Brian glanced over at Gus sitting across from him, and smiled. His son was normally a calm fellow, but now he fidgeted like a schoolboy waiting to enter the Principal's office. Brian's eyes turned to Jason. He was fidgeting like Gus, and he certainly didn't look calm either. Brian understood why the couple acted the way they were doing. The first thing Gus did when he arrived at the house was inform his Dad about the conversation that had transpired between Heather, Jason, and himself at dinner the night before. Brian was caught completely off-guard. Of all the reasons that he and Justin had discussed for Heather's sudden appearance after such a long period of no communication, this was the last thing they would have thought of. It occurred to Brian that there was the possibility that Heather still had romantic feelings for Gus, but both he and Jason assured him that she clearly stated it wasn't the case at all. Brian, ever the skeptic, couldn't help wondering why she was making such a generous offer. He had every intention of grilling the girl when she arrived for their luncheon date.
Brian didn't have long to wait. Heather stepped out of her cab at precisely noon, as expected. She was greeted at the door by Gus and Jason and led to the large den, where the rest of the men were waiting. They were quite a foursome... Brian, Justin, Gus, and Jason. Each of them was attractive in his own way, and all four of them carried themselves with the air of men who had made a success of their lives. Heather was impressed, but not really surprised. She had known that Gus would turn out the way he did all throughout their youthful years together, and she remembered all the stories Gus once told her about his father and the man he married. Jason was the only one that she knew very little about, but she intended to learn more as quickly as possible. Heather had a plan, so knowing more about Jason and his relationship with Gus was vital.
She began observing Jason closely, beginning with the conversation around the table. As usual, Justin had prepared a delicious meal for their guests and conversation flowed freely. If anyone noticed that Heather was asking a lot of questions directed at Jason, they said nothing about it. At the same time, Jason seemed to be just as interested in learning more about Heather as she was about him. For her part, she seemed to have reasonable answers for every inquiry. When Justin asked to see a photo of her family, the broad smile that lit up her face as she whipped out the pictures of her son said a lot about her feelings for the boy. He was a beautiful toddler who looked a lot like his mother. She only had one picture of her husband, Jerry, and had very little to say about him. It was a different story with her son, Steven.
It was clear that Heather missed her boy a lot. Jason found himself wondering again why she would leave her family behind in order to help Gus and a complete stranger with a task that someone else could do instead. Although he had to admit, it would be more convenient to have someone that had been so close to Gus as a surrogate, Jason still felt a bit uncomfortable with how fast things were moving. Gus had already indicated, during their talk last night, that he wanted to accept Heather's offer. The ball was now in Jason's court. He knew Gus would accept whatever decision he made, yet he also knew that his husband would probably be hurt if he didn't agree with him. As the conversation continued to flow, Jason made up his mind that he needed to ask the advice of three other people before giving his answer. He valued the opinion of Gus's dads, Brian and Justin, as well as his own dad, and felt certain they would have thoughts worth hearing. With that plan in mind, Jason relaxed more than he had since Heather arrived in town.
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Two days passed before Jason was ready to give Gus his final answer. Jason spent those two days in the company of the patriarchs of both of their families... Brian, Justin, and his own father. While he expressed his concerns to the older, more experienced men, Gus spent his time showing Heather the city that had become his home after the loss of his mothers. Even though he had continued to communicate with Heather after he left Canada, she hadn't visited his new home in Pittsburgh. There was a lot to show her, including visits with his sister, JR. He and Heather had often teased JR as they were growing up because she was always trying to hang around with them when they only thought of her as a pesky little brat. Gus was eager to show Heather how much his baby sister had matured, now that she was happily married, and a new Mom to boot.
The more time that Gus spent with Heather, the more he was certain Jason had to agree to accepting her offer to be a surrogate for them. Gus would have to tell him everything first. Heather had suggested using her eggs for fertilization, because they kept encountering such poor luck with the ones provided by their anonymous donor. Gus liked the idea. It would be ironic in a way, since his Dad had created him as a friend's gift for his Mom, Lindsay. This time it would be a female friend helping him to become a father. Turnabout seemed to be fair play. Heather made it clear that all she wanted for her efforts was to provide her best friend with the family she now enjoyed herself. It sounded like the perfect solution. Heather had even assured him that her first pregnancy had been an extremely easy one. Everything was falling into place.
As for Jason, his conversations with Brian, Justin, and his father helped somewhat, but he knew that a decision about trying again for a baby through surrogacy was one he'd have to make on his own. He was looking forward to being alone with Gus so that they could discuss Heather's offer one last time before giving her an answer. The chance finally came after Gus dropped Heather off at her hotel. Gus walked in the door with a spring in his step. It was obvious that he had enjoyed the time he spent with Heather. Jason greeted Gus with a kiss. The couple sat down to the dinner Jason prepared and shared the events of their day, as they did nearly every evening. Their work lives were totally separate, but their home life was a time for them to bond. The time they spent together was precious for both of them. Gus and Jason were far more than lovers. They were best friends for one another. They cared about and wanted the same things in life, especially a family of their own. This was why their decision concerning Heather was so important. Once dinner was over, they retired to the living room, cuddling together on the couch.
