Page 101 of Surrogate For My Best Friend’s Man 2

I didn’t respond because what was there to say? She wasn’t completely wrong. Things had gotten out of control, but we were less than a month from the finish line and there wasn’t any going backward now. I told her to focus on getting through the next few weeks. That didn’t go over well either.

“See? That’s your fucking problem.”

I frowned. “What?”

“You talk about this shit like I’m carrying a package for you.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t have to.”

She sniffled. “All you care about is getting them babies and getting Deuce.”

Yes, that's what I wanted. Was I supposed to lie? “I love him.”

Shante laughed so hard it sounded damn near disrespectful. “Kim, that man told you he don’t want your ass.”

My face got hot. “He doesn’t mean that.”

“Oh my God you can’t be that fucking dumb.”

“He doesn’t.”

“You are fucking delusional.”

I sat straighter. “Once the babies get here⁠—”

“Those babies ain’t about to make Deuce love you!”

I didn’t respond and Shante kept going, telling me I had built some fantasy in my head where Deuce was going to walk out of jail, leave Alisha, pick up the twins, and suddenly become the man I’d always wanted him to be. She didn’t understand that nobody did. Deuce loved being a father. I’d seen him with Brittany and I knew what his daughter meant to him. There was no way he could look at two more children carrying his blood and simply walk away.

And once he accepted them, he’d have to accept that I would always be connected to him too. That was enough for me for now. I tried bringing the conversation back to why I’d called in the first place. I needed to know when her next appointment was, but the line went dead. I looked at my phone and she hung up.

I considered calling her back but I didn’t. She needed to calm down and stress wasn’t good for the twins. I placed my phone beside me and stared across the room. Everybody kept acting like I was the problem. Like wanting my children made me selfish and loving Deuce made me stupid. Maybe they thought I should simply accept that he’d chosen Alisha. That I should take my babies and disappear but I wasn’t doing that.

Alisha had already had years with him. She had the marriage. She’d gotten to wake up beside him every day while I took whatever pieces of him were left. Now I finally had something that connected Deuce and me forever and nobody could take that away. Not Alisha, Shante, my father or Deuce. He could hate me right now and he could sit behind that glass and tell me he wanted nothing to do with me, but those babies were still his.

Sitting around the house wasn’t doing me any good. All I could hear was Shante’s voice. “That man told you he doesn't want your ass.” I didn’t let that shit bother me too much because Shante was just miserable because Malik left her. Of course she wanted everybody else miserable too. I wasn’t letting her put that shit on me. I grabbed my purse and keys and left.

The twins still needed things. I’d already bought more clothes than they could probably wear, but every time I saw something cute, I couldn’t help myself. After everything I’d been through trying to become a mother, I deserved to enjoy this. By the time I made it to the baby store, my mood had gotten better. Shopping for the twins always did that. It gave me something real to focus on.

I walked through the aisles slowly, adding things to my cart that I probably didn’t need bottles, pacifiers, receiving blankets and matching sleepers. Then I saw two little outfits hanging beside each other. One said daddy’s boy and the other one said daddy’s girl, I smiled and put them straight into the cart.

I could already picture Deuce holding them. He’d probably act hard at first. But the second one of those babies wrapped a tiny hand around his finger, all that tough shit would be over. His whole face would change whenever he talked about his daughter. That was the part everybody kept forgetting Deuce was a good father.

He might’ve been a shitty husband, a liar and a cheater and a criminal, but he loved his child. And our twins would be no different. I refused to believe otherwise. I made my way toward the furniture section and stopped in front of a display crib. It was beautiful with dark wood and looked expensive.

Exactly the kind of thing Deuce would’ve picked. I ran my hand along the railing. I pictured him standing beside me while he complained about the price even though he could afford it. I’d tell him to shut up and he would buy it anyway. We’d argue about putting it together and he would swear he didn’t need the instructions.

“That’s cute.” I said to myself. I turned and a woman pushing a stroller was looking at the crib. “It is, you expecting?”

My smile stayed in place. “Twins.”

Her eyes widened. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” I beamed.

“When are you due?”