And the Winner Is...

CHAPTER 1

JAY FELT THE WARM sun on her face as she lay on the rope hammock. Partial shade from the two large maple trees that supported her hammock kept her cool as she gently swayed to and fro. The smell of freshly cut grass and the sharper bite of onion grass drifted to her on the breeze. Faintly, Jay could hear the occasional car going past the house and the dull noise of a neighbor's lawn mower in the distance. The day felt just about perfect as she snuggled a little deeper into her hammock.

Just as Jay was drifting off, the sound of the patio door sliding open and then shut again pulled her from her drowsy state. Raising one eyelid just enough to see from behind her dark sunglasses, Jay decided the day was now absolutely perfect. She felt the weight of another person on the hammock and heard the rope creak a bit under the additional load. Jay shifted slightly to allow her new wife a bit more room on their hammock.

"Hey baby. I didn't expect to see you back yet. Everything okay at the office?"

Bailey leaned over for a kiss and straightened the bandana on her wife's head. "Yup. All is well. I just didn't feel like spending such a beautiful day in the office when I knew you were waiting here at home for me." She hesitated and then asked, "Everything go well this morning?"

Jay turned her head and removed her sunglasses. She wanted to make sure that Bailey could see her eyes. "Everything is fine. The results for the last PET scan are in and I'm cancer free. If my hair would just grow back I could stop looking like a cancer patient."

An indulgent smile on her face, Bailey leaned into Jay for another kiss. "When will you learn, love? Hair doesn't matter to me. I married you bald, I bought a house with you bald, and I would spend the rest of my life with you that way if need be. Besides, you have a good inch or so of hair, you're just too vain to let people see it until it's longer again."

"Vain? Me?" Jay pulled the covering from her head revealing slightly more than an inch of honey colored hair. "It isn't about vanity, Bail. I just don’t want to get a sunburn on my scalp!"

Both women chuckled and relaxed with their thoughts as the breeze continued to caress them.

"What time are they coming over?"

Silence greeted her question. Already experiencing anxiety over the thought of guests, even their best friends, coming to what was now a shared residence was amplified by the silence.

"Sharon, what time are they coming over?" Again, nothing but silence and the smell of fresh laundry. Starting to worry, Riley made her way towards the back of the house to shout up the stairs. "Babe? Are you okay up there?"

"Why don't you come up and give me a hand?" Sharon's voice floated down the stairs like music to Riley's ears.

Taking the steps two at a time, Riley was panting slightly when she got to the door of their bedroom.

"Shar—" Riley stopped in her tracks, her mouth suddenly too dry to speak.

On their queen sized bed lay her lover, wearing nothing but a lacy slip and a smile. Candles burned around the room scenting the air with vanilla. Riley, too stunned to speak or move, simply stood and gaped at the vision before her.

"Come on over sweetie." Sharon patted the bed beside her as she made a show of moving over very slightly.

"But aren't Jay and Bail coming over soon? You said I had to be home from work by five thirty, right?"

Sharon let out a low chuckle and shook her head slightly. As she did her blond hair settled about her creamy shoulders, taking away what little moisture Riley had managed to regain in her mouth. "I said that was the time I needed you home. They aren't due for another two hours. Now, are you going to make me wait any longer or are you going to take care of the need I have for you?"

Riley stripped off her clothing, pulling the hair tie from her reddish blond hair as she reached the bed. "You are without a doubt the best partner ever." She reached for Sharon as she sank onto the bed.

"Who me? Nonsense. I was thinking of you all morning at work and I just had to come home early to enjoy some time with you before I had to be social. Otherwise I was afraid our friends would be left alone while I had my way with you in the kitchen." Sharon pulled Riley on top of her and kissed her deeply.

With a groan, Riley gave herself over to the kiss while her worries flew from her mind.

"Hey guys, c'mon in." Riley turned to shout to Sharon, only to find that her lover had already joined her at the door.

"Oh! Didn't hear you sneak up on me." She waved their friends inside and shut the door. A deep breath and she turned to face everyone. "What can I get you to drink?"

Jay could see her buddy was on edge so she offered to go to fetch the drinks with her while Bailey followed Sharon to the living room. "What's up, Rye? Everything okay with you?"

Blushing, Riley fumbled the ice she was pulling from the freezer. "Uh nothing's up? Why would anything be up?"

