Page 27 of Say My Name

“Probably.”

“He already won’t love the anonymous-donor plan.”

“Which is part of my point.”

“My brother doesn’t get a vote.”

“I agree.”

“Then why bring him into it?”

“Because you care what they think, even if the decision is yours. Cliff will worry about you doing this alone, and more about a father he can’t vet.” I keep my voice even. “A man he already trusts solves that. He may hate the arrangement, but he’ll know who is standing with you.”

“Assuming this person has a death wish.”

She’s not entirely wrong about Cliff. “He’s willing to accept the risk.”

She watches me, her gaze sharpening with an understanding that makes the air in the room feel thin. “You know someone who fits all of this.”

“Yes.”

“Someone I know.”

“Very well.”

“Who?”

I could bury the answer beneath every legal protection I researched. That would bury the truth under four pages of analysis, and she deserves better from me.

“I meant me.” The two words land in the quiet office, feeling both inadequate and irreversible.

She stares at me. “You have to be joking.”

“I know you need me to be, but I’m not.”

Her chair rolls back as she stands. “Dominic, you’re my boss. You’re Cliff’s best friend. You’re eleven years older than I am, and you just walked into my office to suggest that we have a baby.”

“I know exactly what I’m suggesting.”

“Do you? Because Cliff trusted you to hire me. My family treats you like one of us, and now you’re offering to—” She stops, the complications piling up in her voice. “He may actually kill you.”

Her panic is a tide rising in the room. I give her the calmest truth I have. “He’ll be furious.”

“That’s your entire response?”

“I won’t pretend he’ll approve. He may decide I crossed a line our friendship can’t survive.”

Her mouth closes. The accusation in her voice has been replaced by disbelief. “And you’re still asking.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to be a father. I believe we could do this well. Together.”

“There is no version of this that doesn’t affect work.”

“Then we put protections in place before you agree to anything.” I list the points from my notes, the words I’ve rehearsed. “Separate attorneys. I recuse myself from decisions involving your compensation, performance, promotion, or discipline. Your authority stays intact. If your answer is no, your position here doesn’t change, and I won’t ask again.”