Stealing the Show (PolyAm Fam #3)

Chapter 19

nineteen

maggie

It was very hard to concentrate on the presentations at the conference when my mind and heart were back in Bloomington, Indiana, with Leo and Raine. I texted them to ask if they’d at least gotten round one done. An eternity later— okay, it was five minutes —Leo texted back that they were about to go for round one.

Now it had been an hour after that, and no response. Should I text again? Should I call?

Never mind that I was sitting in a riveting presentation about emerging issues in healthcare law.

It was hard for me not to be there for this momentous occasion. With any luck, I was missing the conception of my child. The fulfillment of all my dreams.

I was jealous.

It had nothing to do with trust. I trusted Leo and Raine. It had to do with missing out. I was jealous that they were getting to have this experience together, and I was missing it.

That was normal, right?

I didn’t want to feel like a bad person. This was Leo’s idea. I didn’t know if I would have ever come up with it, to be honest. And bypassing the whole medical establishment to conceive this baby the old-fashioned way was going to save time and money. It made all the sense.

It was natural.

And so were my feelings, which were all over the place. I could barely sit still.

Finally, my phone buzzed, and I grabbed it as fast as a lizard’s tongue darting out to catch a fly.

Leo: Round 1 is in the books. Fingers crossed!

Me: Whew. Glad to hear it. Try to get at least two more rounds in today, please?

Leo: We’ll do our best.

I had to keep reminding myself that the real issue I had with all of this was the lack of control. I was used to being in control of everything, and for this, I had to completely surrender it. I had to defer to Leo and Raine and…whatever higher power could ensure egg met sperm, and a baby was the ultimate result. I had to have faith that could happen without me.

And for a woman used to making things happen through sheer will and tenacity, that was hard.

leo

“I’m so sore…” Raine groaned as she propped her feet up on the ottoman and shook the popcorn in the bowl.

“Um, sorry?” I sat down beside her, grabbing the bowl and stuffing some popcorn in my mouth. “If it makes you feel any better, my balls are so empty, they hurt too.”

“Well, aren’t we a pair?” She leaned against my arm and took a handful of popcorn. “Look at us, all fucked out.”

I sighed. “Surely Maggie will let us have the rest of the night off. That’s, what, four rounds?”

“At least.” She rolled her eyes. “You talked to her on the phone, right? While I was in the shower?”

I nodded. “She seemed pleased with our efforts.”

“She’s such a task-master. Can you imagine if she was here? Cracking the whip over us?” She made a whip-cracking sound and gesture before erupting in giggles.

“Might be kinda sexy,” I argued. “We could have dressed her up in some latex and let her have at it.”

“Oh, hey, I did get an email from the theater department chair this afternoon. I think your buddy turned over the evidence, and they want to see me in their office tomorrow morning. So, if we’re gonna fuck again tomorrow, it’s gonna have to be early.”

I chewed and swallowed my popcorn, pausing the movie that was about to begin. We’d been talking all the way through the opening credits. “You’re gonna make me get up early on my day off? No fair!”

“I’m gonna make you get up alright,” she joked. “Thank you, by the way, for having your friend look into the jewelry theft. It’s truly amazing to be exonerated!”

“You’re welcome. Now, do you want to watch this movie or what? You picked it out!” I reminded her.

“Of course I do!” she assured me. “The costumes are to die for!”

I put my arm around her. “Didn’t this movie come out before you were born?”

“Well, yes, but who cares? Glenn Close is magnificent! They somehow made John Malkovich sexy. I can’t believe you’ve never seen this before. It’s basically like an FMF gone wrong. Someone should have told these folks about polyamory.”

“Well they didn’t call it a ‘dangerous’ liaison for nothing,” I quipped.

“Touché!”

We were both cracking up as the movie finally began. Then she shushed me like an overbearing librarian and snuggled up to my warm body as she munched on popcorn. My beautiful girl was radiating that freshly fucked glow, and I was the one who gave it to her.

I was pretty content right now, despite my achingly empty balls. Hopefully they were hard at work manufacturing more baby batter for our next escapade.

My phone buzzed with a text from Maggie, but I didn’t want to interrupt the movie. I’d text her back before bed.

raine

I felt like a naughty, naughty girl on my drive to campus. I…ahem…aroused Leo at six o’clock this morning by perching between his legs and waking his cock up with gentle licks. He rose to the occasion beautifully, and I rode his cock until he came deep inside me. Then he made me flip over onto my back so his jizz didn’t seep out. He even made me put my legs in the air.

He didn’t want me to shower before I left for my meeting, lest I wash out some of his seed, but I vetoed that idea. I decided to park in the garage on the former Jordan Avenue, which was now called Eagleson Avenue—I could never seem to remember the new name. It was just across the street from the theater complex on campus. Before I got out of the car, my phone buzzed with a text.