Jay reached over and steadied the ice tray. She put the cold container on the counter and turned Riley to face her. "This is me, Rye. You don't have to hide anything from me.

Remember, after all we've been through I'm always here for you."

A ghost of a smile flitted across Riley's face before being hidden again. "What if this is a huge mistake, Jay? I mean, look at this place? I couldn't afford this on my own. It feels weird sometimes. What if people think I'm with her for the money? We do have a bit of an age gap and all."

"Rye, is the age thing a worry for you?"

"Not for me, I mean it’s only around eight years. But what will other people think? I don't want anyone to think Sharon's being taken for a ride."

"What started this nonsense? You were all excited to move in together. Did you two have a fight or something? We can make it an early night if you two need some time to talk." Jay's eyes expressed her worry about her friend's anxiety.

"No, not a fight. I don't know. I mean, I guess it was weird today. All day I was thinking about how you two would be coming over to 'our' home for a movie and I started freaking out. We never used to hang out at my old place. I've been here a week and already you two are coming over. Was my place that horrible? Is her place that much nicer?"

Jay held out her arms to her best friend. "C'mere you nut." She gave her a soothing hug then released her so they could speak face to face. "We never went to your place because first I was getting to know Bailey again, then I got sick, then we were planning our wedding and buying a house. Let's not forget the fact that in the midst of all of that you two were getting to know each other too. It's been kind of a crazy year."

Riley sighed. "I know. I'm just over reacting. Just sometimes things get to me about her having more money than me. I mean, I do pretty well for a golf pro and all but not like Sharon in her role as banking goddess. For some reason it all bothered me today when I figured out that this was the first time we were having people over as a couple."

"Cold feet, Rye? We've all hung out here before."

"Yeah but before I was technically a guest too." She shook her head slightly. "I love her, Jay, with all that I am. I'm just not used to coming home and finding the breakfast dishes done but knowing that neither of us did them. I didn't have to run around to pick up stuff, empty trash, or dust before you came over."

Jay couldn't help but laugh. "So, either Sharon has to let you be a housekeeper in your spare time or you have to get used to her cleaning service? Really?"

Rye stuck her tongue out at Jay. "I know, it sounds stupid but it's the little extras that she does like having someone else do the laundry and clean that weird me out."

"Sounds like you two need to talk it out, buddy. Why don't I give Bail the high sign and we'll split early?"

"Don't you dare! I'm just being a freak. I'll talk to her this weekend. We haven't seen you two in a while, not together at least. Let's go join our ladies." She hugged Jay again quickly.

"Thanks for the talk, I needed to vent I think. I actually do feel better about it now that I said it out loud."

Jay slid between the cool, crisp sheets with a sigh. It had been a long day and her conversation with Riley had worried her. She smiled as she listened to her wife in the bathroom. She took comfort from hearing her little rituals of scrubbing her face, brushing and flossing, and finally moisturizing. When Bailey finally came to bed, she smelled of sage and lemongrass from her lotion and minty from her toothpaste.

Bailey burrowed under the covers and reached out to Jay. She had a hard time sleeping if she wasn't in contact with her. Some of it had to do with their past and Jay's illness. If she were truly honest though, Bailey was simply a cuddler and had never given herself the chance to do so with anyone else.

"What's on your mind, love?"

Jay turned to take Bailey into her arms. "What makes you think that anything is on my mind other than you?" She smiled gently while enjoying the feel of her lover in her arms.

"You were quiet on the ride home, and you have that little wrinkle in the middle of your forehead. You only have that when you're working something over. Spill it and maybe I can help."

"What wrinkle? I don't have a wrinkle, do I?"

"Seriously? The wrinkle is what you want to talk about? C'mon. I know it has to do with Riley.

She was a bit off all night."

"Yeah. We had a quick talk in the kitchen." Jay related the conversation to her and waited for her opinion.

"You did the right thing, babe. She has to bring that stuff up before it becomes a problem. I hope they work things out quickly. I have plans for them and our future."

"Plans? What plans?"

"Never you mind for now. Just get over here and kiss me like you mean it."

That was the last conversation of the night.

CHAPTER 2

"MORNING BOSS." Her assistant Scott greeted Jay as she reached her office on Friday morning.

"Morning. How bad does the day look? Will we be out of here before midnight?"

Scott laughed. "We better be! I have plans tonight, and I'm not changing them." He leaned closer and whispered, "Dan is taking me out tonight for our four-year anniversary. He won't tell me where but I have to dress in a full suit."

