“They’re g*y,” I blurt out. I really wanted him to come to the knowledge by himself so he would understand.

“What?”

“They’re a couple. I’m their surrogate.” I lift my fist and knock playfully on his forehead. “Earth to Paul,” I say. “Are you still in there?”

“They’re a couple?” he asks quietly.

“Yes.”

His arms tighten around me, and then he flips us over until he’s hovering over me. He brushes my hair back from my face. Then he does something I never would have expected. He chuckles. It’s a deep belly laugh, and he buries his face in my neck, his body rocking, he’s laughing so hard.

“They’re married,” I say. “And they wanted a baby.” I point down toward my belly. “I wasn’t using my uterus for anything, so I told them they could borrow it.” I lay my palm on the side of his face and bring his blue eyes to meet mine. “Now can you stop being so jealous and come and have dinner with us?”

“You never slept with them?” he asks. His eyes search my face, like he’s looking for the meaning of life.

I shake my head. “I don’t think they’re into vaginas,” I say. “And I kind of have a vagina.”

He grows hard against my belly, his breath blowing hot across my lips. “I kind of like that you have a vagina,” he says. He laughs again, and his nose sweeps back and forth against mine.

“Well, it’s been so long since it’s seen any action that it might be broken.”

“I’ll fix it,” he says quietly. He’s so f**king intense that I can barely think.

“And there might be a baby in there.”

“When will you know?”

“Nine more days.”

“And if you are?”

“They’re going to be happiest men on the face of the planet.”

“How do you feel about it?” He’s so quiet and direct that it’s almost unsettling.

“It’s like having an empty apartment in the city. Someone should get some use out of it.” I try to laugh, but he’s not laughing with me.

“Do you want kids?” he asks. “Your own some day?”

“No.” I don’t need to think about it; I already know the answer. I do not and will never, ever want kids.

“So, I suppose I should let you up to go meet the men who got you pregnant.” He laughs. “That sounds so wrong.” He kisses my cheek. “All I want to do is kiss you, though,” he says quietly.

“What’s stopping you?”

“There’s beer and pizza,” he says as he lifts himself off me and holds out a hand. I let him pull me up, and I adjust my dress where he messed it up. He motions for me to precede him out the door, but at the last minute, he tugs my elbow and draws me back. “Friday,” he says.

“What?” I ask, breathless with how close he is to me.

“I…ah…I don’t know what to do with all these brand-new feelings for you,” he says quietly.

“Okay,” I breathe in response.

“They scare the shit out of me, but they make me feel hopeful, too.”

“Why me?” I ask.

“Because you’re you,” he says, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.

And therein lies the problem, Paul. I’m me. And that’s all I’ll ever be. The real me—the one he hasn’t met. He’ll probably never see her because it has been a really long time since I’ve seen her myself.

Paul

I can’t f**king believe that I ever thought she screwed either of these guys. I reach out my hand to take Cody’s, and he grips mine tightly and looks into my eyes. “If you hurt her, I’ll have to take you out,” he says quietly so that only I can hear him.

It startles me for a second. I’m not sure how to respond. He’s not nearly as big as I am, but he’s serious and I have to respect that he’s trying to take care of her. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I murmur, looking for Friday to come save me from his gaze, but she’s sitting on the couch beside Garrett, her head on his shoulder.

I twist my hand to pull it from his grasp, but he holds tightly. “I might not be able to kick your ass,” he says, and he jerks my arm, pulling me forward until we’re chest to chest. “But I know people,” he goes on to say.

Okay, now I’m annoyed. “If you find someone big enough and there’s just cause, you should go for it,” I tell him. I squeeze his hand tightly until he winces, and I let him go. He steps back.

“Now that we have that ugly discussion out of the way,” he says, “it’s really nice to meet you.” He grins.

“You, too,” I grunt out. I still can’t f**king believe he just tried to manhandle me in my own living room. I brush a hand through my hair, casting furtive glances in his direction.

Garrett smirks. “I thought you were going to teach him the two-step there for a minute,” he says, talking around a mouth full of pizza.

Cody’s eyes rake up and down my body. “He looks more like a swing dance kind of guy.”

Friday snorts.

“Shut it,” I murmur at her, but I can’t keep from grinning as I take the beer that Garrett offers me.

The room goes quiet for a second, until I can’t stand the silence anymore. “So, you knocked her up, huh?” I suddenly blurt out.