Chapter 58: Helping Friends
Santana's POV
*Saturday 10th February 2024*
I'm just making my way home from catching up with Quinn. We had a really good talk and I think surrogacy is the perfect option all round so I really want to be a surrogate for her and James. Quinn was right though; I do have to talk all of this through with my wife first. As much as I want to do this life changing thing for my best friend, I shouldn't be making the decision without consulting Brittany first. I might be ok with being pregnant knowing it's going to be a different outcome from before but I don't actually know how Brittany will feel. She deserves to have her say in the situation before Quinn and I make any kind of concrete plans.
"Hey, I'm home" I announce my presence as I walk through the front door.
"I'm in the living room" Brittany replies so I make my way to her.
"Hey" I smile.
"Hi" Brittany says as she gets off the couch and walks towards me and kisses me.
"Where are our children?" I ask curiously as I pull away from her lips.
"They're still napping at the moment so it's just you and me" Brittany smirks as she wraps her arms around me, pulling me close to her.
"You look a little mischievous right now, do you have something on your mind that you want to do while we're alone" I say, smirking back at her.
"You could say that" she shrugs.
"Well as much as I would like to have some fun, I kinda wanted to talk to you about something important which I don't think should wait so can we sit down for a second" I say.
"Sure" Brittany says before leading me over to the couch where we sit down next to each other.
"Ok" I smile, thinking of how to start this conversation.
"You look a little nervous, what's going on?" Brittany points out.
"I am a little nervous but you'll know why in a second" I say. "Ok so during my time with Quinn today, something came up" I add.
"Oh my god, I am an awful friend. I didn't even ask about Quinn. How is she?" Brittany asks me.
"It's fine, don't worry about it because I know you didn't mean any harm" I smile. "As for Quinn, she's doing ok. She's actually thinking about gestational surrogacy" I say.
"Well, that's quite positive because it means she can still biologically have children. I know it's not how she maybe planned things to go but it's still a positive thing, right" she says.
"Yeah, it is quite a positive thing given the circumstances because when I first heard what the doctor said, I really thought she could never have her own child. I know there are other means like adoption which is a really good option and it can be the only option for some people but it was still quite a shock to know you can't conceive. I just don't think any of us thought this would happen because we always assumed when we got older, we'd get married and have children" I reply.
"Yeah, I mean I won't lie, I always assumed I would have children with someone. I never really thought about surrogacy or adoption because I just assumed I'd meet someone and we'd have lots of kids" Brittany says. "Like you say, adoption is a great thing for a lot of people and it doesn't make you any less of a parent either if the child is not blood related. I think it's just hard for us to comprehend sometimes because we've never been faced with something like that. You and I have been so blessed to have children naturally that we automatically assumed our friends would be the same. I know it sounds selfish because some people aren't as blessed, but I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't have children with you at all. I know it wouldn't be the end of the world since worse things could happen but it'd still be a lot to process" she adds.
"I know what you mean so we should just count ourselves lucky that things have gone the way we wanted them too" I say.
"Exactly" Brittany agrees. "So, what did you want to talk about babe? I kinda interrupted you when you were going to tell me so I'm sorry" she says as she takes my hand in hers.
"It's ok" I smile. "Ok so, what I wanted to talk about actually involves Quinn and James" I tell her.
"O-k" Brittany replies, looking at me confused.
"I want to be the surrogate for Quinn" I say.
"Oh…wow" Brittany says surprised.
"Gestational surrogacy though, so it would be their own child. It wouldn't be mine. It would be Quinn and James's DNA so it's not like I'm having a baby with someone else" I explain.
"It's ok, I knew you meant that and not traditional surrogacy" she replies.
"You and I probably will be able to have more children in the future but we don't know about Quinn. She might never be able to do this herself so I have to help her if I can. I know it's a lot to ask of you as my wife but she's my best friend. She means a lot to me and it hurts to see her not be able to do something she's always wanted to do. As I say, she and I have always wanted to have children ever since we were younger and for her not to be able to do that hurts" I explain.
"I get that, I just didn't expect you to say that right now" she says.
"Are you against the idea of me being a surrogate or open to it?" I ask my wife.
"It's your body so it is ultimately your decision but I'm not going to lie, I don't know how I'll feel further down the line to see you pregnant. It probably will be weird for me to see you go through all of this stuff but not be able to feel the same way as I did during your other pregnancies" Brittany points out.
