Surrogate Father

"Come on in, Jana." Mom smiled warmly at her. "Good to see you again. Would you like something to eat? There's plenty."

"No, thanks. I was just wondering if Aidan was busy, and I see that he is, so I'll just come back another time."

"But don't you want to see my new baby sisters first?" asked Montana.

"Well, all right," Jana said reluctantly. Montana took her hand and led her over to us. Alexei held one twin, and I held the other.

"This one's Jade, and this one's Juniper." Montana pointed to each twin in turn.

"Oh, aren't they sweet!" Jana seemed to have temporarily forgotten about Aidan and Lauren. "Can I hold them?"

"Sure! Here you go." Alexei handed Jade to her. The baby stirred slightly but didn't awaken.

"She's precious!" Jana exclaimed. She held Jade for a couple of minutes and then handed her back to Alexei, and I handed Juniper to her. Juniper opened her big blue eyes and gazed up at her but didn't cry. "You're adorable, too!" She handed Juniper back to me and glanced uneasily at Aidan and Lauren.

"Have a seat." Alexei smiled and patted the sofa.

After a moment of indecision, Jana sat. "So, how's your Dad?" I asked her.

"He's fine. I came back because I missed Aidan so much and really hoped we could give the relationship another chance." She glared at Lauren. "I see that he sure got over me fast enough."

"Hey, what was I supposed to do? Sit around and pine over you forever?" Aidan asked angrily.

"Kids, it's Thanksgiving," Mom reminded them. "Can't we put this aside for just one day?"

"I wanted to surprise him by showing up on Thanksgiving," Jana whined. "I had no idea he'd be here with her."

"I think you'd better leave now, Jana," Aidan said stiffly.

"I'm going." Jana turned and flounced angrily away. "When you come to your senses and realize that you're making a big mistake, I'll be waiting. You can reach me at my Mom's."

Lauren was visibly distressed. "There's nothing to worry about, sweetie." Aidan patted her hand comfortingly. "I wouldn't give you up for anything in the world."

Lauren still looked worried. "She seemed really angry."

"She'll get over it."

My six-week postpartum check-up was a couple of weeks after that. "Everything looks fine," Dr. Brown told me. "You can resume all your normal activities." Determined to make it a special night for Alexei, I arranged for my parents to take the kids for a few hours and then paid a visit to the intimate apparel shop, where I bought the sexiest negligee I could find, musk-scented lubricating oils, and edible panties. Then I went to the bath and body shop and bought scented candles, incense cones, and bubble bath. Lastly, I stopped by the supermarket for steaks and salad fixings on the way home.

By the time Alexei got home from work, I had everything ready. The lights were all off, gardenia-scented candles were burning, and a Kenny G CD was playing. I'd already prepared the salad and placed it on the table and was in the kitchen cooking the steaks when he entered the house.

"Mm, smells delicious." He came up to me and hugged me from behind. "And you look good enough to eat right up." I smiled, thinking about the edible panties, as I turned to kiss his lips. "I assume the doctor had good news."

"The best. He told me I could resume all my normal activities."

"Is that so?" One of his eyebrows arched. "Well, then, in that case, I can hardly wait!" I felt the pleasant warm pressure of his hands through the negligee as they began to roam all over my body.

Playfully I swatted his bottom. "You're gonna make me burn the steaks."

They were done a few minutes later, and I put them on a plate and carried it to the table, then poured our drinks and sat down to enjoy our meal together.

"This is delicious, babe," Alexei said as he took a bite of steak. "Just the way I like it."

"Just wait till dessert."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Well, the first one is molten lava cake, and the second one is...me."

"Well, now, if I didn't love chocolate so much, I'd be tempted to sample the second one first."

I winked. "Good things come to those who wait."

After we finished eating, I stacked the plates in the sink, took Alexei's hand, and led him into the bathroom, where candles and incense were burning and rose petals and bubbles floated on top of the water in the tub.

"Wow, you really outdid yourself!" Alexei exclaimed. Slowly I began to remove his clothing. When I got to his underpants, I saw that he was already fully aroused. I gave him a gentle squeeze, a promise of pleasures to come, before we got into the tub together.

We had a nice, long, leisurely soak, during which time we sponged one another off and blew bubbles. "Remember the very first time you ever gave me a bath?" I asked him.

"I sure do!" He grinned. "It was in New York. We'd gone there to see the Bolshoi Ballet."

