Page 86 of Hell Hath No Fury

“Oh, shit,” I mutter. “I forgot about that.”

Tony grimaces. “This is far more serious than I imagined, and I’m happy you mentioned it to me and not my wife.”

“Is everything okay?” Darius asks with obvious concern.

Tony sighs, then shrugs. “Well, yes and no.”

“Can you elaborate?” Antoinette chimes in.

“Let’s just say the lack of a baby Darius isn’t for lack of trying,” Tony responds. “It just hasn’t worked out yet.”

“Has she…” I let the question hang out in the air, knowing he’ll know what I’m referring to without having to spell it out.

“No,” he responds quickly. “No losses or anything like that—”

“Is it your swimmers?” Matt interrupts with a smirk.

Tony glares and throws his napkin at him. “No, it’s not my fucking swimmers, you asshole. Though honestly, that would make it easier because I wouldn’t take the difficulty personally.”

“Carolina is upset, then?” Antoinette asks quietly, obviously worried about her friend struggling.

Tony sighs. “Sometimes. Mostly, she’s disappointed. She never thought she could have more children, so when it was no longer an impossibility, she started to seriously consider it.”

“That must be difficult for her,” Matt responds. “And for you.”

Tony waves Matt off. “I’m perfectly fine with or without more babies. I just want Carolina to be happy.”

“Hey, there are tons of options out there,” Agatha offers. “If you decide more babies is what you want, then you can see which path works best for you.”

“Yeah,” Antoinette adds. “You can always get an egg donor. It’s not just sperm being put on ice now.”

Tony laughs. “I’m not sure if she’s up for egg shopping just yet, but thanks for the tip.”

“She can have mine,” I offer easily, not even thinking about how strange the statement might sound in my current company.

Everyone turns their eyes on me at once, and I laugh nervously, kind of wishing I had thought to make this conversation private. So, I add, “I had my eggs frozen years ago, just in case I ever settled down and wanted to try for more kids.”

“Seriously?” Agatha asks, frowning.

“Well, I never really thought anything would come of it, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to do it.”

“But you would have liked more children,” Antoinette says, more of a statement than a question.

“In a perfect world where I got to have you two and more, sure.”

Agatha sighs, her expression almost sympathetic. “If that’s what you truly wanted, I’m sorry you never got the chance.”

I laugh a bit hollowly. “No reason to be sorry, Aggie. I have everything I need right here.” I look back to Tony and continue, “But if they were needed, wanted, even, then they’re yours.”

Matt asks, “You wouldn’t have a problem watching someone else raise your biological children?”

Now, I grimace, shaking my head. “Nope, my baby days are well behind me. Just call me Grandma, and be back in a couple hours, and we’re good.”

“I’ll definitely talk it over with her if it comes to it,’ Tony states with a laugh. “Though some may find it odd for me to father Agatha and Antoinette’s half-sibling.”

Antoinette and Agatha cackle, and Agatha responds, “If only that was the oddest thing to ever go on with you lot.”

Everyone laughs, their amusement echoing through the room, and I smile as I take in my family, enjoying another joke at their expense.

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