Page 6 of Most Likely to Fear Love

“My sister, Sarah... she tried for five years. I watched her go through all of it - the temperature tracking, the fertility drugs,the rounds of IVF.” I traced the rim of my cup with my thumb. “She’d call me at three AM sometimes, crying because her period started. Again. Or because another friend announced their pregnancy. Hell, she stopped going on social media altogether after a while.”

Cassidy made a small sound, something between understanding and pain.

“The worst part was watching her hope die, bit by bit. Every negative test, every failed treatment... it was like watching someone slowly bleed out, you know?” I rubbed my beard, remembering those awful years. “She’d put on a brave face for everyone else, but I’d find her sometimes, just sitting there, staring at nothing.”

Hannah had gone completely still. “What happened to her?”

“She got lucky, finally. After they’d pretty much given up and were about to stop trying, her husband asked if she could handle one more round. She agreed. Now she’s got three kids.” I smiled, remembering the day she called me about the first positive test, crying so hard I could barely understand her. “They’re amazing kids, and she’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her. But those years of trying nearly broke her.”

Cassidy’s knuckles were white where she gripped her own cup. “That’s why you responded to my ad?”

I nodded. “Yeah.” Shrugging to let them know I was done with that part of the conversation, I said, “Plus, it’s not exactly a hardship. Just seemed like the right thing to do.”

The kitchen was quiet for a long moment. Cassidy dragged in air and cleared her throat. “Well, um, thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Honestly, it’s no big deal to me, like I said.”

“Well, I think that’s a really big deal and I can’t wait to be an aunty. And on that note, what happens next?”

The way Cassidy blushed, I figured I knew what happened next. I reached for my satchel, feeling the weight of the moment. The sisters’ eyes followed my every move as I unzipped the bag and carefully extracted a small, nondescript jar and placed it in the middle of the table.

The jar sat there, innocent-looking but loaded with significance. How fucking bizarre. Handing over my genetic material to a stranger in her kitchen.

Cassidy’s face went from pink, to pale and back to pink in record time. She stared at the jar like it might explode, her hands twisting in her lap. “Oh fuck, this is so much weirder than I was expecting.”

I bit back a chuckle. For someone who’d put out an ad for a sperm donor, she sure was squeamish about the actual sperm part.

Hannah, on the other hand, leaned in for a closer look. “Huh. I expected it to be... I don’t know, glowier or something.”

That broke my composure. I let out a bark of laughter. “Sorry to disappoint. Left my radioactive stuff at home.”

“Shame. I wouldn’t mind seeing it.”

Cassidy shot her sister a glare. “Hannah!”

“What? I’m just saying what we’re all thinking.”

I leaned back in my chair, thoroughly entertained by their dynamic. Cassidy looked like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Still, I didn’t like to see her so uncomfortable. “It’s alright. I know it’s a bit weird. But hey, that’s what we’re here for, right?”

Cassidy nodded, still not meeting my eyes.

“You might wanna get on with it though. That’s over an hour old and from the information you sent me, its viability is about to drop.” I pushed to my feet, stepping back as Cassidy did the same. “So on that note, I’ll head off so you can get on with it.”

“Th-thank you.”

Christ, she looked so nervous I wanted to hug her. “No problem. You lemme know how it goes and if you need more help.”

“I will, thanks.”

CASSIDY

Two weeks. Two weeks since the Viking god had dropped off his... contribution. The image of Harle’s broad shoulders filling my doorway flashed into my mind again. I shook my head, trying to push the memory away. This was about science, not some fantasy. My hand instinctively went to my abdomen, a weird flutter there that made me suck in a quick breath. The last two weeks had been a blur of hopeful anticipation, trying not to dwell on the ‘What ifs’ and ‘Maybes’. My period was due in three days, and those days felt like a countdown to a bloody nuclear explosion.

I pulled up to my office, my beat-up Subaru looking even more pathetic next to the gleaming Mercedes parked beside it.

The quaint building that was home to my firm, Wright & Hayes, Environmental Law, sat tucked in amongst towering pines, about a mile out of town, just behind the business park. It was a bit shabby, with peeling paint and a worn sign out front, but it meant the world to me.

As I climbed out, I caught sight of my partner, Scarlett, and her billionaire husband Rhett crossing the parking lot. Rhett pushed a double pram, looking every bit the doting father.

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