"Do you want to watch a movie? There are no good shows on TV tonight," Gus asked.
Jason sat back and looked Gus square in the face.
"Not right now, Gee. I'm ready to talk more about your friend's offer."
"You are? I've been hoping you'd say that. Heather is dead serious about giving us this gift, Jase. We've talked about it a lot in the last couple of days and shared it with JR. Have you mentioned it to Gidge?"
"No, not at all. I did talk to our dads, though. I knew you wouldn't mind my doing that, but I didn't know if you'd want me to mention it to anyone else. I know that JR is familiar with Heather, since you guys knew her in Canada, so I understand you talking to her. Just out of curiosity, what is JR's take on the idea?"
"She liked Heather just fine back home in Canada, even though we used to give her a hard time. You know how it is with teenagers and younger siblings. But she did say that she thought Heather's offer was amazing. She didn't think she could ever do that herself. You know my Sis. If she's carrying a baby, she wants to keep it. She's already talking about wanting to give Melody Linn a baby brother or sister. If Noah and Kevin don't watch out, their wives are going to get into a numbers contest to see who can have the most babies," Gus laughed.
"God forbid! So, I'm gathering that you are really leaning towards acceptance of Heather's offer," Jason stated.
"You know me so well! I just don't see any downside to this. She is happily married now, and I don't get any impression of lingering feelings for me at all. Our friendship was tight when we were young, and she knows how much I love family. We used to talk about what it would be like to be married and have children someday, even though we never specifically mentioned it being with the two of us. I realize that was where her mind wandered back then, but it's obvious to me that she isn't thinking like that anymore. She is simply very happy the way things turned out for her and she wants me to have the same thing."
"So do I, Gee! More than anything, I want to have a family with you. If she's willing to carry a child for us, and her husband doesn't mind, I'm willing to give it a try. We can't stay in limbo forever out of fear of losing another pregnancy. If we're lucky, her body will be stronger than Rachel's."
The grin that burst out on Gus's face lit up the room. But he grew serious just as quickly.
"There is just one thing we have to talk about first. Heather suggested that the egg donor we chose may be the cause of our lost pregnancies, and not so much Rachel. She suggested that we use the same method of artificial insemination with her that my mother did with my dad to have me. She said she would be happy to sign any papers necessary giving up any claim to our baby after it is born. Dad laid no claim on me at all and signed over his paternal rights so Mama Mel could adopt me. I only ended up living with him when our mothers were killed in that stupid accident. She just wants to give the pregnancy the best chance possible at success. In other words, she would be our egg donor and the biological mother. But we won't do it that way if you don't approve," Gus ended, with a sigh.
Jason had to stop and think. This wasn't what he had expected. He had always liked the idea of the donor being anonymous. Even though this form of baby-making was almost commonplace nowadays, there was still a risk if one party involved in the creation of the baby decided to change their minds. He didn't really know Gus's friend that well, although Gus always spoke highly of her on those rare occasions when her name came up. He also knew that this method of making a baby had certainly worked well for Gus's family... not once, but twice. The look of eager anticipation on Gus's face was the deciding factor. He knew that nothing would please Gus more than to have him agree to the arrangement. Jason slowly nodded his approval.
Gus saw the smile start to spread across Jason's face, and realized his husband was nodding yes. Gus grabbed Jason by the shoulders and pulled him tightly into his arms.
"Jase, does this mean you'll go along with Heather's suggestions?"
Gus held his breath as he sat back, staring hard into Jason's face.
"I trust you Gus. If you say Heather is someone we can put our faith in to help us create the family we both want so much, then I believe you."
Gus pulled Jason close again and kissed him with all the joy he was feeling inside. For the first time in ages, he was experiencing hope again. Maybe Heather would succeed where Rachel and the anonymous egg donor had failed. Gus knew in his heart that this would be their last chance. Neither he nor Jason could ever go through another failure if Heather was unable to give them a child. Now that the decision was made, all they needed to do was go over all the details with Heather. She had a family of her own waiting back home, so they needed to get to it right away. First, he and Jason needed to discuss it further tonight. Gus would call Heather first thing in the morning and the three of them would work it all out together. Gus and Jason went to bed that night with visions of their happy future dancing in their heads.
Not far from where they lay, Heather Riverside sat on her bed in the hotel and pulled out a picture of her son from her wallet. She smiled down on the laughing boy looking back at her. A single tear slowly made its way down her cheek, even through her smile.
"Goodnight, my sweet boy. I miss you Stevie," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Heather gave her son a tiny kiss and placed the picture up against the lamp on the nightstand. Nothing made her happier than seeing her son's face first thing when she woke each day. She really did want to give Gus the same pleasure that having Steven had given her. If she was lucky, she would be able to. Her plan would either work or end up leaving all three of them devastated. Only the fates knew their future.
To be continued..............