"I'm not going to lie; it will be hard on us both because I'm carrying a baby but yet it's not ours. I won't have the same sort of control as I would have with our baby" I say.
"Exactly" Brittany agrees.
"I do get this isn't going to be an easy thing but I feel like we could do this because it's helping Quinn, you know" I say.
"Yeah" Brittany nods.
"So, what else are thinking?" I ask curiously.
"I don't know" Brittany sighs. "I do feel a little confused still because it's weird for me knowing you want to do this. I get why you're doing it but you didn't always enjoy being pregnant so to voluntarily become pregnant feels odd" she says.
"What do you mean?" I ask confused.
"Like, we weren't to have another baby just yet because you wanted a break from being pregnant. Now you're so willing to do this for Quinn but just not to do it for me" she says.
"Britt, the reason we didn't want to have another baby right now wasn't because of my reluctance to be pregnant. It was because we have enough with 2 small children that I don't think we could cope with a third. Not to be unkind about it but once the pregnancy is over, we don't need to care for that baby in the way we would usually" I explain. I didn't want to get pregnant right now for us because I didn't think we had the energy to parent another child after the 9 months, not because I couldn't cope during pregnancy.
"So, you were ok being pregnant right now just not ok with bringing up another child?" Brittany asks.
"Yeah, something like that" I nod.
"Ok, fair enough. The kids do keep us on our toes at the moment so maybe we aren't actually ready to parent anymore children" Brittany replies.
"Yeah" I smile. "I do get what you were saying though and it is a promise that we'll have more children so don't worry about that" I add.
"Ok" Brittany smiles back.
"So, not to push you or anything but where does this leave us? I mean would you come around to the idea of me being a surrogate or not really?" I ask. I don't want to rush Brittany but at the same time, I don't want to give Quinn false hope so I kinda need to know what my wife thinks.
"As much as I am a little apprehensive about this right now, I think it's amazing what you're thinking of doing" Brittany tells me.
"Really?" I ask surprised.
"Yeah, of course I do" Brittany smiles. "You're doing something so amazing to help your best friend and I find that really incredible" she adds.
"Thanks" I smile back as I hug my wife. "Like I say, I know it will be hard on both of us but I think we can do it" I add.
"Yeah, I think it'll work out in the end and you have my full support" Brittany says.
"Thanks Britt, I really appreciate it" I say as I kiss her cheek.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
*Wednesday 14th February 2024*
I'm currently at work right now as is Brittany while the kids are being looked after by Jessica. I have been so busy this morning and something makes me think it's not about to change any time soon. I have got so much work left to do today so I've told all my employees not to bother me and if they need anything then it'll have to wait. I just can't afford any disruptions or distractions because I want my workload to decrease by the end of the day so I can finish at a reasonable hour and spend adequate time with my children. I'm just about finished sending out an important email when there's a knock at my office door causing me to groan loudly.
"Who is it?" I say annoyed at the interruption. There's no answer so I storm over to the door and pull it open. I swear whoever is interrupting me right now will not get a pleasant reception.
"Hi" Brittany smiles at me brightly.
"Uh…hey" I smile, my demeanour softening a little since it's my wife.
"May I come in?" Brittany asks.
"Yeah of course. It's your office too" I laugh as I step out of the way.
"Thank you" Brittany says as she walks inside with her hands behind her back.
"What's going on, why are you knocking on the door instead of just coming in?" I ask as I make my way back over to my desk.
"You have a delivery" she tells me, not exactly answering my question.
"Ok, just sit it on the table then" I say, going back to working on my laptop.
"No, you have a special delivery" Brittany states.
"Brittany, I'm really busy right now. Just sit the package on the table please and I'll handle it later" I tell her, not really paying attention to her.
"It's a really special delivery" she says.
"What is going on with you?" I ask confused as I turn to look at her. As soon as I do, I realise she's holding a large bouquet of roses.
"Happy Valentine's Day" Brittany smiles at me as she holds the flowers out to me.
"Britt, they're beautiful" I say, smiling back as I take the flowers from her.
"I know we said we weren't really doing Valentines Day this year but I just couldn't not do anything. You deserve flowers at least because you are amazing and I am so in love with you" she tells me.
"Thank you so much" I say as I stand up and walk around the desk towards Brittany. "I love you too" I smile as I lean in and kiss my wife.
