Page 75 of My Girlfriend is Not the Father

‘I don’t like you.’ Lucy scrunched her nose and glanced to where Jade was resting against the corner wall, a soft smile on her face. Since the local media frenzy hit, Jade seemed a little withdrawn. Again. Still. More.

Or was she? Jade was here, wasn’t she? Since the start of this baby-making situation, Lucy’s thoughts hadn’t been clear, and maybe she was sensing something that didn’t exist. When the national morning show team reached out for an interview, Jade had snuggled in bed with Lucy and joked that she alone needed to do Lucy’s hair because it would reflect poorly on her if her girlfriend’s hair looked ratty on national television.

‘Did you seriously just call me ratty?’ Lucy had said with a grin. Jade had quickly retracted her words and reassured Lucy with a ‘that’s not what I meant!’ and a ‘you’re the hottest woman alive’ until Lucy was satisfied Jade had completed her penance.

The producer stepped in front of Lucy and checked his watch. ‘Any refreshers needed on what we chatted about earlier in the week?’

‘I won’t swear.’ Lucy grinned. Last week, along with the prep questions, the producer told them multiple times that the network had a three-second delay as a fail-safe in case someone swore. Then quickly followed with, ‘But please, please do not swear.’

‘I think we’re good,’ Mason said.

Drew leaned into Lucy’s ear. ‘You look like a hot mama.’

Lucy patted her beach-waved hair. ‘I kind of do, don’t I?’

‘Everyone take a deep breath,’ the assistant producer said and inhaled a huge breath while raising his palms from his belly to chest. ‘You look great. This will be a piece of cake, and we’ll be out of here in three minutes.’

Jesus, the lights were hot. Lucy picked a few strands of hair off her sticky forehead, and her belly knotted. Ugh, now her legs were cramping. And why was everyone in the room staring directly at her and not the dads?

Jade mouthed, You got this, and Lucy’s shoulders relaxed. She focused on the monitor resting on the table. The morning show logo remained static, and a commercial played in the top right corner.

The producer adjusted his headset and threw up his fingers. ‘And five, four, three, two …’

‘Hello and welcome back. Today, we have a good news story all the way from Stillwater, Minnesota, about thirty minutes east of Minneapolis. Joining us today are Lucy, Drew, and Mason, a group of childhood friends who made a very special surrogacy pact years ago and are now in the midst of fulfilling that promise. Welcome all.’

‘Hi,’ Lucy said along with the dads, although she added a way too enthusiastic, elbow-to-wrist wave to her greeting. Whoops. She quickly dropped her hands to her lap.

The camera zoomed in on the host. ‘Let’s start with the woman of the hour. Lucy, can you tell us how you’re feeling?’

‘I’m great.’ Lucy patted her stomach. ‘The baby is kicking up a storm, I’m back to eating solids, and my feet have only gone up one size. So far.’

‘Oh, the feet.’ The host smiled. ‘I remember that uncomfortable stage when I was pregnant with my children.’

‘Do they shrink back? I don’t want to be stuck at size ten forever. Oh gosh, no offence to any size ten-ers out there.’

‘Let’s hope so.’ The host chuckled. ‘Drew and Mason, what led to the decision to choose Lucy as your gestational carrier? That’s a lot of trust to place in someone.’

‘When Drew and I first started talking about surrogacy, we always knew Lucy would be the one.’ Mason’s legs tensed, but his voice was calm. ‘Drew and Lucy have been friends since kindergarten; I’ve known her since junior high, and we all just click. Once Drew and I started dating in high school, we just became this unique type of family and stayed like this ever since. We’re just thankful she said yes.’

‘Lucy,’ the host said. ‘I imagine you get a lot of questions, especially since your story hit. How are you handling the media interest and the pressure that can come with that?’

Lucy recalled her notes from the prep session. ‘Everyone has been so nice. Either I’m blissfully unaware – and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been accused of that – or people have kept any “personal comments” to themselves.’

‘That’s great to hear,’ said the host. ‘For the dads, I understand there are more legalities and paperwork surrounding surrogacy than a traditional pregnancy. Can you walk us through that process?’

Drew took a breath. ‘It took nearly two years of conversation, legal paperwork, doctor appointments, donor reviews, and shots, before we ever got pregnant. I think all three of us have a few more grey hairs than when we started this.’

‘Speak for yourself,’ Lucy said out of the corner of her mouth.

The host laughed. ‘That’s quite the journey. I imagine it would be daunting for anyone in your situation.’ The host glanced at the notecard on her desk. ‘So, Lucy, I read that you have a significant other, right?’

A spark of heat travelled up Lucy’s neck and she peeked at Jade, who wiggled her brows. Sure, this was on the list of potential questions, but she secretly hoped it wouldn’t be asked. Yes, they’d been in a relationship for months, but this interview would be searchable content for infinity. Was this the equivalent of getting the kiss-of-death tattoo of a partner’s name on your body, and once the ink dried, something terrible happened? ‘Yes, I have someone special in my life.’

The host smiled. ‘I imagine the dynamic changes within a relationship when you’re carrying for someone else.’

You have no idea. ‘Well, I had to give up my dancing days, that’s for sure.’

The beginning of their relationship looked nothing like what it did now. There was so much pressure now, that just hadn’t been there when they first met. Was it because of the pregnancy? Or was this some step in the natural progression of a relationship?