Chapter 65: My Baby

Santana's POV

*Friday 2nd August 2024*

"You're scaring me Santana, what's going on?" Quinn asks me worriedly.

"I'm keeping the baby" I state.

"Sorry, say that again because I really think I've misheard you because you couldn't have just said what I think you did" Quinn says looking at me seriously.

"I'm keeping the baby, Quinn" I say softly.

"You're keeping my baby?" Quinn asks shocked, her face paling as a tear escapes from her eye.

"That's the thing, it's not your baby" I state.

"Yes, it is. I might not be pregnant but it is my baby because it's my egg we used therefor it's my DNA. The baby will have the DNA from James and I so it is my baby. I know you're doing this amazing thing of being pregnant for us and it does give you some rights since it's your body but it is my baby" she says firmly.

"Quinn, listen to me. It's not your baby" I say, my heart breaking at the look of sadness on my best friend's face.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Quinn says sadly. "I knew this was a lot to ask of you and that's why I didn't want you to be my surrogate but you promised me you could do this. You promised nothing like this would happen" she states.

"Honey, this isn't what you think. I'm not going back on my promise" I say.

"Are you keeping that baby?" Quinn asks bluntly.

"Yeah" I nod.

"Then yes you are going back on your promise" she states.

"Please let me explain, Quinn" I sigh.

"Santana, you are my best friend but if I need to get my lawyer involved then I will" Quinn says seriously.

"You can't fight me on this because you wouldn't win" I shake my head.

"What makes you think that?" she questions me.

"Because you're not letting me explain. As soon as I explain what is going on then you will realise you can't win in this situation" I tell her.

"Fine, explain" Quinn sighs.

"The baby isn't actually biologically yours or James's. I'm so sorry" I say softly.

"What are you talking about?" Quinn says confused.

"The baby is Brittany's" I state.

"Uh…I hardly think so" Quinn says, rolling her eyes at me.

"I mean mine and Brittany's. Honey, we thought I was 20 weeks pregnant but since I'm 24 weeks pregnant then it means I got pregnant 4 weeks before. The baby can't be yours because if my math is correct, I was already pregnant when the implantation happened" I explain.

"No, that can't be right" Quinn shakes her head.

"I really am sorry but it is. I wouldn't joke around with something so serious like this and I wouldn't say this to you if I wasn't 100% sure" I say. "I want you to have a baby so badly, believe me, I do. I just can't give you this baby when it's not yours. Brittany and I made this baby so it is mine, I'm so sorry" I add.

"I don't know what I am supposed to do now" Quinn says sadly.

"I get that but honestly, I am going to do whatever else I can for you to have a baby. I promise" I assure her.

"Don't make promises you can't keep. This whole situation demonstrates that" Quinn replies.

"I know you're upset right now but I do mean it, I will do everything in my power for this to happen for you so if it's helping you find a new surrogate or even waiting until I've had this baby and being a surrogate again then I will" I tell her.

"I need to let all of this sink in so I think it might be better you left now" Quinn tells me.

"I don't want to leave you when you're upset" I say.

"I need to be alone right now so, please" she sighs.

"Ok" I say as I head for the door and then leave.

I would do just about anything for my best friend but I cannot do this. I really want her to have a family and I was happy to be her surrogate but this changes everything. This is my baby, its Brittany's baby, so I can't give it up. As soon as I left Quinn's place, I texted Brittany to tell her I wouldn't be back at work and I'd meet her back home. I'm now just sitting in the living room waiting on my wife and children getting home.

"We're home" Brittany announces as she comes in the door, with Jaxon and Xavier running straight into the living room.

"Hi, guys" I say as I reach forward and hug my children.

"Hi, mom" Jaxon smiles brightly at me.

"Did you both have a good day at day care?" I ask the kids.

"Ok" Jaxon says and Xavier just shrugs his shoulders.

"They both didn't like their snack today so they didn't eat anything during snack time so I think they're a bit hungry" Brittany tells me.

"Well, we can easily sort that out, how about we all just have dinner just now?" I suggest.

"I can be down with that because I'm not going to lie, I am hungry myself" Brittany smiles.

"What did you have at lunch?" I ask curiously.