"Sounds great! Besides, you always look handsome when you dress up. I knew that man had taste when you first told me about him."

"Liar! You warned me off of him as I recall. Something about all lawyers being more like algae eaters than compatible life forms."

Jay held her hands up in defeat. "Okay, I may have said that at first. As soon as I met him I did approve though. I'm just glad you’re happy. Gives the rest of us mere mortals hope for the future."

He scoffed, "Sure thing ,Ms. Floats on air since her wedding.” He thrust a file at her and waved her into her office. “Go earn your pay, and I’ll fetch the caffeine.”

"What about Dan?"

"Huh?" Bailey was pulled from the report she was reading while they shared a hasty lunch in Jay's office. "What about Dan for what?"

"You know. We've talked about starting a family. I don't have the needed equipment to do the job. We need a donor. I thought it would be nice if it was someone we knew who could take part in the baby's life as an uncle at least."

"And you came up with Dan? How exactly?"

Jay blushed, knowing her logic was skewed but she went forward anyway. "Well, I was talking to Scott this morning. Dan is taking him out for their fourth anniversary tonight. I was thinking what a nice guy he is, smart, funny, good looking, and steadfast."

"And Scott isn't those things? Or other men we know?"

Jay pushed her sandwich away. "Scott is all those things, but I don't think I could look at a mini-Scott all day." Jay shrugged. "Besides, Dan is tall like me, and has similar hair color, and those great green eyes like yours. I think it would be the closest to having a donor look like me but perhaps give us a good shot at your green eyes."

"When did you have the time to think all of this through? We've had meetings all morning?"

Bailey smirked knowing that Jay's mind wandered when certain members of their teams slogged through unnecessary details during meetings.

"Mostly when Murphy kept droning on and on about his achievements. What a blowhard! I'm glad he's on your team and not mine. I'd transfer his ass so fast his head would spin for days."

"Back to Dan. Do you think he and Scott would go for the idea? I mean we still want the donor to sign away parental rights, right?"

"Of course. I don't want a legal challenge to happen. At the same time, if we choose a friend, we could have a built in uncle for our son or daughter."

"Scott and Dan would be uncles no matter the donor. Are you certain about this?"

"I think I am. What about you, Bail? Would this work for you too?"

"Assuming they agree, I'm on board. Dan was actually on my list of possible donors too." She gave a mischievous grin and slid closer to Jay. "I knew you would come to the same conclusion if I left you alone with it for a while."

Jay's laughter filled the room. "You are a wicked woman, Bailey!" She lowered her voice, "and you can be wicked to me when we get home tonight."

"Hey, Scott. How was your anniversary dinner?" Jay greeted her assistant Monday morning.

"It was wonderful. Dan took us to a great little bistro he discovered over the bridge in New Jersey. He also made reservations for us at a spa for the weekend. I've been pampered into total relaxation this weekend."

"Sounds wonderful. I'm glad the two of you had such a great weekend." Jay paused, unsure of how to continue.

"Something up, boss?"

"Well, Bailey and I were wondering if you two would like to join us for dinner some night this week. It’s been a while and, well, we just thought it would be nice. Maybe Saturday evening?"

"Sure, I know Dan mentioned you two recently. I don't think he's seen you since your housewarming party. I'll check with him and get back to you, okay?"

Relief flooded Jay. She had been nervous that Scott would read into her invitation. She nodded to Scott. "Great, let's get this week rolling. What's up first?"

Jay and Scott headed into her office to prepare for the morning's meetings.

CHAPTER 3

JAY MOVED confidently around the kitchen, stirring in spices, tasting, and chopping various items. She and Bailey had redesigned the kitchen in their new home in the Chestnut Hill/Mt.

Airy section of Philadelphia, giving them two different workspaces within one kitchen.

Bailey's area had slightly lower counters and a marble slab for pastry work. Jay's section had an indoor grill with a stainless steel industrial hood. The two women shared their space well, moving through the kitchen as if in a dance.

This day though, Bailey was absent as she ensured the backyard was prepared for guests.

The patio had a high quality gas grill as well as Jay's preferred charcoal grill. Bailey prepared the grill, lighting up a chimney of coals and then adding them to ignite the rest of the hardwood lumps in the older styled grill. Bailey performed her tasks with an amused smile on her lips as she remembered Jay telling her that if they were to ask Dan for his sperm, the least she could do was cook him a properly grilled steak.

