Y'all know how much I enjoy starting off with an apology. This was supposed to be the final five chapters of "Ollie's Paradise" but Ollie and his pack just kept talking to me. So I had to split the final section in two. I didn't want to overwhelm y'all with 15,000 words all at once. I want these final chapters to be a joy - not a sledgehammer. While I love these three chapters, and they do resolve some mysteries, they really are mostly the lead up to the two big final chapters. Please enjoy them and I apologize for the dreaded "No Sex" - just an awful lot of love.
Chapter 60: The New Normal
The Texas sun was hanging low over our neighborhood by the time the Uber driver pulled up in front of our house and helped us unload our luggage. The whole street glowed in that golden late-evening light that somehow made everything look almost a little too beautiful to be real.
As we started rolling our suitcases up the driveway, Corey’s eyes met mine, and we shared the same wistful little smile. Because just like that… our honeymoon in a very real paradise on earth was somehow over. Corey would return to his clinic in the morning. I had clients waiting for me at the gym. The world we’d stepped away from had somehow kept right on going, and now it was time for us to step back into it.
Our little melancholy moment passed quickly, because we both knew that St. John wasn’t the only paradise on earth. We were home. Our home. Our precious little family’s house. And somewhere inside it, just behind the front door, our excited fluffy boy was almost certainly waiting to remind us exactly where we belonged.
Oops. Forget that. Apparently, “behind the front door” was no longer the right phrase to use. Before we could even make it halfway up the driveway, Ethan and Daniel had opened the door and released a flurry of black-nosed, silvery-blond fur into the evening light.
Even before Riley had fully decided that he recognized us, his fluffy tail was already giving a full-wiggles-and-excited-wags salute. When the recognition finally hit, his whole body exploded with it. In less than four big, joyful bounces, our abandoned, betrayed, dramatically mistreated pup was flying straight toward us.
On his final leap, Riley landed in my arms, completely trusting me to do my part. A fifty-pound dog is never an easy thing to catch, especially when that dog had launched himself at you with the emotional force of a furry cannonball. But there was no way I’d ever let my pup slip through my arms.
My reward was a face full of frantic puppy kisses. Riley licked my cheeks, my chin, my nose, and probably at least one eyeball, whimpering like we’d been separated for years and he needed to make up for every lost second right now, all at once. I barely managed to sneak in a breath between all of his love and slobber.
After thoroughly determining that I was still alive and well, he wriggled out of my arms and bounded over to his other daddy to repeat the entire inspection. Corey greeted him just as enthusiastically, dropping down to catch our ecstatic boy as Riley tried his best to kiss every inch of his face too. I moved closer and wrapped my arms around both of them, feeling another little piece of paradise quietly settle back into our lives.
We followed our excited pup into our home, dragging our luggage behind us, and finally gave Ethan and Daniel the well-deserved hugs they had absolutely earned. Then Corey and I rolled our suitcases into our bedroom and unpacked a few very important items before rejoining our friends in the living room.
As soon as we sat down to start catching Ethan and Daniel up on our incredible week, we noticed a not-so-subtle furry change in the air.
Riley refused to sit anywhere near us.
Instead, our allegedly reunited pup trotted over to the couch and planted his fluffy little bottom squarely between Ethan and Daniel, boldly declaring his puppy rebellion. Apparently, he was punishing his wayward daddies, pledging loyalty to his new alphas, and making sure we understood that forgiveness was not going to be handed out just because we had survived our first five minutes back home.
I swear I could see the message written across his furry black forehead in cute little neon letters:
You left me. How could you?
The four of us chuckled at our pup’s dramatic betrayal as I said, “Guys, it was such an amazing trip, and we have so much to tell you. Believe me, there’s some really big news - news that will probably even freak you out at first. But it’s late, and we know you’ve been here all week serving at the pleasure of the fluffy Prince Riley. I’m sure you both really want to get back to your own bed for a change.”
Ethan quickly replied with a sly smirk while glancing down at our adamant pup. “You know… actually, your guest bedroom is super comfortable. Way better than the air mattress in your office that almost killed us the night before your wedding.”
He fought back his chuckles before continuing, “And your pool has been perfect all week. So, honestly, we’re kinda good to stay here for as long as Riley needs us.” I swear our protesting pup let out an agreeing snort.
Daniel playfully poked his fiancé’s ribs. “Ethan, I think the point Ollie’s trying to make is that they’ve had a very long travel day and are ready to maybe take a shower, unpack tomorrow, and collapse into bed. Remember, it’s an hour later for them.”
Ethan wasn’t giving up that easily. “Hey, we still have a responsibility to Riley. And after rescuing him from his little solo adventure, I think we’ve really bonded.” He gave our stubborn pup a solemn nod, like the two of them had survived combat together. “Our boy needs us beside him until he figures out whether or not to forgive his wayward former dads.”
I chuckled and let my eyes take the roll they were practically aching to make. “Fine. But honestly, we kind of expected that something like this might happen. Right after our little Riley emergency, Grandma Laura warned us that their last pup always gave them the furry cold shoulder after every vacation they took.” I glanced over at our dramatic boy, still safely wedged between his two new legal guardians. “So, well… we came back prepared.”
Corey took over as he rummaged through the bags we’d retrieved from our luggage. “Okay, so most of this fun stuff is for you two, for everything you’ve done for us this week.”
He gave a sincere nod to both of our friends. “We really appreciate the perfect wedding gift you gave us. House- and puppy-sitting never sounds all that hard until the puppy in question decides to reenact Homeward Bound while his parents are trapped on a Caribbean island.” His smile softened. “Seriously, you took care of our home. You took care of our boy. And when things got scary, you handled it exactly the way family does.”
