Forever (Always & Forever 2)

Robert dropped his sunglasses in place and put the gearshift in reverse, looking in the rearview mirror. “I think it’ll probably be more like a blow job then fall asleep in each other’s arms. They rented the restaurant until one in the morning. We have to be back here by four thirty. I’ve got to check the setup of our ingredients. I don’t trust the production team like I had hoped.”

“Robert, you’re killing me,” Landon groaned, his body slumping in the seat as his head rolled back and forth on the head rest. “I’ve been really planning on this…with you. I need you inside me.”

“Sunday afternoon is all ours. It’ll be our funday.” Robert pulled the car into the traffic, dropping the sun visor down to block the sun shining right in his face. Landon didn’t say anything more. Robert couldn’t see how he could give in—not right now, no matter how badly he wanted to. Landon had insisted he do these things; this was part of it. Robert had told him it wouldn’t be easy.

Even though Robert had every intention of making it up to his husband, he had to fight the urge to lean across the seat and kiss that pout right off Landon’s handsome face.

Weird coincidences that often staggered Landon in his day to day life were in play right now. Scarlett, their third possible surrogate, sat across from them at a small table inside a coffee shop off the beaten path in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Landon had never ventured out this far, wasn’t a hundred percent certain where they were, but it seemed reasonably close to Minneapolis and the hospital where Robert preferred to have their baby.

As with all their meetings, Landon stayed quiet and let Robert handle things. Instead of voicing his questions, he chose to watch and listen to her replies to Robert’s inquiries. Both physically and mentally, she appeared ready to embark on this adventure with them. She was twenty-seven years old, worked in the health food industry, and sat on the board of the food bank. She had a six-year-old daughter and had been married seven years ago to her college sweetheart. Their pregnancy hadn’t been planned. Neither was her husband’s car accident over a year ago. They were swimming in healthcare debt. Since surrogacy was something she had always wanted to explore, now seemed the perfect time.

Yes, her history mattered, but Scarlett had sealed the deal with Landon the minute she took the seat across from them. His gaze fell to the inside of her wrist, where she had an intricately inked feather standing in stark contrast to her porcelain skin.

Since Scarlett sat across from them, Sophia had already screened and approved her. The feather tattoo tipped the scale in her favor. Apparently, Robert had thought so too. After the initial introductions, Robert asked questions as if it were inevitable that they’d work together.

“Do you have any other questions?” Robert asked Landon, the weight of his hand resting on Landon’s thigh, drawing him back into the moment.

“Nothing more than I’d like to meet your family. It’s not a rush, I think Sophia has met them, right?” Landon asked.

“If you’re talking about Dr. Richardson, then yes. We’ve had home inspections, job references checked. They’ve interviewed my direct supervisor. They’ve talked to my daughter’s school and some character references. Dr. Richardson is very thorough. She explained to me that you matter to her.” She nodded as though saying if they mattered to Sophia, then they mattered to Scarlett too. That was another thing he liked: her positivity and willingness to help.

Robert did something Landon had never done in meeting any surrogate. “Sophia’s my biological mother. She’s been through all this personally. She takes such care with all their clients. I couldn’t have asked for better than her and her firm.”

“I did check you two out before I agreed to this meeting. I wondered if Dr. Richardson was involved in your birth,” she asked.

“I, of course, don’t remember that time.” Robert gave a throaty chuckle and a playful squeeze to Landon’s leg. “But my fathers would talk about the relationship they shared with Sophia throughout the pregnancy.” Robert hooked a thumb between him and Landon. “We’d like to be involved, attend doctor appointments—”

“And all the ultrasounds. I think I want one or two of those 3D ultrasounds,” Landon interrupted, seeing what the baby looked like fascinated him.

Robert nodded, giving him the where-had-that-come-from face. He got that same look a lot from Robert, and said, “Correct, we want to be very involved.”

“I hope you’ll be,” she said. “If you select me, I’ll take time off work and can be available anytime you want to check in.”

“Great, let us talk and we’ll be in touch. I think it’s safe to say we should schedule time to meet your family.” Robert looked at Landon for confirmation, and he nodded. “I’ll also have our legal team reach out to you. Make sure we’re all on the same page financially.”