"So, how is your day so far?" Brittany asks me as we sit down together. I know I said I didn't want interrupted and it is true but, it just doesn't exactly apply to Brittany.
"My day is really busy" I reply. "What about yours?" I ask.
"I was quite busy for a while but I'm probably going to stop work for the day now. I thought I would get the boys from Jessica and then visit my parents. With it being my dad's birthday then I figured he might like to see his grandchildren for a bit" Brittany replies.
"Yeah, I'm sure he would love to spend some of his birthday with Jaxon and Xavier" I smile.
"I'm guessing you can't really finish work right now" Brittany says.
"I don't think I can, I've just got so much to do" I say with a sigh. "How about I meet you at your parent's house when I'm done though?" I suggest.
"Ok, sounds good" Brittany smiles.
"I think I better get back to work now" I say as I stand up.
"Can't you spend another few minutes with me?" Brittany asks as she pulls me back down, ending up with me landing on her lap.
"I have a really heavy workload today so I can't" I say regretfully.
"60 seconds is all I ask" she smiles at me.
"I know but if I stay here with you for even a second longer, I won't want to go back to work which means I'll lose all focus. I don't want that to happen when I'm so busy" I say as I stand up again.
"Ok" Brittany replies sadly.
"I'll make it up to you tonight, I promise. As soon as we're home and the kids go to bed, I am all yours" I smile.
"Sounds good" Brittany smiles back. "Ok, I am going to go now and leave you to work. I will see you later" she says as she stands up from the couch.
"See you soon. Tell the boys I'll be finished as quickly as I can be" I state.
"I will" Brittany nods before leaving the office.
After working for a few more hours, I finally finished work for the day. I grabbed my stuff and hurriedly left the building. It had just been such a hectic day that as soon as I was done, I just wanted out of there. I headed to Brittany's parents' house and we all spent some time there before going home. We had dinner together and now the boys have just gone to sleep. I'm downstairs in the kitchen texting with Quinn right now while Brittany is still upstairs, having just kissed the kid's goodnight.
"Who has got you so engrossed in your phone?" my wife asks as she comes up behind me and wraps her arms around me.
"It's Quinn" I reply as I continue texting her back.
"It's Valentines Day so you should be focussing on me, not someone else" she teases.
"I know and I will in a second" I assure her.
"If the shoe was on the other foot, you would be super pissed at me right now. If I was paying attention to anyone other than you right now on Valentine's Day, you'd be fuming" Brittany says.
"I know babe and I am super grateful to you for being a lot more understanding than me" I tell her.
"Who says I am being understanding right now. Maybe I am super pissed at you" Brittany replies.
"Are you?" I ask.
"No" Brittany laughs. "I could be though, that is my point" she adds.
"I do get it so I will pay attention to you in just a second. I promise" I say genuinely.
"Ok" Brittany says as she kisses the side of my face. "What are you two texting about anyway?" she asks curiously.
"We're trying to sort out our schedules to see when we both have a day free that we can visit Quinn's doctor to see our next steps for the surrogacy" I say.
"Oh…uh…ok" Brittany says hesitantly as she immediately pulls away from me.
"Babe…what's going on?" I ask softly.
"Nothing" she shrugs. I can see she's not telling the truth though.
"Let me send this last text to Quinn and then we're going to talk about whatever this is" I tell my wife as I quickly text Quinn.
"There is nothing to talk about so you don't need to rush your conversation with Quinn" Brittany shrugs again. "I'm just going to hang out in the living room and relax before bed" she says as she heads for the door.
"We're almost finished talking, we were just saying goodnight to each other anyway" I say as I follow my wife to the living room.
"Ok" Brittany nods as she lies down on the couch.
"So, what's going on honey" I say as I squeeze onto the couch, lying beside Brittany with my arms around her.
"Nothing is going on. I didn't even say anything to suggest otherwise" Brittany says, looking away from me.
"Please stop pretending because we both know as soon as I mentioned the surrogacy a minute ago you went weird and you pulled away from me" I point out.
"No, I didn't" Brittany shakes her head.
"Honey, please" I say.
"Ok, I did pull away obviously but it wasn't because of what you said. I pulled away to let you finish texting Quinn and it just so happened to be right at the very moment you mentioned the surrogacy. It was a coincidence" she replies.
"How do you explain the bit about acting weird then if the pulling away was just a coincidence?" I ask.
"I wasn't aware I was acting weird" Brittany shrugs.
