Jacqueline Diamond - His Baby Dream

“My feet hurt. I have to sit down.” As Stacy sank into a chair, the saleslady hurried over, asking if she was okay and offering tea, which they gratefully accepted.

“That’s another problem with choosing a gown,” Stacy murmured. “By September, I’ll be sticking out to here. Possibly out to there.” She indicated a point halfway across the room.

“We have designs with plenty of room,” the clerk assured them.

“For triplets?” Stacy asked.

After a blink of surprise, the saleslady said, “I’m sure we can accommodate you.”

Soon Harper and Stacy found themselves in a large dressing room with a selection of gowns, along with bridesmaid dresses in Harper’s size. Since Stacy hadn’t yet chosen her colors, the options were wide open.

“Pregnant brides must be fairly common,” Harper commented as she helped her friend into a dress with a forgiving waistline.

“Yeah, but I’ll bet none of them got pregnant the way I did.” Stacy smoothed out the skirt. “When you take those hormones and they tell you to watch out after they harvest the eggs, they aren’t kidding.”

“So I hear.” As part of her preparation to become an egg donor, Harper had been warned that the harvesting process didn’t catch every egg. Donors were strongly advised to abstain from intercourse for the rest of that cycle or risk getting pregnant with multiples.

After Stacy donated eggs to Una, she’d believed her period had started. That same night, celebrating her birthday, she’d had an unexpected romantic encounter with Cole. Initially, she’d planned to give up the babies for adoption, but despite Cole’s clumsy approach to wooing, he’d eventually won Stacy’s heart.

“You and Una inspired me,” Harper added, “but that doesn’t mean I intend to follow all your examples.”

“Good.” Turning to examine the back of a dress, Stacy paused as her gaze met Harper’s in the mirror. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this...”

“When has that stopped you?”

Her friend smiled. “Okay. I’m glad you’ll be helping a family have children...”

“But?” Curious, Harper slipped out of a pink dress that was too pale for her complexion.

“When Una called to say she was pregnant, I thought I’d be ecstatic.” Stacy eased out of her gown, as well. “Instead, I felt as if the bottom had dropped out.”

That puzzled Harper. “Why?”

“I didn’t understand it,” Stacy admitted. “You know, the program initially tried to reject me as a donor because I hadn’t had a child of my own. I browbeat Jan until she agreed.” Jan Garcia, R.N., headed the egg donor program.

“It upset you when Una got pregnant?” Harper prompted.

“I felt empty.” Stacy drooped at the memory. “My arms ached to hold those babies. Although I was ashamed of my reaction, that’s how I felt.”

“I wish you’d told me.” If Harper had known Stacy was struggling, she’d have been more supportive. Not that she’d been unkind, but she had been distracted by her new job and Mia’s needs. “Since I already have a child, though, my arms won’t be empty.”

“What about those little boys in your dreams?” Stacy reminded her.

“I don’t see them as mine.” Harper had discussed the matter with the program’s psychologist. “They’re separate people who deserve their own lives. I’m just helping them.”

“That’s what I thought about my future babies,” Stacy cautioned.

“And now you get to watch Una’s twins grow up,” Harper pointed out. “Plus raise three of your own.”

“You’re missing the point,” Stacy pressed. “I just want you to understand that things might not go as planned.”

“I appreciate the warning.” Harper hadn’t meant to dismiss her friend’s concern. “But while I’d love to share the recipient’s pregnancy and birth, I accept that that might not happen. In the meantime, what do you think?” She twirled in a light purple dress with blue trim. “This is pretty.”

“It fits beautifully.”

“Could you go for these colors?” Harper would be able to wear the cocktail-length dress again, a definite plus in view of the price.

“Oh!” Stacy eyed the dress in dismay. “Ellie said any color but puce.”

“This isn’t puce. It’s purple. What color is puce?”

“I’ll check.” Sitting on the bench, Stacy consulted the dictionary in her phone. “It says here it’s dark red. I always thought puce was purple.”

Standing upright to avoid wrinkling the dress, Harper searched on her phone. “This site says it’s a grayish red-violet.” The color displayed was lighter and more muted than the one she wore.

Stacy continued doing research. “Listen to this! Puce is a French word that refers to the color of bedbug droppings.”

Together, they said, “Eww!”

“I’m sure the bedbugs have been out of the picture for hundreds of years,” Stacy said.

“Do you suppose that’s why Ellie hates the color?” Harper asked. “Or does she loathe anything purplish, reddish or violetish in general?”

“Violetish? Never mind.” Stacy pressed a number. A moment later, she said, “Ellie? What color is puce?”

Over the phone, which was on speaker mode, came, “It’s yellow-green.”

Stacy and Harper laughed.

“What?” squawked Ellie’s voice.

“I’ll tell you later,” Stacy promised. “What do you think of this dress?” She held up the phone so her sister could see. Harper twirled like a model.

“Ooh, cute!” said Ellie.

“You like the color?”

“You bet!”

They agreed to have one sent to her in her size. With Ellie’s and her mom’s needlework skills, they could tailor it as needed.

Stacy hung up. “I can’t believe we agreed on the bridesmaid’s dress and my colors. Purple and blue. How cool!”

“You still haven’t found a gown,” Harper warned.

Stacy indicated the remaining dresses. “If I don’t find one today, it won’t be the end of the world. We’ve got months and months.”

That turned out to be a good thing. None of the gowns caught the bride’s fancy.

Only later, after they’d purchased the bridesmaid gowns and Harper had been measured for alterations, did Stacy’s words come back to her. I felt as if the bottom had dropped out.

Before volunteering, she’d searched the web for comments by egg donors. Some did have regrets, but most reported immense satisfaction.

As she drove to Adrienne’s house to collect Mia, Harper reminded herself that she had a strong sense of who she was and what she wanted from life. Plus, unlike Stacy, she already had a child.

Whom she suddenly couldn’t wait to hug.

* * *

ALL WEEK, PETER NOTICED whenever Harper arrived to drop off or collect her daughter at sports camp. Mostly, he gave her a friendly nod from a distance, despite the temptation to walk over and chat. He was here to work, and she had tasks to accomplish, as well.

The Fourth of July holiday fell midweek. Usually, he joined his parents for a barbecue, but this year they’d flown to Maryland to see his sister and meet Betty’s new fiancé. Peter nearly asked Harper about her plans, except that would imply he wanted to be included. Instead, he volunteered to supervise a group of underprivileged children at an Independence Day festival.

On Friday, Peter missed seeing Harper. She must have been there, because Mia arrived and departed, but he got tied up with administrative matters. Thank goodness he had arranged to see her tomorrow.

Thank goodness? Peter’s thoughts must have a mind of their own. He missed Angela too much to get involved with anyone else.

The memory of his wife reminded him that he’d been neglecting her rose garden. As a result, he spent Saturday morning deadheading flowers, fertilizing and spraying for black spot.