"An apple" Brittany shrugs.

"Is that all?" I say surprised.

"Yeah" Brittany nods.

"No wonder you're hungry then" I say amused. "Come on, let's go and make dinner" I say as I take the boys' hands and we go to the kitchen.

"Ok, let's get started" Brittany smiles as she begins preparing dinner.

"Do you want some help?" I ask.

"No, I've got it covered babe" Brittany tells me.

"Ok" I smile.

"So, how has you day been?" Brittany asks as I get sat down with the kids.

"A little bit eventful actually" I point out.

"How so?" Brittany asks, as she turns around to look at me.

"More on that in a second" I say.

"Ok" Brittany says confused.

"Hey, boys why don't we get you set up in the playpen with your toys while I talk to mommy" I say as I lift the boys into their playpen at the other side of the room.

"Trucks?" Jaxon asks me.

"Yes, you can have your trucks with you to play" I smile at Jaxon while putting some of their toys into the playpen.

"Thanks" Jaxon smiles back at me.

"Mommy and I will be right here" I say as I walk over to the cooker where Brittany is.

"So, what's going on?" Brittany asks confused.

"I need your full attention so I thought it would be best to put the kids in their playpen so we can still talk since we know they're safe and have them near us" I say.

"Fair enough" Brittany nods.

"So, I will get right too it" I say. "I was just talking to Quinn and something has happened" I start.

"What kind of something?" my wife asks nervously.

"The kind of something where you and I are keeping this baby" I admit.

"Are you actually kidding me right now?" Brittany asks in disbelief.

"No" I shake my head.

"The pregnancy hormones must be playing tricks with you because if you're serious about this then you're out of your damn mind" Brittany says. "There is no way we are keeping this baby when it's Quinn's. I know I was hesitant about you doing this at the start and it has been really hard for me to see you go through a pregnancy knowing it's not my baby but this still isn't right" she adds.

"Before you say anything else, let me explain" I say.

"Fine" Brittany nods.

"We are keeping the baby because it's not Quinn's baby" I tell her.

"Santana, I know the lines are a little blurry in a situation like this but it is Quinn's baby" she states, interrupting me.

"Britt, I wasn't done explaining" I say.

"Sorry, carry on" she says.

"We had the ultrasound scan and it turns out I am a little further along than we first thought which means I'm not carrying Quinn's baby since I was already pregnant at the time" I tell her.

"If it's not Quinn's baby then who's?" Brittany asks confused.

"Honey, come on" I say amused. I know nothing is funny in this situation since Quinn is really hurt but Brittany is so adorable right now, she looks so cute when she's so confused.

"I don't get it" she says, still equally confused.

"If I'm not pregnant with Quinn's baby then it must mean I'm pregnant with my own baby which means…"

"It's my baby, are you serious?" Brittany asks surprised, a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yeah" I smile back.

"I don't know what to say" she says as she hugs me tightly.

"Are you happy?" I ask.

"Yeah of course I am" Brittany says smiling as she pulls back to look at me.

"That's good" I smile.

"I kinda feel awful right now though because our happiness is coming at the cost of your best friend's sadness" Brittany sighs.

"I know and it really breaks my heart" I admit.

"How did Quinn take the news?" my wife asks.

"It was quite a mixture of emotions. She's angry about the situation and obviously devasted at the same time. I don't think she'd fight us on this because it really is our baby and not Quinn's and as much as it hurts, she knows that now" I explain.

"It'll probably take some time for her to get over this which I completely understand" Brittany says.

"I know so I'm going to let her deal with things her way and then try again and see if she'll talk to me. It's about Quinn now and not me so I can't push her to talk if she doesn't want to" I say.

"Yeah, fair enough" Brittany nods.

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*Saturday 3rd August 2024*

I've just woken up this morning and I've got to say, I'm in a weird mood. My mood is like a mixture of several different emotions going through my mind at the one time. I mean on the one hand I'm happy it's Saturday and I don't need to go into work because I can spend the day with my children. However, on the other hand I'm really sad. The whole situation with Quinn and the surrogacy is a major thing at the moment and I don't know how I'm supposed to proceed because Quinn is my best friend but I'm also pregnant with my own baby now, not hers.