"I was so afraid I'd be paralyzed for the rest of my life."

Tenderly he kissed my lips. "I'm so glad you were wrong about that."

"So am I. I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a wheelchair and have four kids under the age of seven."

"Neither can I, but I'm sure it's been done."

The water was tepid by now, and he helped me out and we dried off. When we moved into the bedroom, I fetched the edible panties from the drawer I'd stored them in and put them on. Alexei gave me a puzzled look.

"They're edible," I explained.

"Oh." He laughed. "Oh!"

Needless to say, they were off me in almost no time. As we engaged in one of our most passionate lovemaking sessions ever, I thought about how lucky I was to have my health, my four children, and Alexei. By the time we'd finished, my breasts were aching and dripping milk a little, so Alexei drove back around to my parents' to fetch the kids.

"Do you have fun at Grandma's and Grandpa's?" I asked Montana and Nevada as I got one twin settled at each breast.

"Grandpa watched Toy Story with us," Montana replied.

"Well, I'm glad you had a nice time," I told him.

I finished nursing the twins while Alexei got the two older kids ready for bed. As I fell asleep in my husband's arms later that night, I thought about what a pleasant day it had been.

"But can't you talk to him for me?" Jana pleaded over the telephone. "You're his big sister. He'll listen to you."

"I'm sorry, Jana," I told her. "But he's happy with Lauren now, and I don't have any right to try to take that away from him. You should have thought about that before you just dumped him and took off by yourself. That really hurt him, you know."

"I know, and I'm really sorry! At the time I didn't realize how much I really love him, but now I do!"

"Well, I think it's too late for that." Briefly I wondered whether I'd done the right thing by introducing Aidan to Lauren so soon after Jana had left him, but then I remembered Lauren's grief-stricken face at Earl's funeral and decided that I didn't feel one bit sorry for Jana. "Maybe you'll learn a lesson from this and treat the next guy who comes along better."

I heard the click as she hung up on me. It was time to feed the twins anyway.

Alexei and I were at the mall with the kids that weekend when we came upon Santa with a long line of kids waiting to sit in his lap. "Santa! Santa!" Nevada shouted as she jumped up and down excitedly.

"Can I go see Santa, Mommy? Please?" Montana begged.

Alexei laughed and pushed the stroller to the end of the line. We'd only been standing there for about five minutes when I saw Juniper's face turn beet red as she strained. "I have to change Juniper," I told Alexei as I took her from the stroller. By the time I'd quickly changed her and returned to the line, Jade was wailing. Quickly checking her diaper, I sighed and took her to the restroom as well.

By the time I returned, Alexei had reached the front of the line. Santa beckoned Nevada, but she suddenly primped up and began to cry. "It's Santa, Nevada!" I told her. "You wanted to go see him, remember?" She shook her head.

"I'm going to see Santa," said Montana. "I'm a big boy."

"Me! Me!" Nevada shouted, pushing past her brother as she raced toward Santa. Alexei and I burst out laughing while Montana just stood looking chagrined.

"Well, hello there, little girl!" Santa picked her up and sat her on his knee. "What do you want for Christmas?"

"Just a pony this year. I already have a doggy and two baby sisters." She thought for a minute. "Well, maybe a goldfish, too."

"Well, I'd imagine you'd have to discuss that with your Mommy and Daddy first." He handed her a candy cane.

"Thank you," she said politely.

"And what about you, cowboy?" Santa asked Montana.

"I'm not a cowboy, I'm a Power Ranger."

"OK, what do you want for Christmas, Power Ranger?"

"Maybe a toy rocket ship."

"I'll see what I can do," said Santa.

After that we went into a couple of the big department stores, the CD store, the book store, and the jewelry store. Alexei and I both found several presents for our family members. After that, we let Montana and Nevada pick out a couple of toys each at the dollar store and then went to McDonald's for lunch.

By this time both twins were screaming with hunger, so I went into the restroom to nurse them while Alexei got Montana and Nevada settled and gave them their food. "Oh, what beautiful babies!" a woman exclaimed when she saw us. "Are they identical?"

"We're not sure," I told her. "The only way to know for certain would be to do a DNA test."

"Well, they certainly look just alike. How do you tell them apart?"

"I can't explain. You just have to really know them." I finished feeding the twins and rejoined my family. Alexei took the twins from me while I tore hungrily into my food, almost choking on a french fry. Alexei laughed. "Hey, slow down!"

