Page 6 of This Memory
“I would say it’s a pleasure to see you, but I’d be lying.”
Laughing, I shook my head and slid onto a barstool. “Need me to do anything?”
“Nothing at all,” Evelyn stated, as she pulled garlic bread out of the oven. “I hope you don’t mind we’re having spaghetti. Of course, we’re using Brystol’s homemade sauce she made last spring.”
I wasn’t about to admit I loved Brystol’s pasta sauce, so I kept my mouth shut.
“How about you help me set the table?” Denny said, handing me the plates. “We’re eating in the dining room.”
Taking them from him, I replied, “Sure thing.”
I glanced around and tried not to let nerves get the best of me. Denny and Evelyn both seemed way too happy to be delivering bad news, but with just me and Brystol here, whatever they wanted to talk about must be important.
Back in the kitchen, Evelyn was just pouring the noodles into a bowl next to the cut garlic bread.
“Come make a plate!” she said, a broad smile on her face.
Brystol avoided looking at me at all costs, which wasn’t anything new. We’d had dinner with Denny and Evelyn plenty of times and managed not to kill each other, but something about tonight felt different…and I had a feeling I was the only one in the dark.
Once we were all seated, Evelyn poured wine into everyone’s glasses. It was her favorite wine, too, I noted.
“Are we celebrating something?” I asked, picking up the wine and taking a small sip.
Denny and Evelyn exchanged looks, then both of them glanced at Brystol.
Holy shit. What if this has to do with Brystol and that jerk she’s dating? No, no way. They’ve only been dating a couple of months.
“Why do I have a feeling I’m missing something?” I asked, glancing around the table.
Brystol cleared her throat, reached for her wine, and almost downed the entire glass.
Evelyn spoke first. “A few months back, Denny and I asked Brystol to do something for us.”
I looked at Brystol, but she focused on her spaghetti, spinning her fork in the noodles.
“Okay,” I said. “What was it?”
Denny set his fork down. “As you both know, Evelyn and I have been trying to have a baby, with no luck. We finally learned several months back that Evelyn can’t carry a child. She can get pregnant, but her body keeps rejecting the baby. We’ve had six miscarriages.”
I felt my body deflate. “I’m so sorry, guys. I had no idea.”
Evelyn reached for Denny’s hand. “We were given some options. One was adoption…and another was a surrogate.”
“A surrogate?” I asked.
Evelyn nodded. “Yes. It would be Denny’s sperm and my egg, but we would have another woman carry the child for us.”
My eyes went wide. “Wow, that’s crazy. Have you found someone willing to do this for you?” I couldn’t help but think whoever it was, they were sacrificing a lot to do this for Evelyn and Denny.
I didn’t have to wonder who it was for long.
“We did.” Denny glanced at Brystol. She was still staring at her plate of food, and I was pretty sure she hadn’t taken a single bite. “We asked Brystol. She told us in August that she’s on board.”
Turning my body fully toward her, I slowly shook my head. “Brystol?”
She looked up, and our eyes met. I wasn’t sure if Evelyn and Denny saw the fear in her eyes, but I sure as hell did.
Forcing a smile, she spoke. “I took the time to think about it, spoke to my family and some close friends, and decided I wanted to do this for Denny and Evelyn.”