I'm just on my way to find my wife and children now because I can't lie in my bed on my own with my thoughts any longer. I need to be with the people I love and be distracted from everything right now. I know I need to deal with everything at some point but I need some time first. I'm just making my way downstairs now. When I reach the kitchen, Brittany is already in there preparing some food while the kids are playing on the floor with some toys.

"Hey" I smile as I walk towards my wife.

"Good morning, my love" Brittany smiles back before kissing my cheek. "How are you?" she asks before disappearing to the fridge.

"You know what, I woke up feeling shit but now I feel good" I smile.

My heart still really breaks for my best friend right now but I can't lie, I feel slightly happy about the fact I have my wife back. Brittany seems a lot more relaxed now and is her usual joking self again. I can see the difference already and it's been less than a day. We haven't had the chance to say much at all to each other this morning since I've just gotten up but I can tell Brittany is back. The look in her eyes and the way she moves tells me everything and I like what I'm seeing.

"Why did you feel like shit?" she asks as she walks back over to me and puts her arm comfortingly around me.

"It doesn't matter right now" I smile while shaking my head. I'm not going to dampen my wife's spirits right now so we can talk through my thoughts later.

"Ok" she smiles back.

"I'm going to say good morning to the kids now because I don't think they've noticed me yet" I say.

"Yeah, they've been too busy playing with their toys to realise" Brittany chuckles.

"Good morning, boys" I say as I walk towards Jaxon and Xavier.

"Mom!" Jaxon shouts as he gets up and runs to me.

"Hi" I smile as I hug Jaxon tightly.

"Mommy" Xavier says quietly while pulling on my shirt.

"Hi sweetie" I say as I let Jaxon go and begin hugging Xavier.

"Hi" Xavier smiles.

"Are you both enjoying playing with your toys?" I ask my children.

"Yeah" Jaxon nods.

"Ok, well I will leave you both to play in peace and I'll talk to mommy for a little bit until breakfast is ready" I say.

"Ok" Xavier smiles at me before he and his brother begin playing again.

"So, how are you feeling about the prospect of a third child on the way?" I ask my wife as I wrap my arms around her.

"I'm buzzing about it, not gonna lie" Brittany says excitedly.

"That's good, I'm glad" I smile as I lean forward to steal a quick peck on her lips.

"How are you feeling about it?" Brittany asks me curiously.

"I am happy but clearly my birth control is defective. I mean 3 babies is 3 fucking years" I say shaking my head.

"Yeah" Brittany chuckles.

"Why are you laughing?" I ask.

"If this whole thing were to happen to anyone, it would be us. I mean that's just our luck" she laughs. "You and I never take the easy route anywhere" she adds.

"I know" I say amused. My wife really does have a point because why can't we ever have a simple way of doing things. Why couldn't we have known this was our baby from the start?

"Selfishly I am glad it's worked out this way" Brittany admits.

"I know what you mean but I'm just worried my friendship with Quinn never recovers from this. I know it's no one's fault but it's such a complicated thing now" I say.

"I know but we're all going to get through it, I know we will" Brittany assures me.

"Ok" I nod.

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*Tuesday 6th August 2024*

Brittany and I have been hard at work in our office for a good number of hours now. Jaxon and Xavier are at daycare so we haven't seen them since this morning which kinda sucks but hopefully we'll finish at a decent hour today and can have plenty of time to spend with them at home. I'm just looking at some of the numbers the accounts team have sent me when I notice my wife get out of her chair and head towards the door.

"What are you doing?" I ask my wife seriously.

"Going to the bathroom" she says amused. "Is that going to be a problem for you?" she asks as she walks towards me.

"Just go there and come straight back, don't be wasting time by hanging around and talking to people" I tell her.

"Why's that?" Brittany laughs.

"Because I need you back here to discuss some work matters" I state.

"Ok" my wife nods. "I promise not to be long" she says as she leans down and pecks my lips.

"Good" I tell her and then she leaves the office, heading to the bathroom. I meanwhile go back to what I was doing for a couple of minutes until she returns.

"Ok, your wife has returned" Brittany smiles as she walks back into the office.

"I see that" I smile.