Bailey re-entered the house and hugged Jay from behind. "All set in here or do you need some help?"

"I'm good I think. Ya wanna take that cooler outside? It has the drinks in it already. I just filled it with ice too. Let me know if you need help with it."

Bailey started to heft the cooler before she heard Jay's quiet laughter. She narrowed her eyes at her partner. "What's so funny, Conway?"

"Hey! It's Conway-McIntyre now woman. And didn't you notice? I used the cooler with wheels, babe."

"I guess I'm a bit more nervous than I want to admit. You really think they'll agree?"

The door chimed before Jay could respond.

"Only one way to find out now. I'll get the door."

The two couples were enjoying coffee and tea on the patio. The evening had cooled off a bit, and Bailey had started a fire in the chimney. Scott had been regaling them with stories from the last visit they had made to his parents' home.

"Seriously, if my mother had her way, I think she would keep Dan and toss me out with the bathwater if we ever split. She made him every favorite food she could fit into a two-day visit."

Bailey was nervously turning her cup of tea in her hands before she finally set it down a bit more firmly than she intended. "Oops. Sorry bout that. Must have had too much caffeine."

Dan leaned over and took her hand. "Sweetie, there is none in that tea. It's mint, remember?" He smiled gently at her. "Why don't you two just tell us what's going on. You're starting to worry me a bit."

Jay took a deep breath and smelled the crisp night air, the smokiness of the fire, and the lingering scent of their after dinner drinks. As she exhaled she watched the last of the fireflies dancing in the hedges bordering the yard. "Well, Bailey and I have talked about this for a little while now. After everything you did for us when I was sick, with the wedding, and house, well, we consider you guys family."

Scott smiled at his friend and boss. "We feel the same, Jay, but why all the mush now? Is something going on?"

Bailey decided to try to frame the question with some sort of tact. "We've been talking of having kids. Obviously, Jay can't carry one right now because of the long-term effects of her treatments. I, we, were hoping the you two would be okay with Dan being the donor."

Bailey took a breath and kept going. Her nervous habit of babbling took control of her mouth. "We don't want anything else, well, other than you to sign away rights, but if you want to be involved, which we hope you do of course, you would be the baby's uncles. We thought Scott might like to be the godfather as well." She finally ran out of steam and sat back, unable to look anyone in the eye.

Jay moved to stand behind Bailey and wrap her in a hug. She raised her head to look at the men, who looked amused. "I know we're kind of putting you on the spot and everything. We also know that you guys decided not to have children. Dan is similar to me physically, and we would prefer to go with a known donor. Don't feel pressured to answer right away. We know it kind of came out of nowhere—"

Dan interrupted Jay's rambling. He gave a quick smile to his partner and then looked back to Jay and Bailey. "We've actually talked about this already. Scott said you'd both been acting funny all week at work."

Scott grinned over at Jay. "Hey, it's the price you pay for having a really good administrative assistant."

Dan chuckled at his lover's comment before continuing. "We've already agreed to help you out. I've already scheduled an appointment for a physical and screening. If I'm clean and clear, I'm at your service, so to speak." His green eyes twinkling warmly he moved to hug the two stunned women.

Jay met Bailey in the lobby of their office building. Neither spoke but simply clasped hands and went through the door to the parking garage. Once they reached their car, Jay took driving duty while Bailey dug through her briefcase for her wallet.

"Got it! I knew I had it in here someplace. I wanted to make sure I had my insurance card with me."

Jay gave her a brief but amused grin. "You know, the doctor's office has that on file already."

"Yeah, but what if they lost it? Better to be prepared, especially today."

This was the day when all of the test results would be in. Bailey had taken part in a series of tests to ensure that she was healthy and able to bear children without undue risk. As much as Jay wanted to parent with Bailey, she was unwilling to risk her wife's life to do so.

"You know it will all be fine, Jay. I'm young enough, healthy, and there is no family history of any pregnancy problems."

"I know. At least, I think I know. I just couldn't lose you after all we've been through already. I just need to make sure we stack the odds in our favor. At least we're able to find out today if Dan's little swimmers are working well too."

Bailey couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sure they will be fine.. Are you finished finding things to worry about yet?"

"No. Did you ask anyone to let Bob out this afternoon? I mean, we'll be home later than normal."