"Ok, we're not doing this Brittany. Stop pretending you don't know what you did when we're both clever enough to know what happened. I mentioned the surrogacy and you went cold on me so let's discuss that" I tell her seriously.
"Ok, fine. That is what happened" Brittany sighs.
"Why did you try and deny it?" I ask.
"Because I feel bad for reacting how I did. I didn't mean to do it but I couldn't help it. I don't want to be awkward about it but I am" she tells me.
"I know you were finding the surrogacy a little hard but I thought you were ok with me doing it so why do you still get weird about things when I mention it?" I ask softly.
"I am ok with it but something inside me just makes me shut off when you talk about it. I just find it hard to talk about at the moment" Brittany admits.
"You are my wife and as much as Quinn is my best friend, I will not do this if you don't want me to" I assure Brittany.
"No, I cannot be the reason Quinn doesn't have a family" Brittany shakes her head.
"Babe, it's not like that. Don't ever think that because none of this is your fault. Honestly if you don't feel comfortable with this then I will not do it" I say seriously.
"If I couldn't have kids and there was a way to make it possible then I'd be gutted if someone stood in my way to make sure it didn't happen. I will not do that to Quinn" she tells me.
"I offered to do this for her but I'm not the only person than can help. I am sure we can find another surrogate so if you aren't comfortable with this then I won't do it" I say honestly.
"I can't deny Quinn something she has always wanted. I'm not that person" Brittany sighs.
"That's not what you would be doing though. I totally understand if you don't want me to do this so I don't have to. If I don't do it then we'll find another surrogate so you don't need to worry about it. This isn't down to you babe so please don't think that. You don't need to feel guilty about it because Quinn and I would both understand. Quinn can still be a mother by using a different surrogate so please don't feel bad. Just be honest with me, ok?" I say.
"Ok" Brittany says as she looks at me. "I am finding it quite conflicting at the moment because I can see both sides. Like I want Quinn to be a mom and have what we have but at the same time, I'm not sure I like it being you. I'm just trying to get my head around things" she tells me.
"I get that, I do" I say as I hug her tightly.
"I'm not fully there yet but I will be eventually so you should do this" Brittany states.
"Are you sure about this because like I say, I don't need to do it" I say.
"Yes, I'm sure" Brittany nods. "Just please don't get mad at me if I don't always handle things well because this is weird for me. I know it's selfish of me but it's hard. I just always thought if you were pregnant then it would be with my baby" she explains.
"How could I get mad at you?" I say with a smile. "You are helping Quinn just as much as I am by agreeing with me about this so I can't ask for any more than that."
"Thanks for understanding. I'm not sure I would be as patient right now if someone was carrying on like I just was" she says.
"Your reaction is completely understandable so don't worry about it. I am just glad you told me how you felt because bottling it up isn't good" I reply.
"I know" Brittany nods.
"Now, it is still Valentines Day and I do have you alone so how about we focus on something else. Let's leave our worries to one side and put our attention to something else" I say with a smirk as I switch positions, straddling my wife.
"I think I could do that right now" Brittany smirks back at me as she places her hands on my hips.
"Honestly, as much as I was super busy today, all I could think about was getting you alone and ripping your clothes off" I state as I reach down to pull my shirt off over my head.
"Well, I am ready and waiting" Brittany says as she sits up a bit.
"Good" I say before grabbing the bottom of her shirt and pulling it up over her head.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
*Monday 19th February 2024*
My parents had a day off from work today so they wanted to spend some time with Jaxon and Xavier so that's where the boys are while Brittany and I are at work. My wife and I are both in our office together right now but we're working on different things. As much as I would rather be spending time with my children, it has been good today for both Brittany and I to get a chance to do some work without worrying about other things.
"Hey, are you both busy?" Jessica asks as she walks inside the office.
"A little bit but if you need to discuss something then it's fine" Brittany smiles.
"Thanks" Jessica replies.
"So, what's up?" I ask.
"I have an idea to put to you both" Jessica says.
"Sounds interesting" Brittany says.
"We should open a day-care center together" Jessica states.
"Uh…I don't think so. I can barely parent my own two children never mind looking after a whole group of kids. In fact, I don't even have the time to do that anyway since I have my own business already" I point out.
"No, I didn't mean we should actually work there. I think you should let me rent out part of your building to open a day-care. A lot of the people at work have young children including yourselves so this is something that could be beneficial to everyone" Jessica says.