We went home and got all four kids settled down for naps. I lay down on the bed myself, and a moment later, I felt the warmth of Alexei's hand caressing my skin underneath my shirt and turned to see his saucy grin.

One day I decided to take the kids and visit my friends at the hospital. I really missed working with them and wanted to see them again. Liam was working in the parking lot when I parked and got the kids and the stroller out. "Hey! How have you been?" I called to him.

"Not bad. I don't see much of Aidan anymore though. Every time I call him, he's doing something with Lauren." He sighed. "I sure wish I had his luck."

Right away I thought of Jana, but then it occurred to me that she might would just treat Liam the same way she'd treated Aidan, and I knew he didn't deserve that. "I'm sure you'll meet someone nice soon," I told him.

All my friends made a big fuss over the twins, of course, and I enjoyed catching up on the latest gossip, until suddenly I looked around and realized that Nevada was nowhere to be seen. After looking around some more while calling her name a couple of times, I began to panic. I was just about to alert the hospital security when one of Liam's co-workers arrived holding her hand. "Is this your little girl?" he asked.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" I glared at Nevada. "You know you're not supposed to just wander off like that!"

She glared back at me and didn't say anything. She continued to sulk until we left to go home. "Everybody likes Jade and Juniper better than me," she grumbled as we were on the way.

"Oh, sweetie, that's not true!" I protested. "Everybody makes a big deal out of the twins because they're brand new and they're happy to meet them, but they like you and Montana just as much!"

"I want to be a baby again. I'm tired of being a big girl."

"Oh, you don't mean that! I know you like being able to eat grown-up food and drink from juice boxes and go potty all by yourself. Poor Jade and Juniper! All they get to drink is milk, and they still have to wear diapers!"

She didn't reply, and I feared that a storm was brewing.

Luckily the storm never came, as Alexei was waiting with a plan as soon as we got home. "How about if I watch the twins and Montana for awhile, and you take Nevada to the park," he suggested as soon as we'd come in. "That way you can spend some quality time with her, just the two of you."

"What a great idea!" I exclaimed. "Want to do that, Nevada?" She grinned and nodded.

I nursed and changed both twins before leaving, then drove Nevada to the park. I sang to her as I drove. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are grey..." She joined in about halfway through the first verse, and by the time we reached the park, we'd sang it through together several times.

"So what do you want to do first?" I asked my daughter.

"Slides!" she exclaimed. I sat on a park bench watching her as she eagerly went down several slides, then began to climb the monkey bars. She got almost to the top, then made the mistake of looking down and froze. "Mommy! Help!"

I grabbed her around the middle and gently sat her feet on the ground. "I want to swing now, Mommy," she told me. She ran toward the swing set and I followed right behind her. When we got there, I helped her into one of the swings and then began to push her. She chortled with glee as she swung higher and higher.

I was still pushing her on the swing when I felt the first raindrop hit my hand, and within moments a soft shower had begun. "Aw, Mommy!" Nevada protested as I lifted her from the swing.

"Sorry, babe. Can't swing in the rain," I told her. I took her to the ice cream parlor with the carousel inside, where I met up with Riley, who was there with Camryn and Colton.

"Where's Montana?" asked Camryn.

"Home with his Dad," I told her.

I saw that Colton was wearing special shoes. "He had surgery on his feet several months ago," Riley told me. "It was a success, but he still has to wear corrective shoes until he's two."

Nevada and I shared a strawberry ice cream cone, and then I let her ride the carousel for awhile. When we got home, Montana was playing with the little boy next door, the twins were asleep, and Alexei was sitting in the recliner watching television. "It started raining so we had to go to the ice cream place," Nevada told him.

"That's nice," he replied. "I'm glad you had fun."

"Will you color with me, Dad?"

"Sure, I'd love to." He got the crayons and coloring books out while I went to take a nap.

Lara called me later that evening. "Did you hear about Jana?" she asked.

"What about her?"

"She's in the hospital. I don't know all the details, but someone found her unconscious at home and called the ambulance."

"Oh, no!" I exclaimed. "Is she all right now?"

"I don't know. I'm planning to go see her tomorrow. After all, she is my sister, and I'd feel guilty if I didn't. You can come with me, if you want."

As ticked off as I was about how Jana had treated Aidan, I still felt bad that that had happened to her, so I decided to accompany Lara to the hospital. Liam was working in the parking lot again when we got there. "We're going to visit Lara's sister," I told him.

