Page 3 of Having the Bear's Baby

“Are you still there?” Alicia asked.

Emma’s mind snapped back to her conversation. “Oh, yes. Sorry. So, how involved am I allowed to be in the child’s life?”

“As much as you and your partner decide. He does get the initial say on it since you are the surrogate, but ultimately, it will be up to both of you. He will be at all of the doctor appointments to make sure all is going well, and you may meet with each other as often as you like.”

“You guys make it sound like it’s a date set up backward. Only love is never on the table.”

The representative laughed a little at that. “It does come across that way, but we take it very seriously. We don’t want to bring a child into a world where they won’t be loved or have their needs met by one or both parents. We also know how difficult the process can be. It takes time and patience as well as getting along with one another. The less stressed you and the father are, the better the pregnancy should be, including a happy, healthy baby at the end.

“We have had some who end up together, but not all. It just depends on each of you and the timing of where you are in life. Right now, we take into consideration your personalities, physique, age, hobbies, and so on to make sure you two mesh well for forming an offspring, and sometimes, that can result in a relationship as well.”

Now, it was Emma’s turn to laugh. “Well, I don’t see that being the case here, but I get your point. All I know is that I want a child of my own and would be a good mother, but I’m over the dating pool I’ve seen for so many years.”

“Then you sound perfect for our program. That’s why the male shifters have turned to our aid as well. So, is that an official declaration of you wanting to meet with the shifter we’ve paired you with?”

Emma scrunched her nose as she thought about it for a moment. “One more thing. I don’t know a whole lot about shifters and their world. I mean, their customs and so on, as well as expectations. Do I need to know the basics before getting into this, or will he be able to fill me in on our date and not take offense to me being completely oblivious to all of this?”

“Once we are off the phone, I’ll send you some basic details about the shifters just to give you a general idea of the differences between shifters and humans. It’s not a lot as they are very similar, but there are some things. But yes, any questions you have, he will be more than happy to answer for you. The appeal to them here is that they don’t have to break the news to you that they’re a shifter, which is half of their battle.”

Emma was curious enough to give it a shot. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Perfect! I will call you soon to schedule a time to meet with your match.”

Emma grew excited. “Sounds good.” She was about to hang up when Alicia spoke again.

“Oh, one more thing before I go. Your match’s name is Liam Beron. He’s a bear shifter.”

TWO

LIAM

“Would you get off my back?” Liam snapped at his sister.

“I’m just trying to help you. I’m not the one nagging at you. That’s mom’s job. So don’t start with me,” Lillian sassed back as she followed him into his room.

Liam went to his bed and laid down, putting a pillow over his face. The bed sank slightly as Lillian sat down beside him. She ripped the pillow off his face and hit him with it.

“Stop acting like a baby. You’re a man, and right now, you’re acting like a child.”

He sat up and swung his legs over the edge. “That’s because I’m being treated like one. I’m sick of it. I don’t see what the big deal is all of a sudden.”

Liam’s Thursday night was growing late, and he was tired, not only because of his duties as the alpha but because of the constant nagging from his family and mother about how he desperately needed to find a mate and start his own family.

“Don’t you have your own house to occupy?” He sighed, annoyed. The bear in him was agitated, too.

Her tone grew softer. “Liam. You know why it’s a big deal. You’re the alpha of this clan. You’re not a young cub anymore. It’s time you at least started trying for a family. Mom’s just worried about you, that’s all. So am I.”

Liam looked at his sister. She was right. It had been on his own mind as well. But hearing the constant nagging by all of them was driving him crazy.

He stood and ran his hand through his disheveled, sandy-brown hair. “There’s no need to worry. It’ll happen when it happens. I’ve just been busy with the clan, and there’s not a whole lot of females here that I’m particularly fond of.”

Liam loved his clan, all of them, but none of the available ones had ever seemed too appealing to him. Especially enough to raise a family with.

“What about mingling with humans? You know we don’t necessarily frown upon that. It’d just mean you’d have to put yourself out there.”

“Lil, I’ve tried. Believe me. But lately, I don’t have the time to go out, woo a girl, then break it to her that I’m a shifter, then see if she wants to keep seeing me or go through the whole ‘not knowing what is going to happen’ stage. I’m over it. I do want a family. But I just have other priorities that take up my time right now.”

Lillian looked her brother straight in the eye. “Listen, you’ll always have excuses. I don’t know what to tell you. I get you’re busy, and the weight of it all is settling heavily on your shoulders, but I know a loophole for you if a family is what you want and also a way to get mom and the rest of the family off your back.”

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