"Is that something you would want to do though Jessica because working in childcare wasn't your goal, it was doing something with your business degree?" Brittany asks.
"I do like childcare but my thought was that I'll be in charge of the business side of things like the daily operations and stuff but we'll have proper qualified people looking after the kids" Jessica explains.
"It definitely sounds like something we should give more thought to because like you say a lot of people working for us do have children and it would be ideal for Britt and I for the boys" I say.
"Santana and I are a little busy right now but let's sort out a time where the 3 of us can sit down to discuss this properly because it does sound like something we could make work" Brittany says.
"Ok" Jessica smiles. "Just let me know whenever you want to discuss it and I'll be free. I've already started putting some ideas down" she adds.
"That's good, we'll look forward to hearing them" I say. "I do just want to point out though that I will need to be there when you interview people for the positions. I don't want to make the same mistakes as last time. The nanny we had working for us before you, kissed my wife so I'll be damned if I let that happen again" I state.
"That's fine, we can work something out" Jessica nods. "I will leave you both now to get back to work" she says as she heads for the door.
"We'll talk soon" Brittany says and then Jessica leaves.
"I know Jessica has just suggested it so we haven't really thought about it but I actually really like this idea of having a day-care. It means Jaxon and Xavier can be close to us all the time which I like" I say.
"Me too" Brittany agrees.
"Anyway, we should get back to work now" I say.
"Actually, are you hungry, do you want some lunch?" Brittany asks me.
"Yeah, I could eat now" I smile.
"Ok, I'll go and make us something" she says as she gets up from her desk.
XXX
As soon as we finished work for the day, Brittany and I headed off to my parents' place. We honestly couldn't wait to finish today because we just wanted to spend time with our children. We're just walking into my parents' house now but I don't seem to see my family anywhere so I'm guessing they must be outside or something.
"Hey" Brittany says as we walk out into the garden.
"Hi guys" I say.
"Hi" my mom smiles as she walks towards us with Xavier.
"Hi baby boy" Brittany smiles at Xavier as she takes our son from my mom.
"Jaxon, what are you doing buddy?" I ask my other son as he rolls around the grass.
"Playing doggies" Jaxon giggles.
"You're pretending to be a dog?" I ask amused.
"Yeah, he saw the neighbours dog playing around outside, rolling around on the grass so he thought it would be fun" my mom laughs.
"We've tried to tell him to stop but he won't" my dad says.
"Maybe if you two got a dog then my children could play with it for real and not have to pretend to be a dog" I say while smirking at my parents.
"Doggy, doggy, doggy" Jaxon shouts excitedly.
"Santana, look what you've done. They're going to expect me to get a dog now" my mom sighs. "Your dad and I haven't really thought about getting a dog" she adds.
"Sorry, not sorry" I shrug.
"Grandma and I weren't really planning on getting a dog but I am sure mommy would love to get you one" my dad tells Jaxon while smirking at me.
"Mommy, I want doggy" Jaxon smiles at me.
"Thanks dad, I love you" I say sarcastically to my dad.
"It's kinda your own fault babe" Brittany says amused.
"Can we get one?" Jaxon asks me as he holds his arms up in the air for me to lift him up.
"I don't know, buddy" I say hesitantly as I lift up Jaxon.
"Mom, can we?" Jaxon asks Brittany, turning to look at her.
"It's mommy's decision so whatever she says goes" Brittany replies.
"Why is it down to me?" I ask Brittany.
"I mean if you want me to make the decision then fine but you could possibly regret it" Brittany smiles.
"I do want you to have final say" I nod.
"Ok, we can get a dog but not right now. Maybe in a couple of months' time when we're in a better routine" Brittany says as she kisses Jaxon's cheek.
"Ok" Jaxon smiles.
"Maybe even a cat too" Brittany says.
"Oh, no. Absolutely not" I shake my head.
"I thought I got final say on pets?" Brittany smirks at me.
"Technically you do but I gave you that privilege on the basis that I assumed you knew me. I assumed you would make the right decision" I state.
"When you say the right decision you just mean your decision?" Brittany says amused.
"My decision is always the right decision so we're not having a cat" I say.
"But I really want a cat because I had a cat growing up so maybe the boys would like it too" Brittany says.
"Come on Brittany, you and I both know you don't really want a cat. You're just saying it because you know it'll annoy me because you know I don't like cats" I tell her.