"The young woman they brought in by ambulance yesterday?" He looked surprised. "I had no idea she was someone you know."

"I just heard she was in the hospital," Lara replied. "I'm not sure what happened to her. She's only my half sister. We're not that close."

"They told me she took a bunch of pills," said Liam. "She was almost dead when she got here. I hope she's OK now."

Jana was awake when we entered her room. She turned lifeless eyes toward us. "Why did you do it, Jana?" asked Lara. "Nothing's worth doing that!"

"I just couldn't live without him." Jana's voice was weak, halting. "I tried, but I just couldn't."

"Without who?" asked Lara.

"Aidan!" Jana's voice sounded stronger this time.

"You faked this whole thing, didn't you?" Suddenly I was furious at her. "You wanted to make him feel guilty so he'd come back to you. You were counting on someone finding you in time."

"That's not true!" she argued. "I really did want to die, and I still do."

"No man's worth killing yourself over," said Lara. "Look at Lauren. She never tried anything like this after Earl was killed."

"And now she has my man."

"Aidan is not your man!" My anger returned. "You just cast him off like a worn out shoe, and then when you change your mind, you expect him to just drop Lauren like a hot potato for you. You need to learn how to treat men."

"I know, and I'm sorry!" As tears rolled down her face, I felt my anger begin to dissipate.

"You need psychiatric help," I told her.

"You do, and I sure hope you get it soon," Lara concurred.

On Christmas Eve night, I'd finally gotten all four kids to sleep and was watching a holiday special on television when Alexei entered the living room and handed me a small wrapped package. "Early Christmas present," he explained.

Eagerly I unwrapped the package to find the sexiest negligee I'd ever seen. It was a hot pink halter neck cleavage chemise made of transparent lace, with two pink bows on the shoulders, another at the belly button, another a few inches further down, and an open crotch. "Oh, wow!" I exclaimed.

"Try it on," Alexei urged.

I took my pajamas and panties off and did so. It fit perfectly. "Mm, you look delicious!" Alexei told me.

"Want a taste?" I teased. I took his hand and led him into the bedroom, where I fell across the bed and gave him an enticing look. He lay down beside me and began to kiss me all over, beginning with my lips and gradually working his way all the way down my body. When he reached my open crotch, I parted my legs wide to give him easy access to my most intimate parts, and he used his fingers to hold me open while using his lips and tongue to give me the most exquisite pleasure. Within seconds, I felt my first orgasm wash over me.

The next thing I knew, he was inside me, making love to me. He stimulated me with his fingers at the same time, and I felt the ecstasy build inside me until it erupted in a crescendo even more intense than the first had been. He came himself a few seconds later, then got up to dispose of the condom. When he came back to bed, he lay beside me and held me close as our breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Merry Christmas, Addison," he mumbled sleepily.

"Merry Christmas, Alexei," I replied. A few seconds later, I heard his gentle snoring.

Christmas dinner was, of course, at Mom and Dad's the following day. All of us got tons of nice things, and nicest of all were the little clay rocking horse ornaments with their names on them that Mom had made for the twins. "They're gorgeous!" I exclaimed. "I'm gonna keep them forever."

Dinner was delicious. There was baked ham, corn on the cob, a green salad, sweet potato crunch, cranberries, and three different pies and two cakes, and in addition, I'd brought a strawberry Jello mold with sliced bananas in it to share. Besides the sexy negligee, Alexei also gave me two triangular tourmaline charms to go on the necklace he'd bought me the previous year and a cute anklet with a frog charm, and I got him his favorite cologne and aftershave in a boxed set.

We spent most of that day at Mom and Dad's, then went home and put all our new things away. On New Year's Eve, we put the kids to bed and then sat up drinking and waiting to welcome in the New Year. "There sure have been a lot of changes this year, haven't there?" Alexei remarked.

"I'll say!" I laughed. "You became a father twice over! I hope you're not disappointed that neither of them was a boy."

"Of course not! Why should I be? We already have Montana, and I couldn't ask for a better son."

My heart swelled with gratitude for my loving husband. "But he doesn't have your last name."

"He would if I legally adopted him."

I was startled. "You'd do that? Really?"

"Sure, why not? I mean, as long as the grandparents on the other side didn't object."

"I don't see why they would. They hardly ever see the kids anyway." It had actually been over a year since Jeff's parents had seen Montana and Nevada, although they did send cards and small gifts on their birthdays and at Christmas.

