say a word about it.”
“To anyone . Yes.” She didn’t attempt to disguise any aspect of her plan. “You’d sign away your parental rights, be the baby’s uncle, nothing more.”
So he’d have contact. He could have a lot of contact. But would that make it harder—or easier?
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I want to say yes, but...I’m afraid this would just give Dyl and me something else to compete over.”
“Which is one of the primary reasons I think this should be done secretly. That way there’ll be far less chance it would affect your relationship. He won’t have to feel indebted, and you won’t ever have to feel that he’s being ungrateful, because you’ll know he has no clue of the sacrifice you made,” she said. “You’d have to do it because you love him, and you’d have to relinquish all claim and forgo all credit.”
Aaron let his breath seep out as he ran a hand over his chin. “Is there a clinic around here or...”
“There are probably several. My doctor even suggested one. I just haven’t contacted anyone yet because I needed to know you were on board before I moved forward.”
“How would it work?”
She gestured at his food. “You should start on your steak. It’s getting cold.”
He’d lost what little appetite he’d had when he walked in but made a halfhearted attempt to cut off a few pieces and chew, which was more than he could say for her. She merely pushed her salad around with a fork.
“It must feel really strange to think of making a baby with me,” she said, “but...if you could just look at it through my eyes. I love you as my brother-in-law, so I’d be happy to know my child came from you. Of all the Amos boys, you look the most like my husband. And, sure, he could weather this the way he’s weathered all the other difficulties in his life, but why put him through that when we can so easily get around the need for it? I want Dylan to be happy. He hasn’t been himself lately.”
Aaron struggled to swallow the piece of steak in his mouth. “You think this is why?”
“I know it is.”
Dylan had been uncharacteristically irritable and preoccupied. But...
“I need some time to consider it,” he said.
She took a sip of her iced tea, but her manner told him she was stalling while she decided how to spring something else on him.
“Is that a problem?” he asked when she put down her glass.
“That’s just it.”
“What is?”
“Time. There isn’t much of it. Dylan is talking about going to the doctor. And if he does...”
“He’ll learn the truth.”
He managed to chase his steak with a bite of his baked potato. “Maybe that’s for the best, Chey. I mean...I’d be open to this if...if the two of you wanted to meet with me later. It’s not that I begrudge you the... What you need to make it happen.” Or...he didn’t think so. He hadn’t quite wrapped his mind around that part of it, either. But he forged ahead. “I’m mostly worried about keeping this a secret.”
“You’re not convinced it would work better that way? Since your relationship with Dylan is so...complicated? You know how humbling it would be for him to have to ask, and how indebted he’d feel afterward.”
It was a legitimate concern. “How soon would you need my answer?”
“You guys are so busy at work that I could probably give you a few days. He wouldn’t even be able to book an appointment before then. But the process will take several weeks to complete—to schedule with the clinic, to have the procedure done and see if it takes. If it doesn’t, we’d have to go through the entire process again.”
“Would we go in at the same time?”
“No. From what I’ve read online it could be completely separate.”
“But...shouldn’t someone be with you?”
“Presley will go.”
He was glad. It was weird enough that he’d be donating the sperm. He didn’t want to take his brother’s place at Cheyenne’s side, as well. “You and Pres talked
“To anyone . Yes.” She didn’t attempt to disguise any aspect of her plan. “You’d sign away your parental rights, be the baby’s uncle, nothing more.”
So he’d have contact. He could have a lot of contact. But would that make it harder—or easier?
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I want to say yes, but...I’m afraid this would just give Dyl and me something else to compete over.”
“Which is one of the primary reasons I think this should be done secretly. That way there’ll be far less chance it would affect your relationship. He won’t have to feel indebted, and you won’t ever have to feel that he’s being ungrateful, because you’ll know he has no clue of the sacrifice you made,” she said. “You’d have to do it because you love him, and you’d have to relinquish all claim and forgo all credit.”
Aaron let his breath seep out as he ran a hand over his chin. “Is there a clinic around here or...”
“There are probably several. My doctor even suggested one. I just haven’t contacted anyone yet because I needed to know you were on board before I moved forward.”
“How would it work?”
She gestured at his food. “You should start on your steak. It’s getting cold.”
He’d lost what little appetite he’d had when he walked in but made a halfhearted attempt to cut off a few pieces and chew, which was more than he could say for her. She merely pushed her salad around with a fork.
“It must feel really strange to think of making a baby with me,” she said, “but...if you could just look at it through my eyes. I love you as my brother-in-law, so I’d be happy to know my child came from you. Of all the Amos boys, you look the most like my husband. And, sure, he could weather this the way he’s weathered all the other difficulties in his life, but why put him through that when we can so easily get around the need for it? I want Dylan to be happy. He hasn’t been himself lately.”
Aaron struggled to swallow the piece of steak in his mouth. “You think this is why?”
“I know it is.”
Dylan had been uncharacteristically irritable and preoccupied. But...
“I need some time to consider it,” he said.
She took a sip of her iced tea, but her manner told him she was stalling while she decided how to spring something else on him.
“Is that a problem?” he asked when she put down her glass.
“That’s just it.”
“What is?”
“Time. There isn’t much of it. Dylan is talking about going to the doctor. And if he does...”
“He’ll learn the truth.”
He managed to chase his steak with a bite of his baked potato. “Maybe that’s for the best, Chey. I mean...I’d be open to this if...if the two of you wanted to meet with me later. It’s not that I begrudge you the... What you need to make it happen.” Or...he didn’t think so. He hadn’t quite wrapped his mind around that part of it, either. But he forged ahead. “I’m mostly worried about keeping this a secret.”
“You’re not convinced it would work better that way? Since your relationship with Dylan is so...complicated? You know how humbling it would be for him to have to ask, and how indebted he’d feel afterward.”
It was a legitimate concern. “How soon would you need my answer?”
“You guys are so busy at work that I could probably give you a few days. He wouldn’t even be able to book an appointment before then. But the process will take several weeks to complete—to schedule with the clinic, to have the procedure done and see if it takes. If it doesn’t, we’d have to go through the entire process again.”
“Would we go in at the same time?”
“No. From what I’ve read online it could be completely separate.”
“But...shouldn’t someone be with you?”
“Presley will go.”
He was glad. It was weird enough that he’d be donating the sperm. He didn’t want to take his brother’s place at Cheyenne’s side, as well. “You and Pres talked
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