"Wow! I didn't think you had it in you to worry about that many things at once." Bailey leaned over and gave Jay a kiss on the cheek before taking Jay's closest hand. "Seriously, babe, of course, I asked the pet walkers to do an extra walk with him as well as some playtime. I will say it’s nice to see you worry about our furkid too though."

"Of course I do. After all, how many female mixed Labs are named Bob? I love originals."

Bailey relaxed back into her seat as they continued to tease each other for the rest of the drive to their OB/GYN appointment. She was pleased with their choice of donor and had a good feeling that things were going to work out.

"So, it looks like everything is good on your side of things, Bailey," Dr. Richmond concluded.

He had just spent several minutes going over the lab results for her exams and tests. "Now, the results for your donor." He shuffled a few papers in her file before finding the one he needed. "Everything looks good there as well. Great motility, all STDs and other blood work scans came back negative. So, when are we having a baby?"

Bailey and Jay looked at each other and smiled slowly. Their hands had been clasped tightly between them, and slowly they relaxed their grips. Jay looked at Bailey, then at the doctor.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Do we have to do the insemination here, Dr.

Richmond? I mean, couldn't we just track her ovulation and inseminate her at home?"

Dr. Richmond grinned as Jay blushed. "Promise me you won't use an actual turkey baster, Jay." He had been her OB/GYN for over a decade and felt he had earned the right to tease her a bit. "Tell you what. I'd like to continue to have the donor's sperm run through testing before you inseminate, just to ensure it is still clean. Would you be all right if he made his deposits here, and then you picked them up for use? We can freeze them and you can store them on dry ice for a few days. That way you won't have to rush over the moment Bailey's cycle is right."

"Really? There isn't some special way to do that? You just freeze it?"

"I have a small facility in our office that allows me to do the process. We use it for couples who wish to bank sperm for future use, just in case something happens before they choose to have children. It's a small facility, but more than sufficient for our needs in this case.

When you are ready you can come over and pick up the deposit in a container we'll lend you.

Included will be sterile syringes for your use. I'll give you full instructions and literature before you leave. Any other questions?"

The women shook their heads and rose together. Bailey was almost glowing with happiness.

"Thank you doctor. We'll have our donor get in touch with you to start his deposits."

The doctor walked them out to the nurses and asked her to give them the literature he had promised. A final farewell and the women were on their way home to absorb the news.

CHAPTER 4

December 15th

"NO MOM, I don't need you and Dad to be anything but yourselves."

"Are you sure, Jay? It's no trouble for us. Chairs? Anything?"

"Really, Mom, we're adults, we have it handled, I promise." Jay couldn't help but grin at her mother's need to take care of everyone around her.

"Well, if you're sure. What about a dessert? I could bake a pie."

"Mom, this time I insist. We have everything under control and planned very specifically.

Please, just humor me this once?"

Laura grumbled a bit but finally accepted her daughter's request. As Jay hung up, she heard the bark of their dog, Bob, and went to greet Bailey.

"Hey, babe. Get things worked out with your mom?" Bailey shucked her coat and boots in the mudroom as she made her way in out of the cold. Making her way past the enthusiastic greeting and the dangerous wagging tail, she greeted her wife with a kiss and a hug before collapsing on the couch in the living room.

"Tough meeting, Bail? How did things go in Harrisburg?" Bailey had been in the state's capital for a round of meetings with legislators about lending regulations. They had asked for a representative from several banks to attend the one-day summit, and Bailey had drawn the short straw.

"About as expected. Lots of talking, but no one really said anything or listened to what anyone else had to say. Typically, I was one of the only three women there as well. At least they fed us well." She glanced up at Jay as she spoke. "Speaking of eating, what's for dinner?"

Jay laughed and headed for the kitchen as she called over her shoulder. "You are so lucky you married me, woman! I'll bring it out to you in a few minutes. Want to change first or should I simply cater to your growling belly?"

Bailey cocked her head and thought about it for less than a second before shouting out,

"Belly!"

Jay and Bailey spent the winter holidays with their families in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Thankfully, their parents had been friends and neighbors for decades. Since they had gotten together, holidays had become joint events with the whole clan at one house. They spoke to no one about their plans for New Years other than to insist that everyone join them and a few select friends at their home for dinner and a celebration.