"So, what are we talking about?" Brittany asks me as she walks over and sits across from me at the desk.

"I think we need to discuss what we're doing once the baby comes. I was only supposed to take a couple of weeks off after having the baby because it wasn't our baby so Quinn would obviously be the parent. That's not happening now so you and I need to have a serious discussion about what we're doing. I'm going to have to take a few extra weeks off now until we're in a routine because it's our baby now" I explain.

"Yeah, you're right. As much as we're super excited about having another baby, this was never in our plans so we haven't accounted for the things we'll now need to change" Brittany agrees.

"I know" I nod.

"I don't want our week-old baby to go straight to daycare so one if not both of us will need to take some time away from here for the baby" Brittany says.

"I totally agree" I nod again. "I just feel slightly panicked now because we never made any plans like this because we didn't think we needed to and now time is moving so fast and we have no plans. We have no nursery ready, no baby things and not any kind of preparation for a newborn" I add.

"I know but we'll work it out so don't worry. I mean we're lucky to have two children already who quickly grow out of a lot of things so we have things if we need them to pass down" Brittany assures me.

"I guess that's true" I reply.

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*Friday 9th August 2024*

I am meeting up with my best friend today and I have no idea how it's all going to go. I haven't physically seen her in a week since the whole thing happened. I mean I've texted her now and again since but she didn't always reply how I hoped so I don't know where we stand. I totally understand though if she's still upset because this is a huge thing that's happened. I just really need to see her today and make sure she's ok. I'm just waiting in the coffee shop right now for Quinn to arrive.

"Hi" Quinn says as she walks towards me.

"Hey" I say glad to see her. "I wasn't sure if you were actually going to come" I admit.

"I wasn't sure either" Quinn sighs.

"How are you given the circumstances?" I ask as Quinn sits down.

"Not great but I'll get there" she tells me.

"Shall we order some drinks?" I ask.

"Yeah, we should" Quinn nods. I flag down the waiter and then we order some drinks.

"I actually have something for you" I tell my best friend as I reach into my bag.

"Ok" Quinn says confused.

"Ok, this is all the research I have done so far on other surrogates so we should maybe get back in touch with your doctor and see how to proceed" I state as I hand her the papers.

"Santana…"

"No, listen to me. I am going to help you get your dream so we're going to find you a surrogate and get the ball rolling again. I mean I would totally be your surrogate for you again in the future but I'm obviously pregnant right now so it can't happen right away. If you want to wait then fine but I thought you might like to have a baby before then" I explain.

"I'm not looking into surrogacy right now" Quinn shakes her head.

"We can get back on track and find you another surrogate though. Surely, it's worth another shot because I know you want children" I say.

"You're not listening to me, Santana" Quinn sighs. "The reason I am not doing it isn't because I don't want to, it's because I can't afford to" she states.

"Brittany and I are going to pay for you then. It's the least we can do given what's happened" I say.

"I know you mean well but I can't let you do that. I'm not going to lie and say I'm happy about what's happened because it does still hurt but in time, we'll be back to how we used to be so you don't need to make it up to me because it's not your fault" Quinn says.

"Ok" I nod. "How are you feeling though, at the moment about everything?" I ask.

"I have to say, I am still really angry about the situation" Quinn states.

"Angry about what part?" I ask curiously.

"I know Brittany is your wife and you should always put her first but for once, I just needed you to pick me. I needed you to put me first since you promised me this would all be ok" Quinn sighs.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean because I did put you first. I was willing to carry a baby for you when I should have thought about Brittany" I reply.

"You promised me that everything would be ok and we could do this so I am mad at you Santana for taking risks during the whole process. You shouldn't have been having sex with your wife when we were going through the process. I would never normally tell you to do something like that but given the nature of what we were doing then having sex during the implantation seems careless to me" Quinn explains.

"Ok, in hindsight Brittany and I probably shouldn't have been sleeping together at that time because my cycle was all over the place" I admit.

"If you thought about me for a second or put me first for just one time then you wouldn't have had sex with Brittany and when you did get pregnant, we would have been sure it was mine" she states.

"I am genuinely sorry about that" I apologise.