Maggie: Hey, how did it go last night and this morning? Did you stay over?

Hmm. I thought she would already know the answer to that, but maybe Leo fell back asleep after our romp this morning?

Me: Sure did. I think we are at five rounds now. We’ll try to squeeze in one more this afternoon.

Maggie: Afternoon delight, I like it!

Me: I’m on campus now—about to meet with the theater chair about the jewelry heist. Leo was able to hook me up with an IU officer who reviewed the video footage. I just hope they admit they were wrong and I get my money back.

Maggie: Excellent! Well, if you need any legal advice, let me know. Pro bono, of course.

Me: *kiss emoji*

Maggie: *heart emoji*

I smiled as I locked my door and headed through the thick humidity to my meeting. It was going to be a super-hot July day, and it already felt like a furnace out here. Maybe we’d catch a break, and some storms would roll in this afternoon to cool everything off.

“Come in, come in,” Dr. Pataski greeted me, all plastic smiles as she gestured to one of the chairs across from her desk. Sitting in the other was the Costume Czar we all loved to hate. “Dean Chow couldn’t make it today, but she sends her best.”

I settled in the chair and gave Dr. Pataski a professional smile. I did not look at Dr. Wharton at all. I really did not like that woman.

“Thank you for coming in on such short notice,” Dr. Pataski said. “It has come to our attention that someone did indeed enter the costume lab during the time period you were responsible for the vintage jewelry, and, through investigative means, we have identified the person who stole the items in question.”

This is the Best. Day. Ever. Vindication is sweet!

I leaned forward in my chair. “So I’m off the hook?”

“Yes, Ms. Rivera. You’ve been cleared, and the university will be pressing charges against the person who stole the jewelry.” She laced her fingers together and placed her hands on the desk in front of her.

My heart, which had been racing since I entered the building, was finally starting to calm down. “May I ask who this person is?”

“We are not at liberty to say, though, once the arrest is made, I assume it will be public record,” Dr. Pataski shared. “So…as they say, ‘stay tuned’!”

I looked over at the Costume Czar to see if an apology was on her lips. She just offered me a cold, hard stare and then said, “Your thesis is still due next month. Hope you’ve been working on it.”

“This distraction hasn’t helped,” I admitted. “But it will be done. Don’t worry.”

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience.” Dr. Pataski stood up and extended her hand to shake mine. “Here is a check for the amount you had paid toward the replacement cost of the jewelry. Again, we’re very sorry to have put you through this.”

So that was all I got: a half-ass apology, a handshake, and my own money back. Whatever, I’d happily take it if it meant this ordeal was behind me. They probably would have done more ass-kissing if they knew my girlfriend was a lawyer.

I stepped back out into the oppressive sunshine and texted Danielle.

Me: What are you doing? I need to celebrate!

Danielle: What are we celebrating? Never mind, don’t care. I’m starving. Lunch?

Me: It’s ten o’clock.

Danielle: Brunch?

Me: OK. Uptown Café in fifteen?

Danielle: We’ll be there.

Me: We?

Danielle: Me and le bébé!

Me: Duh!

I was back at my car by the time I was finished with the text conversation, so I climbed in and drove to the other side of campus, parking a street over from Kirkwood, and sweating my ass off to get to Uptown Café. I’d taken that shower against Leo’s will, but by the time I returned, I was gonna need another one.

Danielle was already there when I arrived. She threw her arms around me. “You’re glowing, my friend! Are you already knocked up?”

She said it loud enough that two older ladies dining nearby whipped around to look at us. I gritted my teeth and whispered, “Keep it down,” to my exuberant friend.

We were seated far away from those two ladies, which was a relief. After we settled in at our table, my friend tried again: “So, are you knocked up or what? Is that what we’re celebrating?”

“For fuck’s sake, Dani, it’s almost like you, a pregnant individual, do not know how the whole gestation process works. I am just now ovulating, well, sometime in the past twenty-four hours or so. I’m not gonna know for a while if it worked,” I explained.

“Oh, right.” She shook her head. “I’m gonna blame that on preggo brain. So what are we celebrating then?”

“Leo helped me get out of that bill I owed the university for the missing jewelry.” I could barely get the words out without a giddy squeal.

“That’s fantastic news!” She reached across the table, grabbed one of my hands and squeezed it tight. “So how did he manage that?”

“Well, you know he’s a cop…”

Danielle nodded.

“He contacted a buddy at IUPD, and he went through all the hours of video from when I had the costume and accessories checked out, and they caught someone stealing it red-handed!”

“Oh my god!” Danielle’s hands flew to her mouth. “That’s so cool! Like something that would happen in a movie. So who was it? Someone you know? Were you framed?”