As the date for their gathering drew near, things slowed down at work for both women. The last week of December was so slow that Jay had sent her entire team home early twice, including the last day of the year. Sharon had given permission for Bailey to do the same, as a result, the couple was able to spend a few hours together before their families and friends arrived for their special New Years celebration. As Jay collapsed on to the light brown leather sofa she pulled Bailey onto her lap.

"Are you happy, babe?"

"Of course, aren't you?" A tremor gave away Bailey's hidden fears.

"Yes! I can't wait to see their faces. Who do you think will react first? Remember, our folks placed bets with each other about when we would get together. Is it time for a little payback?" Jay gave her an evil grin.

Bailey answered her with laughter and a shake of her head. "I'm going to be too focused on you to think about it." She hesitated then asked, "Do you really think Sharon will be okay with our decision? Do you think we should have talked to her in private first?"

Jay seemed to give the matter some thought before answering. "I've been concerned a bit about that too. I think it's going to be fine with her though. She's changed a lot over the past year. Besides, it's too late now! Let's just get ready for the invasion and relax a bit before they come over. Want me to walk Bob?"

"Oh no you don't, Jay! You're just trying to get out of setting up. I'll walk Bob. After all, I should get the walking in. I doubt I'll be awake enough to do more than let him run in the yard tomorrow."

Bailey pushed up from her seat on Jay's lap. "Let's get to it. I'll take him; you get things started in the kitchen. I'll be back in fifteen."

"Deal!"

The small gathering was in full swing. In addition to Jay and Bailey's parents, Sharon and Riley, and Scott and Dan were also present. Dinner was served buffet style with each woman cooking a favorite dish of each guest. It gave them a wide variety of food, Italian, Irish, English, and various Americanized dishes. Jay even managed to make her father's favorite meatloaf by molding the meat mixture into muffin tins. The smaller servings were perfect for a buffet and kept warm in the chafing dishes they had set up in the dining room.

Soft music played in the background, people mixed and mingled, and Jay smiled happily as she watched both her chosen and birth families blend and enjoy each other. Bailey watched Jay with a mixture of love, joy, and amusement before walking up behind her and wrapping her arms around her from behind.

"Ready, love?"

Jay turned and smiled. "Very! I know they'll be here for us. Just like before, this is our family, Bail. I can feel the love in the room. It's time."

Jay moved to the stereo and switched the CD to a Lorena McKennit selection. After a few moments, everyone stopped talking and looked over to her by the stereo. Jay motioned Bailey to join her before she spoke.

"Bailey and I wanted to thank you all for agreeing to usher in the New Year with us here in our home. It seemed fitting that we spend it with our family, especially this year." She turned to Bailey, pleading silently to have her continue.

Bailey cleared her throat and paused for a moment. She took in the sight of their loved ones, the feel of Jay next to her, smelled the scent of the Christmas tree and the fire that crackled in the fireplace behind her. She looked at the members of their family before she spoke. "We chose tonight to gather all of you because as we start the new year we know going in that we're going to face new challenges and changes. We agreed that this was a great way of telling everyone at once as well as asking for your help."

Jay grinned at everyone and seemed to gain strength from having Bailey speak for a moment.

"We wanted to tell you all at once and in person. We're pregnant!" She paused, "I mean, Bailey is pregnant, and I'm going to be, I mean, we're going to be Moms!"

There was a stunned silence as each person took in the news. The only two people who didn't look as surprised were Scott and Dan. They'd had their suspicions when the couple had not asked for further “donations”.

Suddenly the room broke into joyous celebrations. The two grandfathers-to-be hugged their daughters and then switched to hug their daughters-in-law. The grandmothers-to-be hugged each other and started making plans while they waited their turns to hug their daughters.

Riley and Sharon took a moment longer to digest the information but also quickly moved to congratulate the women.

Jay motioned for quiet again. Slowly, the family quieted, allowing her to speak again. "We want to thank Scott and Dan, without whom this would have been much more difficult."

"Jay and I also want to ask Sharon, Riley, and Scott a question. Would the three of you be willing to be god and goddess parents to our baby?"

Shocked was the word to describe the look on Sharon's face. Slowly, her expression took on one of joy. She looked to Riley, who smiled and nodded, before speaking. "We'd be honored."

She turned and buried her face against Riley, overwhelmed by emotion.

Scott smiled and held Dan's hand. "You already know my answer. I'm on board. Someone has to teach this kid how to handle you two."

Jay and Bailey hugged everyone again and the party continued until long past midnight which was toasted with sparkling cider by all.