"I didn't expect you to never sleep together but during that pivotal time in the process then I thought it would have been a given that having sex could interfere with what we're doing" Quinn says.

"Quinn, I hold my hands up. I shouldn't have done that because you are right. I am genuinely really sorry because it was a lack in judgement" I apologise.

"As soon as we found out it had worked then you could have had sex with your wife. I just don't understand how you couldn't wait just a little bit of time. Like I say, I never expected you to stop sleeping together during the whole 9 months but come on Santana, did you really need to do it when you did" she points out.

"I know and I see that now. It really wasn't meant to hurt you" I state.

"I'm married too so I get couples wanting to be close and whatever but surely the passion could wait a few nights if it was for an important reason" Quinn states.

"Quinn, I have admitted I did wrong so I don't know what else you want me to say. It was a lack of judgement where I didn't think about the consequences. I didn't say to Brittany, 'come on let's have sex because it could really affect the surrogacy and I want to make everything so complicated', it just happened without either of us thinking about it" I sigh.

"Do you know what, I think it's been too soon meeting up today. Maybe we shouldn't continue the conversation right now" Quinn states.

"Ok, fair enough" I nod. "You're still my best friend Quinn so I won't stop trying to make things better and I'd hope you won't give up on me either" I add.

"It's all still too raw right now so I need some more space" Quinn admits.

"That's fine, we can leave it at that just now. Please get in touch when you feel ready because I don't want to lose you. You're my best friend and despite what's happening, you mean a lot to me" I say.

"I will" Quinn nods.

As soon as I left, I headed straight to work to catch up with my wife. Brittany is working today and the kids are at daycare so I want to see them for a little while even if I'm not planning on working. As soon as I reach work, I head straight to my office and luckily Brittany is in there so I get to see her right away.

"Hey" I say as I walk over to my wife.

"Hi babe" Brittany smiles as she kisses my cheek.

"You, ok?" I ask.

"Yeah" Brittany nods with a smile. "Are you?" she asks me.

"I'm not exactly happy but it's fine" I shrug.

"How was your time with Quinn?" Brittany asks curiously.

"Not exactly as I hoped. I mean, she's still pissed as hell at me" I sigh.

"In general, or something in particular?" Brittany asks.

"She's pissed at the fact we were still sleeping together during the start of the process because it could mess with things. Evidently it did so I get her point" I explain.

"It's not like we thought about the situation and were just like 'fuck it', we obviously just made a mistake and didn't think about what we were doing. It wasn't out of bad intentions" Brittany reasons.

"I know and I have tried to explain that to Quinn but I think it's all just too raw at the moment so she's not in a place to forgive me which I totally get" I say.

"I guess we just need to give her space and let things settle down a bit" Brittany says.

"Yeah, I think so too" I agree.


Brittany's POV

*Saturday 17th August 2024*

I am going out tonight to a party but Santana isn't coming with me. Tina, Mercedes, Mike and me are all going to a high school reunion together. One of our former classmates is throwing the party to celebrate where we all are now, 10 years after graduating high school. On the one hand I'm looking forward to it because it'll be interesting to know what everyone is up to these days but on the other hand, I'm really nervous to go because I wasn't exactly the most popular at school so maybe people still don't like me.

My mom is giving the four of us a ride to the venue and we'll take a cab home since it might be quite late. Santana did offer to give us a ride and pick us up but it didn't really make sense because someone would need to look after the kids anyway because there wouldn't be any room in the car for them to tag along. I'm just getting ready just now and then my mom will be here soon to pick me up.

"Bear in mind babe, if you get drunk tonight I will not be looking after you. I don't have the time or patience for that considering I've got the boys to look after on my own tonight" Santana tells me.

"I'm not going to get drunk" I laugh. "Even if I did, I don't expect you to look after me so you can relax" I smile.

"Ok" Santana smiles back.

"So, how am I looking tonight?" I ask my wife as I finish getting dressed.

"You look great babe; the dress is perfect on you" Santana tells me.

"I guess you would say that considering you dressed me tonight, picking out these clothes for me" I laugh.

"That may be so but you still look great hence the reason I picked out your clothes tonight. I knew what would look great on you even though you're already perfect" Santana smiles.

