Chapter 6

Alexander

“Mr. Preston, is that fine by you?” one of the interns at my company asked, handing me a piece of paper.

“Yes, sure,” I said.

“So, we’re good to go?” I nodded in agreement, and half a dozen interns left the room. The truth was, I didn’t have a clue what they’d said. I only had one thing on my mind. Casey. After my visit to the clinic, I got busy at work and didn’t have much time to think about her. Lately, however, she was all I could think about. I wondered if she did become pregnant like she’d hoped, what my next visit would be like, and, most of all, if she thought about me, too.

I found myself smitten and obsessed in a way so unlike myself. I was known as the laid-back guy amongst my buddies. Most of my relationships ended because I realized they weren’t going anywhere—and that it didn’t bother me. This was the complete opposite. Casey was a girl I’d spent maybe an hour with, and I had all these visions of a future for us. I knew it was a bit crazy, but my gut was rarely wrong.

A few nights earlier, I was at the gym with two of my college friends, and even they—who, admittedly, weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed—noticed something was different. “Dude, what has you completely distracted?” Wren asked.

“I think it’s more like a ‘who’,” Dustin chimed in. They knew about my regular sperm donations, but the situation with Casey was so bizarre that I didn’t want to explain it. I simply told them I met a gorgeous girl I couldn’t stop thinking about. Wren and Dustin, the last two single buddies of mine, told me to make a move. Even they had to admit that one-night stands and meaningless relationships were getting old.

With my friends’ advice in mind, I walked back to my office and grabbed my wallet and car keys from my desk drawer. I knew what I had to do. “Leah, I’ll be back later,” I said to my assistant, walking out the door without so much as a glance back.

The ride to the clinic was filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic, but that gave me time to prepare. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Was I overestimating how much I liked Casey? Had I built up this silly fantasy in my head? I figured the only way to know was to talk to her face-to-face. This also worked out well because, well, I hadn’t even thought to get her phone number.

I took a deep breath as I rounded the corner on which the clinic sat. This was it. If Casey didn’t have feelings for me, then at least I’d be clearing the air before my appointment the following week. I walked inside and the chime on the door went off. Within seconds, my gaze was fixed on Casey’s deep, gorgeous eyes.

“Alexander,” Casey said, as if my name were somehow poisonous. Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for, but I had to take it into account that she hadn’t been expecting me. “What are you doing here? We don’t have you scheduled until next week.”

I looked around at the patients that filled the waiting room. “Can we go somewhere and talk?” I asked. Casey moved her eyes around the room, as if to tell me she had work to do. “That’s alright. I’ll wait.”

Grabbing a magazine from a corner table, I took a seat. I glanced at the cover of the magazine I’d chosen. Maternity Monthly. While it wasn’t exactly TIME or The New Yorker, I had time to kill.

Every time it seemed as though the waiting room was clearing out, another woman or couple would walk in, and I knew my wait was beginning all over again. Every once in a while, Casey glanced up to see if I was still there. She pretended we weren’t making eye contact, but I knew she knew I saw her looking. There was no use in leaving. I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything until I talked to her. I spent nearly two hours reading four issues of Maternity Monthly cover to cover. I was now an expert on choosing the proper bottles for a baby and what to pack in your hospital bag.

Finally, the last person in the waiting room was called back, and I had Casey to myself. I walked up to the reception desk. “Can we talk now?”

Casey hesitated, then came around to open the door for me. We went into the same break room we spent time in the last time I was at the clinic, but I got the feeling that this was where the similarities ended.

“There’s no way you could possibly know already,” Casey said.

I couldn’t even guess what she was talking about. “Know what?” I asked.

“Never mind. Why did you come here?”

“Look, I know we sort of…not in so many words… agreed this was just a crazy idea,” I said. Why was I so nervous? I’d never been this tongue-tied around a girl. “But I really like you. I can’t stop thinking about you. Something just told me that I had to see you today.”

Casey patted down her dress that hugged every inch of her perfect curves.

“I have a guess what that something might be.”

“What’s that?”

“Our mission was successful,” Casey said.

Gulp. I had to make sure I understood what she was referring to. “You mean…”

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted. “I’m having a baby!”

“Congratulations,” I said. What exactly was the right thing to say to someone you had impregnated voluntarily? I gave Casey a clumsy hug and patted her on the back. I had never acted so awkwardly, yet there was nothing I could do to stop myself. I didn’t know how to feel about the pregnancy. Sure, we agreed that this would just be like any other sperm donation, minus the plastic cup and insemination. On the other hand, this was much more personal than simply offering up some bodily fluids in a cup. I was drawn to Casey, regardless of whether or not she was carrying my child.

I couldn’t decide whether this was the best possible time or worst possible time to ask Casey on a date. She was carrying my child—but it was debatable whether that made things more awkward or less awkward. I decided I had nothing to lose.

“Casey, there’s a reason I came here.”

“What’s that?” she said.

I drew in a breath. “I’d really like to take you on a date.”

Casey’s laugh wasn’t the answer I was hoping for, but it was the answer I got. “You can’t be serious.”

“Well, why not?” I pushed. I hoped I wasn’t overstepping, but I wanted some sort of answer.

“Did you miss the part where I told you I’m carrying your child?” Casey said.

I nodded my head, trying my best to convey my understanding.

“Sure, it makes things a bit…uh… unconventional. But I really like you.”

“I like you too,” Casey said, a subtle smile making its way onto her face. “But I just don’t know if it’s the best idea.”

Casey said the words in a way that made me question if she actually meant them. It almost seemed as if she were trying to convince herself it was a bad idea, but that she didn’t quite believe it. I understood her reservations. After all, we’d had a sort of unspoken agreement that the sex was just a one-time thing so she could have the baby she’d always dreamed of. But it felt like so much more than that, so I had to try.

“Just give me one date,” I said. “Let’s see how it goes.”

Casey put her hands on her hips and shrugged her shoulders. “Alright. One date.”

“You won’t regret it!”

I had Casey write down her phone number, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and bolted out of the clinic before she had a chance to change her mind.