"Yeah, I am just teasing. Don't worry, I won't buy the boys a cat because I know you're scared of them" my wife says.
"I'm not scared of them" I say defensively.
"Ok well however you feel about cats, I won't get us one so don't worry" Brittany smiles.
"Thank you" I smile back before leaning over to kiss my wife's cheek.
"Ok boys, let's say goodbye to your grandparents so we can get you home for dinner" Brittany says.
"We'll see you both soon" my mom says as she kisses my children.
"See you soon" my dad says before kissing the boys goodbye.
"Ok, we'll catch up soon" I smile at my parents.
"It's about time we had you over for dinner so we'll get something sorted soon" Brittany says.
"Sounds good" my mom smiles.
"Ok, let's go" I say and then Brittany and I grab the boys' things as well as them and then head out to the car.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
*Thursday 22nd February 2024*
I've got a doctor's appointment today to discuss the surrogacy. Quinn and James are coming along with me since obviously I am doing this for them and it'll be their baby. Brittany isn't actually joining us today because I didn't want to push things too much. She wants me to do this for Quinn and James but she's not 100% there yet so I decided not to overwhelm her right now by asking her to come. I know she would come in a heartbeat if I asked because Britt's caring like that but I don't think that would be fair of me right now. She needs time to get her head around things so I said she didn't need to come.
"Ok, today is just about discussing your options. We're not going to officially start the process just yet" the doctor says.
"Why can't we start today?" I ask confused.
"Santana, I know you want to help Quinn and Quinn, I know you really want to start a family but you both can't rush into this. We have to make sure this is the right decision for you both" the doctor says.
"I have done my research and I am an ideal candidate I would say. I've only just turned 30 so I'm still young and I've had 2 successful pregnancies before" I explain.
"It's not just about the physical aspects of your health. We need to think about your mental health as well. We need to make sure you are all mentally healthy for this to happen" the doctor states.
"My mental health is fine" I shrug.
"Maybe just now but we need to make sure everyone is aware of what could happen. You would be carrying this baby for 9 months Santana so it's inevitable you will create a bond so we need to prepare you for when the time comes for you to hand over the baby to Quinn" he explains.
"We've been best friends since we were in school so we trust each other so much" Quinn says.
"Yeah, and I am pretty aware that this would not be my baby. I don't mean any offence but if Brittany isn't involved then I don't want the baby and Brittany isn't involved in the making of this baby therefor I wouldn't want to keep it" I say. "Don't get me wrong though, I'll like the baby because it's my best friend's child but I'll like it in an aunt sort of way" I add.
"I do hear what you're saying Santana but it's not going to be as simple as that. Your hormones change throughout pregnancy so you might start to feel things you didn't expect to feel" the doctor says.
"I do hear what you're saying as well but honestly, I just can't imagine I could feel differently about the situation. I am 100% sure I want to do this for Quinn and 100% sure I won't bond that way with the baby. I just know in my head that this isn't going to be my baby so I won't change my mind" I state.
"Ok, that's fine" the doctor nods. "I do still have to go through things with you though because there is some preparation we need to do before any of this can happen" he adds.
XXX
After having a good discussion with Quinn's doctor, everything seems to be on the right track now. I'm really hopeful at the next appointment then we can get the ball rolling. Quinn and James are going to have to have an appointment to do their thing before I can even do mine but I think it's going to be fine. I've just arrived home now so I'm walking through the house looking for my wife and children.
"Hey" Brittany smiles at me as I walk into the kitchen.
"Hey, how are you?" I say as I kiss my wife's cheek.
"I'm good" Brittany smiles. "How are you?" she asks me.
"Yeah, I'm good too" I say.
"How was the appointment?" Brittany asks curiously.
"It's ok, you don't need to ask. I wouldn't be offended if you didn't because I know you're taking a little longer to get your head around things" I say honestly.
"I know I've been acting weird about it but I still care. I care about you and I care about Quinn and James so I want to know how things went for you all. At the end of the day, I want Quinn to have what you and I have and experience motherhood. It's a tough situation but like I said before, I count myself lucky every day for having our boys so if there is any way for our friend to experience that then I want it to happen" she explains.
"Ok" I smile.
"So how did it go?" Brittany asks.
"It went in the right direction, I think. We are only at the start of the process though because the doctor wants to make sure this is the right fit for everyone" I say.
"It makes sense, I guess" Brittany nods.
"We're hoping at the next appointment then things will have progressed" I tell her.