On the television the countdown had begun, and we joined in, then cheered (very quietly, of course) and clinked our glasses together.

The following day we went to Mom and Dad's for dinner again, and a couple of days later, school started back, so I had only Nevada and the twins to look after in the morning, and in the evening I had to go to the bus stop to wait for Montana to come home again. "So did you have a nice holiday?" asked Katrina the first day I went back.

"It was fun," I replied. "The kids got lots of stuff. How was yours?"

"It was great! We went to visit my husband's relatives who live a couple of counties over. We hadn't seen them in several years, so that was cool."

"I'm glad you had a good time," I replied.

"Would you and Montana like to come to Monty's birthday party this Friday evening?" she continued.

I thought quickly. Alexei would be working the morning shift for the coming week so would be available to babysit Nevada and the twins. "We'd love to," I told her. "Thanks."

The night before the party, however, Juniper was up all night crying, and I had to take her to the doctor the following day. The doctor told me she had an ear infection and prescribed an antibiotic for her. By that evening, I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. "I'll take Montana to the party so you can stay here and rest," Alexei offered.

"Thanks!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, it's no problem." He gave me a quick hug and kissed my forehead. "Come on, buddy! Are you ready to go?" he called to Montana. Montana appeared a moment later, freshly dressed and with his hair moistened and combed down, holding the present I'd bought for him to take.

"Bye, Mommy," he said to me. "I hope you get better soon, Juniper." He kissed his baby sister's cheek.

When they returned a couple of hours later, I was lying in bed fast asleep, holding Juniper. I awakened when Alexei gently took her from my arms and placed her in her crib. "Hey," I mumbled.

"Hey, yourself." Alexei pinched my nose. "Everything OK?"

"I finally got her to sleep," I replied. "How did the party go?"

"It went great!" Montana told me. "I told Monty's Mommy Juniper got sick, and she sent a piece of cake home for you."

"That was sweet of her. Get your pajamas on and I'll read you a story."

"I'll do that," said Alexei. "You just rest."

"Thank you," I told him. I was almost, but not quite, asleep when he turned out the lights and came to bed himself about twenty minutes later. He reached for me, and I went into his arms, where he cuddled me close.

It was raining on the morning of our two-year anniversary. I got Alexei ready for school and drove him to the bus stop. 'Teddy Bear' by Elvis Presley was playing on the radio, and I sang along cheerfully while we waited for the bus.

After Montana got on the bus, I drove back home and cooked pink heart-shaped pancakes and then took them into the bedroom to share with Alexei. "Happy anniversary!" I exclaimed.

"Happy anniversary yourself," he replied. "My, those look yummy!"

"They should be," I told him. "I added strawberry flavoring, and there's also strawberry flavored syrup."

He grinned. "Wow, you're really spoiling me."

"Nothing's too good for my sweetie," I said.

"Aw, am I your sweetie?"

"Of course you are!"

He had to work that day, but that evening, we left the kids with my parents and went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant. I had boiled lobster and fried oysters, and after dinner, we went for a walk in the moonlight before heading back to pick up the kids. That night we stayed up half the night making love and then fell asleep in one another's arms. I knew I'd remember it as one of the happiest days of my life.

"Look how high my kite is, Mommy!" Nevada cried happily. "Daddy got it started for me!" It was a windy day, and Alexei and I had taken the kids to the park to fly kites. Montana's was a dragon with a long green tail, and Nevada's was an eagle. The five-month-old twins sat in their double stroller, watching in fascination as the kites soared and dipped.

Suddenly Nevada tripped over a tree root and dropped hers, and it continued to dance in the wind, growing smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared completely. Instantly Nevada burst into tears. "Daddy! My kite!"

"Never mind," said Alexei. "We'll just go back to the store and get you another one."

"But I want my eagle!"

"I'm sure we can find another eagle." He drove Nevada back to the dollar store while I stayed at the park with Montana and the twins.

"He's such a wonderful father," said an elderly woman who was sitting on a park bench. "How many men would go to that much trouble just to make a child happy? Certainly not my son-in-law!"

"Yes, I'm certainly blessed to have Alexei," I agreed.

"I don't think I've ever known anyone named Alexei before," the woman remarked.

"He's from Russia," I explained.

"Oh." She looked surprised but said nothing more.

A few minutes later, Alexei and Nevada returned. "I got a parrot this time, Mommy!" Nevada exclaimed.

