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“Why is Remi getting kisses when I’m the one sitting here bare assed in a paper gown?” Julia’s amused voice breaks through my concentration
Justin snorts into my face, and I drop my forehead onto his shoulder to hide my blush. Justin runs his hands up and down my back in a soothing pattern and drops a kiss on the top of my head.
“Because you aren’t a flight risk,” Justin laughs.
I startle out of Justin’s embrace when a knock rings out through the room, and the door presses upon after the barest hint of ‘come in.’ A middle-aged woman with a soft-brown ponytail wearing black scrub bottoms and a yellow long-sleeve shirt walks in with a smile and a laptop open in her arms.
"Good morning!" she chirps, glancing at Jules gripping the side of the exam table and Justin rubbing my arms.
My stomach flops and it dawns on me that with Jules by herself and Justin and I cordoned off in a futile attempt to calm my nerves it probably looks like he and I are a couple and Julia is some sort of surrogate.
Shit.
Just fantastic.
I'm so wrapped up in my own head, so—twisty, over what some stranger is going to think about the way I chose to live my life that we've left Julia all alone to fend for herself. She's absolutely correct. Justin should be holding her hand, not mine. My stomach clenches and my hands fist in anger at myself. It's unacceptable.
This…this isn't about me anymore.
It's about her, and the child currently growing in her belly. Something snaps inside my chest at the realization that the time for me to wallow has passed. Justin, for all his smart-ass, toddlerish character traits, has been twice the man that I've been these last few months.
That stops now.
Justin steps away and I pull my shoulders back, standing at my full height while the woman places her laptop on the corner of the counter.
The room isn't huge, and feels even smaller still with the extra person in it…aka, me. The newcomer pivots on her heel and takes stock of everybody's location before she holds out her hand to Julia.
“Hi, I’m Emily Sawyer, one of the midwives at Enchanted Childbirth. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You must be Julia."
Julia beams at the woman, shaking her hand with glittering eyes.
"That's me!" Jules confirms. The midwife turns, hand still out, eyebrows raised with openness and curiosity as Justin steps into the void.
"I'm Justin," he says with a smile. "The husband."
My heart is fluttering in my throat and I'm sure she can hear my voice tremble but I step right beside Justin and offer her my hand before she's even finished shaking his.
"I'm Remi," I announce, praying my voice sounds steadier than it feels. "I'm their fiancé."
The midwife's eyes widen just a tad at that, but the nausea in my gut is worth it…it's so worth it. Because Julia is grinning ear to ear and Justin links our fingers together and brings our joined hands to his lips, kissing the pulse point in my wrist before pulling me to sit next to him in the proffered seats.
"My sister is a patient here," Justin says as the woman drops onto the wheeled stool. "Brianna Taylor. She recommended your practice. Then we did a little research and read that you were welcoming of non-traditional families."
"We're a closed-triad," I announce proudly, with maybe a bit of bite to my tone. Daring her to challenge us.
A thrill of pride and joy burns inside my chest. It sounds so simple when I say it plainly like that. A triad–a threesome. The three of us, soon to be four, together, forever. It's the first time those words have left my mouth. Fancy words and special titles are Justin's domain.
But—Julia should never have been sitting on that exam table alone. Not for a heartbeat. I belong to them, and this woman needs to know that.
I didn't realize that he'd researched the obstetrician’s office. It makes sense, but—all I knew is that Bri said she loved the doctors and midwives at this practice. Both of her children were delivered in their facilities. But, of course he researched the office before we came. Justin does everything in his power to take care of us both. He wouldn't willingly and knowingly put us in a situation where we risked being treated poorly.
"I'm glad to know that our reputation precedes us," the midwife says with a smile, patting her hands on her knees. "We'll take good care of you, I promise."
She turns back to her laptop and starts clicking away, reading from her screen and asking additional questions…is this your first pregnancy? Any gynecological problems in the past? Last pap-smear?
"I see you filled out the father's portion of the paperwork," she says, still clicking away on her mouse. "Are you positive which man is the biological father?"
"Does it matter?" Justin asks.
