense. He was committed to raising this kid with Thomas. He lived with Thomas. He loved Thomas. It was like they were already married anyway. What was one more overwhelming thing on the already towering pile of overwhelming things in Trent's life?
"So… do we go to the registry hall, or how does that work?" Trent asked, closing the lid and handing the ring box back to Thomas.
"Paper work takes about a month to process, but then yes… a quick to-do at the registry hall and then you and I are husband and husband."
Trent pulled out his phone to look at the Richmond schedule. He pointed at a date and showed Thomas. "How's that day work for you?"
"Make sure to send me a calendar invite." Thomas chuckled and kissed Trent on the side of his head. "Pleasure doing business with you, babe."
The wedding really was a quick to-do. It was the pair of them, Allie and Ant, Thomas's parents, and Trent's parents. Trent was honestly surprised his father showed up. He didn't say anything to Trent, but he did shake his hand and offer him a firm nod of the head. Yet another win for Trent Crimm.
Even though it was a blip of a ceremony, Trent was taken aback by how emotional he got during the vows. For so long, he assumed marriage would never be in the cards for him because he was gay. He didn't envy the fuss his straight friends had gone through for their weddings when he was in his 20s and 30s—all the flowers and catering. First dances. Toasts. Being stared at by loads of people while you prattled on about how much you loved the other person. It just seemed all for show and that if you really did love someone that much, why did you need all the bells and whistles to do it?
But there, in that wedding registry hall and dressed in their finest suits, Thomas and Trent held each other's hands and said they loved each other. It was something they had said hundreds of times over the past two decades, but that dumb piece of paper they signed made all the difference. Someone had chosen Trent to love and spend his life with. The same Trent who got bullied and teased all those years ago.
Tears slid down Trent's face when Thomas put the ring on his finger. He got teary again that night when they were at a cottage outside of the city for a weekend getaway in lieu of a lavish honeymoon.
"What is it, babe?" Thomas asked, holding out an arm so Trent could curl into his side.
"Today has been a lot," Trent admitted, taking a sip of his drink. "Good a lot, but a lot."
"Just wait until the baby comes," Thomas said with a chuckle.
"I'm looking forward to it," Trent replied. And, for what might have been the first time, he wholeheartedly meant it.