Page 75 of Instant Bond

“Definitely,” Karter said, chuckling. “None of that stuff will change.”

“I can call you Dad?”

“I’d like it if you did,” he said carefully. “But if you don’t want to, or you want to take some time to think about it, you don’t have to.”

“No way!” Ty scoffed. “I don’t need any time to think about it. Two dads is better than one, definitely.” He paused, looking hesitant. “Can I hug you?”

“Of course,” Karter said, before Ty launched into him.

Unable to stop myself, I made my way over to the couch and sat next to them, rubbing a hand down Ty’s back.

“But you know, some stuff is going to have to change,” I told him.

Glancing up at me from Karter’s embrace, he pursed his little lips. “We have to move, right? So the baby can have a room.”

“That’s right,” I said, eyebrows raising. Sometimes I wondered how I’d made a smart kid.

“But our new house is going to be way, way cooler than this one,” Karter promised him.

“Really?” Ty asked, doubt and suspicion ringing through loud and clear in his squeaky little voice. “How’s that?”

“Well, the new house is going to be pretty big,” Karter started.

“As big as Mrs. Farrah and Mrs. Tracey’s house?” He asked, eyes wide. I started to say no, absolutely not, but Karter jumped ahead of me.

“Absolutely,” he said. “We’re going to have a lot of rooms, and a really big yard. We could even have a pond put in, so you could feed ducks at home.”

“A pond at home!?” Ty cried out, mouth dropping open. “You said people can’t have ponds, only at the park!” He accused me, frowning.

“Only certain kinds of people can have ponds,” I retorted dryly, giving Karter a bland look. He shrugged a shoulder, unrepentant of the sin of his vast and obscene wealth.

“And we’re not that certain kind of people?” Ty asked, looking a little sad.

“You are now,” Karter said, giving him a smug little grin.

“Awesome!” Ty cheered, raising his arms up. “House pond! Duckies at home!”

It was clear I would be outvoted if I tried to veto the mansion or the pond, so I only sighed, resting my hand on my lower tummy. This kid didn’t know how easy they would have it.

The rest of the day, until we pulled up to Karter’s parents’ house, was easy breezy, and full of laughs and hugs and happy discussions. Ty was over the moon about gaining Karter as a dad, and wasn’t shy about showing his elation about it. He’d already asked me a lot of questions about how I was feeling, and if the baby had a name yet, or if we knew if it was a boy or girl.

“Remember, you can’t say anything about the baby yet, until me and your dad say it’s time,” Karter reminded him as we unloaded from the car.

Ty made a show of zipping across his mouth, miming a lock at the corner and tossing away the key. He was good at keeping his mouth shut when needed, so I wasn’t worried.

We would have a more private celebration with just Tracey and Farrah on Christmas day, but this party was for all friends and acquaintances. The giant tree in their family room was decorated with extreme precision and coordination, not like our haphazard disaster, and the walls were hung with stockings and little signs and decor promoting the holiday season.

“So what’s this big news you have to tell us?” Tracey wondered, accosting us the second we were in the door.

“Later, Mom,” Karter told her. She gave him a wry smile, but blinked innocently.

“Fine, fine.”

Ty insisted on carrying the platter of cookies himself, marching it to the kitchen while Karter and I followed closely behind.

Tracey chattered happily to us as we made our way through the scattered crowd of party attendees. I recognized many of them from Halloween, returning their friendly smiles and waves as I passed. Whether it was because they didn’t know enough about me to feel superior, or because Karter’s family didn’t surround themselves with total snobs, I wasn’t sure. But it was a relief either way.

“They’re not budging yet,” Tracey informed her wife very matter-of-factly, as we wandered into the kitchen. Farrah looked less concerned and more patient about the whole situation.

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