"Thanks babe" I smile.

"I think your mom will be here soon so you better say goodbye to the boys before you need to leave" Santana points out.

"Yeah, I'll go and do that" I nod.

As soon as I've spent a little time with my children and said goodbye to them, my mom arrives to pick me up. I quickly get a chance to kiss my wife goodbye before I head out to my mom's car so we can leave. We then pick my friends up and my mom drives us to the venue. Once we're there I wave goodbye to my mom and we all head inside. The minute we walk inside, there's a lot of people there already so we start mingling with some of the others that we went to high school with.

"Is that Gayle over there?" Mike asks.

"Gayle who?" Tina asks confused.

"Don't you remember her; she was this girl in our year who would constantly annoy everyone in school. She always had to be the best at everything and was super competitive" Mike states.

"Oh, I think I remember who you mean now" Tina nods.

"I remember one time in math class we had a test and I got a better score than her and she was fuming" I say.

"Sounds like her" Mercedes laughs.

"She seems to be alone so maybe we should go over there and catch up with her" I suggest.

"I'm not really sure that I want to if I'm honest" Mike states.

"Come on, surely you can't still be scared of her" I chuckle.

"I'm not scared of her and I never was" Mike says defensively. "I just didn't like the way she carried herself in school, that's all" he adds.

"I agree" Tina nods.

"She can't still be like that so come on" I state.

"Fine, let's go" Mercedes agrees.

"After you" Mike says.

"Thank you" I smile while leading the way over to where Gayle is.

"Brittany Pierce, hi" Gayle smiles as I reach her.

"Hi Gayle. I wasn't sure if you'd remember who I was" I reply.

"Of course, I do" she smiles.

"I guess I do still look the same" I smile back.

"So, did you come alone tonight?" Gayle asks.

"No of course not. Mike, Mercedes and Tina are here" I say as I turn around to be met with absolutely no one. "Fucking bitches" I mutter.

"Excuse me?" Gayle says confused.

"Sorry, I wasn't swearing at you" I assure her.

"That's good" she laughs.

"So, how are you doing?" I ask.

"Well, I graduated law school so I'm a successful lawyer now. I'm married to my wonderful husband and we have two children" Gayle replies.

"That's wonderful. I'm glad you're doing well" I smile.

"Thank you" Gayle smiles back. "What about you, what have you been doing since school?" she asks.

"I went to college and got my degree in accounting and finance" I say.

"That's great" Gayle smiles. "So where do you work?" she asks.

"I don't actually work in accounting anymore. I did for a while but then I changed career paths so to speak and I work for a fashion company now" I say nonchalantly.

"Oh really" Gayle says surprised.

"Yeah" I nod. "I know I was never the most fashionable at school and wasn't into all of that stuff like some of the others. I was more into my studies but yeah, I work in fashion now" I add.

"Is it a company I might have heard of?" she asks curiously.

"SL Designs" I reply.

"Wait…really?" Gayle says in shock.

"Yeah" I chuckle. "Why is that so surprising?"

"Because it's such a successful brand and I didn't even know you worked for it. You'd think I'd pick up on that fact considering we went to school together and I have bought some of their clothes in the past" Gayle explains.

"It's not like we keep in touch or run in the same circles plus there are lot of people who work there so it's easy for a lot of Santana's employees to go unnoticed" I shrug.

"So, what do you do in the company?" she asks interested.

"I used to work in the accounting department for a while but I now actually have my own fashion line within the company. I run BP Sportswear" I state.

"I have heard of that line. Wow, you're super successful then" Gayle smiles.

"I guess I am but I'm nowhere near as talented as Santana" I shrug.

"Santana seems really talented because I bought some of the clothes from her children's lines and my kids loved them. It must be great working for her" Gayle says.

"Yeah, I love working with her" I nod. "It's even better being married to her though" I smirk.

"I'm sorry, what?" Gayle says in disbelief.

"Yeah, I married Santana Lopez" I laugh.

"This just blows my mind because I had no idea. I'm happy for you though" she smiles.

"Thank you" I smile back.

"Do you have any children?" Gayle asks.

"I do. Two boys, Jaxon and Xavier and Santana is pregnant with our third child" I reply.