“Now hold on there, Agatha Christie. They wouldn’t tell me who actually did it. But they did call me in for a meeting today to tell me my debt has been cleared. And to return the three grand I’d already paid.” I swiped a hand over my forehead in a gesture of relief. “Now I can finish up my thesis, get it turned in, and get the hell out of here.”

Danielle stared at me, blinking a few times. “Well, not literally though…”

It took me a moment to realize what she meant. And before I could answer, the server came by and took our orders. So I had plenty of time to decide how to respond.

“Well, no, not literally. I won’t be leaving right away. I will have to wait to see how this plays out.” I gestured to my lower abdomen.

“Speaking of which,” Dani leaned in like she was going to whisper a secret, “did you ever hear back from your mom?”

It had been a couple of weeks now since I texted her, and I had heard nothing. I fingered the R pendant hanging around my neck. “No…I’m beginning to think the number Tyler gave me isn’t hers anymore.”

“Have you tried to find her on social media?” Dani queried.

“No…but I should, right? If nothing else, just to see what she looks like.”

“Your brother gave you her full name, right?”

I nodded.

“Look her up on Facebook!” Danielle urged. “C’mon. I bet you anything she didn’t get your text.”

I grabbed my phone and searched for “Reina Clarke” on my Facebook app. I hardly ever logged on there, but my mom and brother used Facebook, so staying friends with them made it seem like we were a half-ass family.

“Oh, I found her. Damn, that didn’t take long!” I only glanced at the profile long enough to conclude it was her: same name, and she had tagged Tyler Clarke, my half-brother, in one of the photos I could see. It was from a few years ago.

I handed it over to Danielle. “Here she is. Just like that. Wow.”

“Oh my god, you really look like her! She’s so pretty!” Danielle gushed.

Her hair was gray at the temples and cut in a bob that accentuated her delicate features. She appeared to be much thinner than me, but I could see where I’d gotten the shape of my eyes, nose, mouth and cheekbones. My features looked like hers with a bit of a twist.

“It says she’s an art teacher,” Dani read in her About Me section. “You must have gotten your artistic eye from her.”

I scoffed. “Maybe.”

“So…do you think your dad was…white or…?” Danielle looked up at me. “Are you going to ask her who he was?”

“I don’t even know if I can get her to talk to me, Dani.” This conversation was making me feel triggered. I was feeling the same panic I felt yesterday after Leo’s cop buddy left. “For all I know, she got my text and just decided she doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“She looks so nice, though,” Dani argued. “And she’s an art teacher. Wouldn’t she want to know the little girl she gave up all those years ago is getting a Master of Fine Arts?”

I heaved a sigh, but before I could face any more pressure from her, our food arrived. I knew better than to try to replicate the amazing omelet Leo cooked for me yesterday morning, so I played it safe and got a Belgian waffle with strawberries and blueberries on top. It smelled absolutely divine.

“Just say something simple,” Danielle was still rambling on about this as she buttered her toast and stabbed a sausage link with her fork. “Like, ‘Hey, I think you’re my mom! I’m about to start my own family, and I‘ve been wanting to know more about my roots.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever,” I mumbled after stuffing a bite of waffle in my mouth. It was incredible, the fruit bursting on my tongue with flavor, perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the waffle and maple syrup. I wanted to dive into this and forget this conversation ever happened.

Danielle grabbed my phone, and her thumbs went flying. “Done!” she cheered before she shoveled a bite of sausage and eggs into her mouth.

I put my phone back in my purse. I didn’t expect Reina Clarke to answer anytime soon. I didn’t even want to think about it—the idea made my stomach feel queasy.

I spent the rest of breakfast trying to get Dani to tell me what names she and the guys were discussing for their little bundle of joy. When she wouldn’t come clean, I started making up my own names like Odysseus—a nod to Aris’s Greek heritage, or Guy—a nod to Danielle’s French heritage.

I couldn’t think of a funny one for Noah, so I suggested “Moses,” another Biblical name.

“I think I prefer it when we talk about you,” she said, cramming her mouth full of her last sausage.

“Speaking of sausage,” I eyed her now empty plate, “I better get back to Leo…”

* * *

When I made it back to my car, I pulled out my phone to see if Leo or Maggie had texted me. Nope, nothing from them, but I did have a Facebook message. My heart started to pound as soon as I realized it might be from my birth mom. I pressed the notification, and the message from Reina Clarke popped up.

My heart stopped as I read it.

Please stop contacting me. I did not want to be involved with you when I carried you, when you were born, or at any time after. My parents refused to pay for me to get an abortion, and I had no way to pay for it myself. They said it was my own fault I got drunk at a party and got pregnant, and I should suffer the consequences.

Have a nice life and all, just don’t contact me again.

Then my heart plummeted, shattering into a million pieces as I dropped my phone in the passenger seat, a painful wail shuddering through my body.