“I’m serious.”
“Hi, Serious, I’m—”
“Bear.”
“You did this to me. You’re the one that’s—hiiiiii, Megan.”
“Everything all right?” she asks.
“Of course,” Otter says. “We’re just discussing… stuff.”
“If you’re sure,” she says. “And listen, I know that Marty can be a little….”
“Stoned?” I supply helpfully.
“Not today,” she says. Then her eyes widen. “And never during a pregnancy. We both agree that when we give life to others, our bodies are our temples.”
“That… doesn’t make me feel better.”
“Oh, don’t you worry,” she says, reaching out and squeezing my arm. “He’s really good at what he does.”
“I really didn’t need to hear that.”
She rolls her eyes. “I mean with leading the classes. He’s really stepped up to—”
“Hold on, back up.”
She takes a step back.
Jesus Christ. “I didn’t mean literally. What do you mean by leading the classes?”
Her smile is a little puzzled. And adorable. God, is she adorable. “Marty leads the Lamaze and yoga class we’re about to take. When I went through my first surrogacy, he fell in love with the vibe at Lamazing Grace and decided he wanted to become an instructor. Now he leads three classes a week. Isn’t that wonderful? He’s also training to become a doula. Not many men do that.”
Otter immediately slaps a hand over my mouth. “That’s great. Can you excuse us for a second?”
“Of course. I’ll head into the studio we’re using. It’s the second door on the right. We start in five minutes. Don’t be late. Marty won’t give you the Sunshine Point of Arriving on Time if you’re late.”
I try not to scream against Otter’s hand.
“We’ll be there,” he says, fingers tightening on my face.
“Is Bear all right? He’s turning really red.”
“He’s just so excited to be here,” Otter tells her. “Can barely contain himself.” He waits until she’s turned toward the studio before he drags me away from all the other pregnant couples who have started to gather.
“We need to take Megan and run,” I gasp as soon as he drops his hand. “Keep her safe until the babies are born and then we can give her back.”
“You need to give him a chance,” Otter says sternly. “They wouldn’t let him in front of a class full of pregnant women if he didn’t know what he was talking about.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
“We’re not going to kidnap Megan and hold her against her will.”
“Well, when you say it like that, of course it sounds bad—”
“It’s going to be fine,” he says. “You know it is. Stop looking for troubles where there are none.”
“Okay. But the moment he starts making things weird, we are leaving.”