"That's great" she smiles. "Everyone I have spoken to so far seems to be doing well in their life" she adds.

"Yeah, we seem to be a successful class" I nod.

"I should probably catch up with some of the others but it was great to see you again Brittany" Gayle smiles.

"Yeah, you too, take care" I smile back.

"You too" Gayle says. We then both leave in different directions.

"I'm going to kill you three" I say as I walk straight towards Mike, Mercedes and Tina.

"Us…why?" Mike asks in mock surprise.

"Don't play dumb with me. The deal was that we would all go over there and talk to Gayle but you three disappeared as soon as I walked in front" I state.

"Yeah, I mean you seemed to have it handled so we didn't need to be there" Mercedes smirks.

"To be fair, it was actually ok. She was nothing like she was in high school. She's a lot more down to earth now" I say.

"That's good, at least it was a nice conversation then" Tina says.

"Yeah" I nod.

XXX

My mom has just dropped us all off home now so I'm just quietly walking into my house. It's pretty late and all of the lights seem to be switched off so I am guessing my family are all in bed. As soon as I lock up behind me, I slip my shoes off and then tiptoe upstairs. I quietly slip into each of my kids' bedrooms to kiss them goodnight before making my way to my own bedroom. When I open the door, there is a light on inside.

"Hey" I whisper to my wife as I see her sitting up in bed awake.

"Hi" Santana smiles.

"I thought you would be asleep" I point out.

"No, I wanted to wait up for you" she tells me.

"That's sweet" I smile.

"How was your night?" Santana asks me.

"It was good actually. I liked hearing what everyone has been doing since we all left school" I smile.

"Was Megan there?" Santana asks curiously.

"Megan?" I reply confused.

"Yes, your ex-girlfriend Megan" my wife clarifies.

"Megan and I didn't go to the same school and we didn't date during our high school years either so she had no business being there" I shrug.

"She just seems to be everywhere" Santana states.

"Honey, we haven't run into Megan in a while. I mean sure she crashed a party we've been to or we've seen her in the grocery store once or twice but she isn't normally on our radar" I reason.

"You're right I suppose" Santana nods.

"You, ok?" I ask in concern. My wife seems a little out of sorts tonight.

"I know it sounds controlling and I don't want to be but I'm not sure I like the fact you went to a party when I wasn't there. I prefer it when we go to events together which we normally do" she admits.

"I can understand that and it's not controlling babe" I smile.

"I trust you obviously, I just don't trust anyone else" Santana shrugs.

"I know and it's ok" I assure her. "Next time there is something, then you're coming with me" I say.

"Ok" Santana smiles.

"Come here" I say before leaning in to kiss my wife.

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*Wednesday 21st August 2024*

Santana and I have been at work for a while already and the kids are at daycare as usual. My wife and I are both working hard on our own lines of the business. Santana seems to be very productive today but the same can't be said about myself. I've got this song stuck in my head and I don't know what it is and it's annoying me. I'm so distracted trying to think of what it is that my work is slowing down.

"Uhhh!" I groan loudly getting annoyed with myself.

"That was so random babe, what's wrong" Santana asks laughing.

"I've had this song stuck in my head for the last hour and I can't think of what it is. It's annoying me" I say.

"Well, maybe I can help" Santana smiles.

"Maybe" I nod.

"Who sings it?" Santana asks me.

"I don't know" I shrug.

"Ok, what are the lyrics?" my wife asks.

"This feels like falling in love, falling in love…" I sing.

"Well, that narrows it down a lot" she says sarcastically laughing.

"I'm sure this is another line" I say. "Settle down with me. And I'll be your safety" I sing.

"Ok" Santana nods.

"I feel like I know it" I state. "My hearts against your chest…"

"Kiss me" Santana states enthusiastically.

"Ok" I smirk as I lean in and kiss my wife.

"Thank you but I wasn't requesting a kiss, I was telling you that's the name of the song" Santana laughs.

"I know" I smirk again. "I realised a couple of minutes ago what the song was but I just wanted to hear you say it so you could ask me to kiss you" I laugh.

"Sounds like you" Santana laughs.