"Yeah, I am sure that it will" Brittany smiles.
"Anyway, what's going on with you? Where are the boys?" I ask.
"Not much is going on with me and as for the boys, they're taking a nap" she tells me.
"Cool" I smile.
"I am hoping that they'll be awake soon because I did want to start dinner. We had a slightly earlier lunch so I think they'll be hungry by now" Brittany says.
"I'm not going to lie, I am sorta hungry myself" I point out.
"That's settled then, as soon as the boys are awake we'll start dinner" Brittany smiles.
"Sounds good" I smile.
As soon as the kids did wake up, Brittany started dinner and I spent some time with my children. I hadn't seen them all day so I wanted to hang out with them. We all then had dinner together before the four of us got to hang out. Brittany and I then read both of the boys a bedtime story and then they went to sleep. I'm currently just hanging out in the living room with Brittany as we watch some TV together.
"Are you ok Britt because you keep looking at me but you're not saying anything?" I say to my wife.
"Babe, I kinda have to apologise about today" Brittany says as she walks over and sits down next to me.
"What do you mean?" I ask confused.
"I didn't go to the appointment with you today and I feel bad about that. Looking back on it now, I should have gone with you" she states.
"Britt, it's ok" I smile. "You honestly didn't need to be there" I add.
"You didn't want me there?" she asks.
"I didn't mean it like that. I meant there was no right or wrong thing here. I know I didn't ask you to come today but if you do want to come to any appointments then you're completely welcome. I want you to do whatever you feel comfortable doing so all I am saying is you're welcome to come but don't feel obliged to" I tell her.
"Ok" Brittany smiles.
"I did kinda miss you today though when we were apart" I say.
"Yeah, me too" Brittany nods.
"Hey, do you want to go upstairs and get into bed and maybe watch a movie together?" I suggest.
"Sounds like a good idea to me" Brittany smiles.
As soon as we make sure the house is all locked up downstairs and switch off the lights, we head upstairs. We quickly check on the kids to make sure they're ok before going to our bedroom where we start our usual nightly routine. Brittany is finished first so she gets into bed and sets up the movie. As soon as I'm done changing, I make my way over to the bed and crawl under the covers next to Brittany.
"Ok, let's do this" I say as I snuggle into my wife and hit the play button on the movie.
"This is meant to be a good movie so hopefully you'll like it" Brittany says as she wraps her arm around me.
"Well, you know what I'm like with movies so we'll see but to be fair there is a high chance I may like it because you picked it out and you have good taste" I smile.
"I would agree that I do have good taste" she says smirking at me.
"Why are you smirking?" I ask confused.
"Because you are part of that. I have good taste in women which means I am saying you're super-hot" Brittany replies.
"I can agree with that" I laugh.
"Anyway, we should pay attention to the movie because we don't want to lose track of it already otherwise, we'll have no clue what is going on as it develops" she points out.
"You're right" I smile.
As soon as we're both settled again, we go back to the movie. It takes me a few minutes to get to grips with the storyline and who all the characters are and I can't believe I actually wasted those minutes on it. The movie is just not my thing at all and I will never get those few minutes back that I wasted trying to follow what was happening on the screen. Brittany seems to be unbothered by the movie which in turn bothers me.
"Is it just me or is this movie awful?" I say while rolling my eyes.
"I thought it was going ok so far" Brittany shrugs.
"It's a very slow start to the storyline" I add.
"It's a two-and-a-half-hour movie babe so the storyline has got time to unravel" she tells me.
"I'm sorry, it's a what now?" I ask seriously.
"Didn't I mention how long the movie lasted?" Brittany asks.
"No, you did not" I reply.
"Do you want me to turn it off and we can watch something else?" Brittany offers.
"No, it's fine. I will try and get used to it" I say.
"You might be able to settle more if you come even closer to me" she says as she pulls me further towards her and wraps her arms around me tighter.
"Oh my god, your feet are freezing" I tell her as our feet brush against each other.
"Well, it is a cold night" Brittany shrugs.
"You've made me cold now" I say.
"Maybe you shouldn't have put your feet against mine then and you wouldn't be cold" she laughs.
"I blame you; you pulled me closer" I shrug.
"Shall I pull away again and keep my distance?" Brittany asks.
"No, don't do that. I want to be close to you" I tell her.
"Ok" Brittany smiles.
That's it for the chapter, let me know what you think.
