Page 35 of The Surrogate Omega, Part Two

The screen is mounted to the wall and large, so even my untrained eye is pretty sure what she’s going to say as she scans down the fetus to see their lower anatomy. Before she can speak, Avery leans forward. “Is that what I think it is?” he asks, pointing to the screen.

“Yes, it is. Congratulations, you’re having a boy.”

I clutch my belly as Avery jumps up to his feet and woots, a fist pumping in the air, before turning around, cupping Zoe’s cheeks, and kissing her soundly.

“We’re gonna have a boy, baby.”

Zoe grins at her boyfriend, tears forming as she traces his cheek. She doesn’t say anything, but I can see all the emotion swarming in her eyes. I feel like an intruder and force myself to turn away. I know River would say it’s a private moment and watching them is rude.

The ultrasound tech, who never introduced herself to me, wipes the goopy gel off my belly with a perfunctory swipe and then turns back to her computer.

“I’ll print out some images for you guys,” she tells Avery and Zoe.

I’m feeling more and more awkward and have the sudden urge to run out of the room. I know it’s not my moment, I get that, but I still don’t feel comfortable.

Just as I’m getting to the point where I’m going to see if I can sneak out of there, I feel Zoe’s arms wrap around mine, and she kisses me on the cheek.

“Thank you, Lake.” She kisses my cheek again, a tear hitting it. “You don’t know how much this means to us.”

My heart warms, and I squeeze her hand. “Congratulations, I’m so happy for you.”

Avery is still bouncing as he jumps up to me and squeezes my shoulder affectionately. “Thanks, man. Seriously, I don’t know what we would do without you.”

There’s a throat clearing and I look up to see the ultrasound tech watching us, her eyes narrowed in disgust. I know it has to be me that disgusts her, though I’m not sure why. It’s not the first time I’ve gotten the look, and it won’t be the last, I’m sure.

“If you don’t mind, can you please take this into the waiting room? I have another family coming in.” Even I can sense the shift in her voice, the sudden coldness. While she hadn’t been particularly pleasant to me, she had been nothing but friendly and polite to Avery and Zoe until now.

Zoe’s expression sharpens and she purses her lips. Just as she’s about to open her mouth to speak, Avery lightly touches her arm. I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems like they’re having a silent conversation, and I see as Avery looks pointedly at me. Not sure what else to do, I grab the towel that the tech discarded and wipe my stomach better before pulling down my shirt, not wanting to intrude.

By the time I’m sitting up, Zoe sighs, gives the woman a dirty look, and then storms out of the room. Avery glances at me apologetically. “Come on, Lake. Let’s tell the family the news!” he says with a smile and fake enthusiasm.

I nod and quickly follow him out. I hear the woman huff as we leave, but I don’t say anything. I’m still trying to figure out what happened. After the disaster with River’s pregnancy and some of the discrimination he felt there, the doctors have all been extremely careful with me. Overly professional, if you ask me. This is the first time I’ve felt any kind of bias toward me for being a male or anything at all. And I know I’m not always observant, but I can usually tell when someone hates me, especially for something I cannot control. I’ve been dealing with it my whole life starting with my biological father, so I pick up on it easily.

It’s not worth the hassle though. This day is about Avery and Zoe, and I hope I didn’t ruin it. Avery and I walk out of the patient room and through the hallway to get back to the waiting room where our families are. Zoe is standing by the door, waiting for us.

She’s tapping a message furiously on her phone when the two of us walk up. Her fiery gaze meets Avery’s, and I’m very glad I’m not him. I really, really don’t want to ruin this moment for them, so before she can lay into Avery for not letting her yell at the woman, I interrupt.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt.

They turn toward me, looking confused. “Sweetie, what are you sorry for?” Zoe asks, her tone much softer than I expected.

I wave my hand back. “I just wanted this to be special for you, and I feel like I ruined it.”

Before I even know what’s happening, Zoe wraps her arms around me. Since I started spending more time with River’s friends and my mates, I’ve become a lot more comfortable with physical affection, and Zoe, in particular, gives very comforting hugs. I don’t even try to pull away.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I feel bad I didn’t realize how she was treating you until I caught that look she was giving you at the end. I was just so caught up in the moment.”

Zoe pulls back, but I keep her hand. “And you should be caught up in it. I’m used to stares. I’ve been getting them my whole life. Please don’t let this bother you, ok?”

Zoe seems unconvinced, but Avery kisses the side of her head and plays with her braids, relaxing her. “I hate bigoted assholes as much as you do, babe. But Lake is right. We can’t change their minds, and we can’t let it ruin our day. Now, let’s go out there and tell our families that Miri’s going to have a little boyfriend to play with.”

Zoe rolls her eyes. “Do not phrase it that way in front of my parents, please. My mom will seriously be making wedding dresses and shipping those poor kids for the next 25 years.”

I laugh, picturing Cooper’s face if anyone tries to marry off his seven-month-old daughter. It won’t be pretty. Avery, seemingly catching my thought process, bursts out laughing. “Oh, I am so fucking with Coop. He’s going to kill me.”

Zoe sighs, exasperated but clearly amused. Her fingers brush across my belly as she looks up at me. Zoe is one of three people who have permission to touch my ever-growing baby bump, and the other two are my mates. Zoe is only on that very small list because she’s the baby’s mom and I feel like she deserves that experience. Even so, it’s still weird to me, and I have to resist the urge to back up.

Zoe’s eyes are sparkling, and I have a feeling she knows what I’m thinking. “Alright. I’ll let it go for now. Are you two ready to face the hoard?”

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