XXX

As soon as we finished work for the day, we got the kids from daycare and all went home. We spent some time with the children and had dinner together before it was bathtime for the kids. After their baths, we got them into their pajamas and read them a goodnight story before putting them to bed. They seemed to fall asleep instantly which was good. Santana and I then went back downstairs and hung out for a while together watching TV.

"Are you writing messages on my leg with your finger?" I ask amused as Santana moves her hand around my thigh.

"They're not messages as such, they're just words" Santana shrugs.

"Oh" I nod.

"Do you wanna guess what I'm writing?" my wife asks me.

"Sure" I chuckle.

"Ok, I'll start" Santana says as she starts writing letters on my leg.

"That word was definitely 'fuck'" I say laughing.

"Correct" Santana smiles.

"Your favourite word" I add.

"That is also correct" she shrugs.

"Ok, do another one" I tell her so she begins spelling something else out. "Was that 'sex' you just spelled out?" I ask amused.

"Yeah" Santana smirks.

"Do you just like spelling the word or would you like to do it for real?" I ask, smirking back.

"Are you asking me if I want to have sex with you right now?" Santana asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah" I nod, winking at my wife.

"Ok, let's go then" she says as she gets up off the couch and holds her hand out to me.

"Ok" I smile as I eagerly take her hand and we head upstairs.

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*Saturday 24th August 2024*

Santana, the kids and me are all going to a family barbeque today. Santana's parents wanted to get everyone together to spend time as a family so they're hosting it at their place. Santana's siblings and partners will be there as well as her grandparents. They've also invited my parents; grandparents; my sisters and their partners and children which is cool. We're all just getting changed and ready to leave now.

"How do I look?" Santana asks me as she twirls around on the spot.

"You look amazing right now" I smile.

"It's not too much cleavage, is it?" my wife asks.

"It certainly doesn't offend me" I smirk.

"I knew it wouldn't" Santana laughs. "Is it appropriate for a family get together though?" she asks.

"Yeah, honestly. You look great" I smile.

"Thank you" Santana smiles back.

"Shall we go then?" I ask.

"Yeah, let's go" Santana nods.

As soon as we get the kids and get everything into the car, I drive off. We arrive shortly after so we're walking inside and greeting everyone before we know it. The kids immediately ran off to play with their cousins so Santana and I are now just catching up with her mom and dad while her brother tends to the food on the barbeque.

"So, I am getting another grandchild soon" Santana's dad smirks at us.

"Yes, you are" Santana laughs.

"Your mom and I really feel for Quinn and James in this whole thing, genuinely, but we are secretly glad it's your baby" he tells us.

"Yeah, we are" Maribel smiles brightly.

"Mom, stop it" Santana says laughing at her mom.

"What? What was I doing?" Maribel asks confused.

"I can see you smiling out of the corner of my eye and it's freaking me out" Santana says.

"I'm just happy Santana" Maribel shrugs. "I know you told us a couple of weeks ago but I haven't been able to stop smiling since. I know you were doing a nice thing for Quinn but I honestly didn't like it. I understood your reasoning but I didn't like the thought of you pregnant and not keeping the baby" she says.

"Mom the baby wasn't supposed to be mine so I wasn't giving up a baby" Santana states.

"I know but I still didn't like the situation very much because I was worried about you both. I didn't know if you'd be able to let go after spending 9 months pregnant with the baby even though as you say, it wasn't meant to be yours" Maribel says.

"Ok, fair enough" Santana nods.

"Quinn is a dear friend and it breaks my heart just how much she's hurting but selfishly I am so glad the baby is mine. I was really struggling with the situation" I admit.

"Yeah, I can understand that" Maribel smiles.

"Um…babe, your grandparents have just arrived" I tell Santana nervously.

"Do they know about the baby situation and how things have changed?" Santana asks her parents. We didn't know how to tell them after the last conversation we had so Maribel and Caros were going to update them for us.

"They do, no thanks to your dad" Maribels says smirking at her husband.

"Yeah, I sort of got nervous and made your mom tell them even though they're my parents" Carlos tells Santana.

"I think they were actually relieved more than anything so you two don't need to worry about any awkward conversations tonight" Maribels tells us.

"That's good" I nod.