Alexei laughed. "It took a little convincing to persuade her that parrots are just as pretty as eagles."

We stayed at the park for about half an hour longer, then went to the pizza buffet for lunch, then went home. Later Lara called me. "Cole and I want to discuss something very important with you and Alexei," she told me. "It would be better if the kids weren't around when we come."

"OK," I said, feeling very puzzled. "I'm sure my folks wouldn't mind watching them for an hour or so." That evening, Alexei took Montana and Nevada around to my parents' and then came back to wait for Cole and Lara to arrive. They showed up about twenty minutes after he returned.

"I might as well get right to the point," Lara began as she and Cole sat across from Alexei and me on the sofa. The twins were asleep in their cribs. "As you know, we've been trying for a long time to have a baby. We finally went for check-ups and just got the results back. It turns out that everything's fine with me, but Cole has a very low sperm count. The only way I could get pregnant would be to use donor sperm. It's very expensive to go to a sperm bank, about five hundred dollars per attempt, so we were wondering if...well..."

"You want me to donate sperm to you?" Alexei was incredulous.

"It would mean a lot to us. We'd prefer the donor to be someone we know, anyway."

"Well, I'm very flattered...I suppose." Alexei chuckled. "But how?"

"Madison gave me a test tube and a syringe. You'd just have to...you know...into the test tube, and then Cole could inject it into me with the syringe. It's a very simple procedure."

"You mean right now?"

"Oh, no. When it's the most fertile time of the month for me. I've been taking my temperature first thing in the morning for many months now, and my monthly cycle is very regular. I'd simply make arrangements to get together with you on the right day. The whole thing, or at least your part in it, wouldn't take any longer than about half an hour at the most."

"But what if I have to work late that day?"

"It doesn't have to be on that exact day. It can be up to forty-eight hours later."

"Wait a minute!" I interjected. "I'm his wife, for crying out loud! Don't I have any say in this at all?"

"Of course you do," Lara replied calmly. "That's why we wanted to talk to both of you together."

"Look, Lara, I'm really sorry you can't have a baby on your own," I began. "But out of all the men in the world you could have asked, why does it have to be my husband? Can you just imagine how awkward that would be for me and Alexei, and later on for the twins, when they get old enough to understand?"

"I realize that it's a really big favor we're asking, and you don't have to decide right away," Lara replied. "Talk it over between yourselves for as long as you want, and when you've decided, just give us a call. OK?"

"We'll do that," said Alexei. "However it goes, I do hope that the two of you have a baby of your own some day. I know you'd make wonderful parents."

Alexei went to pick up Montana and Nevada, and that night, he and I sat up for a couple of hours discussing the situation. "I think it would be wonderful to be able to help our friends out," he said. "I'm just afraid that I'd get really attached to the baby after it was born, especially if it looked like me or any of my family members."

"I'm sure Cole and Lara would let you remain a part of its life," I replied. "And I don't mean to sound selfish, but I'm just not sure how I'd feel about my best friend carrying your child."

"It wouldn't be like I'd sleep with her," Alexei pointed out. "I'd just donate a sperm, one tiny, microscopic cell, smaller than a period at the end of a sentence, and that would be all."

"Even so." I grinned. "How many little Alexeis do you think the world could handle?"

He laughed. "You think it over, and if the idea makes you too terribly uncomfortable, I'll tell them we can't do it."

"Thanks, Alexei." I put my arms around him and held him close. "You're the best, you know?"

"No, you're the best."

After thinking about it for a few days, I decided that if I truly considered Lara to be my best friend, I'd do whatever it took to make her happy, even if it was something that I wasn't completely comfortable with. After all, would she do the same thing for me if the situation were reversed? I asked myself. Of course she would.

I told Alexei what I'd decided, and he seemed pleased. "That's very mature of you, Addison," he told me. "I was just thinking the same thing, that even if I'm not one hundred percent comfortable with the idea, if it would make Cole and Lara happy, it would be worth it."

I called Lara right away and told her we were willing to help her and Cole out. "Thank you so much, Addison!" she exclaimed. "You'll never know how much this means to us."

A couple of weeks later, she called and told me that it was the optimum time of the month for the procedure to be done. I told her I'd let Alexei know as soon as he got back from work. However, he came home a couple of hours earlier than I'd expected him. His eyelids were puffy and swollen, and he looked very pale and was shivering slightly. "I tried to finish my shift, but I just felt so sick that I had to come home early," he told me.