I took over before any of us could get too emotional over Riley’s alleged wrong doing. “We’ll explain all your gifts later, but first… I need to warn you that you’re about to see us at our most desperate. Corey and I are prepared to take some pretty drastic measures to get our pup’s love back. This is serious, guys. We’re about to resort to bribery in order to return to our furry son’s good graces and win back his affection, his allegiance, and possibly couch visitation rights.”
I was impressed that I managed to contain my chuckles. We had to make our act look good for Riley.
Right on cue, Corey finished his rummaging and triumphantly raised a very soft and fuzzy “George” into the air. We’d found Riley’s perfect gift the same day we bought our watches. I honestly had no idea how Corey had managed to stuff the cute plush hawksbill turtle into his suitcase without permanently reshaping either the turtle or his luggage. All I could say was that when a dad needed to get something special back home to his boy, he would always find a way.
Corey immediately presented the surprise sea-turtle pookie to our real, land-based one, but Riley remained totally unconvinced. Actually, he was more than unconvinced. He was adamantly having absolutely nothing to do with it, giving our carefully selected bribe a brutally cold side-eye from his new preferred pack perch between Ethan and Daniel.
So, I decided it was time to up our game. I took George from Corey, tucked the fuzzy little turtle against my chest, and started cuddling him like he was the most precious pookie who had ever pookied. I showered him with an over-the-top stream of sweet nothings while petting his shell and kissing his cute little namesake beak.
That did it. That was all Riley could stand.
Apparently, while our boy felt righteously allowed to replace his mean old daddies who had abandoned him to Ethan and Daniel’s care, our pup would still be danged if those same mean old daddies were ever allowed to replace him.
Our rebellious pup cautiously walked over and gave George one furtive little sniff. I teasingly pulled the turtle back against my chest, and that was all it took. Riley’s remaining suspicions crumbled instantly. His whole body seemed to say, Absolutely not, Daddy. That is mine. A second later, George was no longer our carefully selected bribe. He was Riley’s beloved new possession.
After gleefully taking several zoomie laps around the room with George securely locked in his muzzle, Riley eventually decided to settle down between me and Corey, his new favorite friend resting safely between his paws. Every few seconds, he gave the turtle another careful sniff or approving little lick, like he was still trying to decide whether George was a toy, a baby, a hostage, or some sacred island creature sent to restore balance to his wounded heart.
I had no idea if Riley would keep George as his little stuffed security turtle, or if we’d eventually come home to discover the poor thing shredded across the living room floor with its stuffing scattered all over the house like fluffy turtle confetti. Either way, it was mission accomplished. Corey and I had won our pup back.
And all it had taken was love, strategy, a little emotional manipulation, and one very brave hawksbill turtle.
****
Paradise had somehow already managed to slip two whole weekends behind us, and my twenty-first birthday was finally upon us. Well, that wasn’t completely true. Technically, July 2nd had fallen on a Wednesday, which wasn’t exactly the best weeknight for celebrating a milestone birthday.
Come to think of it, this weekend wasn’t perfect either. July Fourth had been yesterday - on Friday - and there were still several big city-sponsored fireworks displays scheduled for tonight. Thankfully, Riley wasn’t a loud-noise-reactive pup. He had plenty of dramatic talents, but panicking over fireworks thankfully wasn’t one of them.
Our first two weeks back in the real world had been easier to adjust to than we’d expected. Our natural rhythm returned almost without effort. Corey went back to his clinic. I went back to my clients. Riley and I resumed our early-morning runs, along with our standard morning greeting to Mrs. Miller - who immediately noticed my deeper tan, my sudden lack of beard, and, oops, the suspicious absence of chest hair.
Dang. That was an interesting conversation to have with our favorite neighbor all before eight in the morning.
It was a conversation I should have realized I’d be having more than a few times - with my LA Fitness manager, Jason, with my co-trainers, and with almost every one of my regular clients. Apparently, when the tall blond trainer who usually looked like he was slowly turning into a golden retriever suddenly came back from his honeymoon looking freshly sanded, people noticed. They all gave me a wonderfully hard time about my new prickly look.
After hearing my little explanation, everyone always quickly agreed that Corey deserved some kind of serious reprimand for his beach volleyball betrayal. They just couldn’t quite figure out how allowing all my natural hairiness to be shaved off had been his punishment instead of mine.
All I could say was that it had made sense back on the island. I mean, come on… they didn’t need to know about Corey helping me purge the final remnants of Richard from my face. They definitely didn’t need to know about every furry desire my wolf and I shared for each other. Some parts of paradise were best allowed to stay in paradise.
And honestly, I loved their gentle teasing. Because what it really told me was that my new career path was absolutely the right one for me to take. While I still wasn’t sure exactly where I wanted to wind up in sports medicine, there was no doubt anymore.
I loved connecting with my clients. I loved helping them. I loved becoming part of the small, steady progress they were working so hard to make. Their good-natured ribbing told me they’d missed me just as much as I’d missed them - and somehow, that made being back in the real world feel a whole lot less like leaving paradise behind.
Speaking of fitness journeys, Corey and I took advantage of our first weekend home to take our Arctic Wolves out for their inaugural ride. And dang, did our stunning twin bikes ever turn a lot of heads. Every water stop we made seemed to require at least ten extra minutes while our fellow cyclists came over to admire the custom paint job, the wolf-head badges, and the beautiful absurdity of two newlywed husbands riding matching dream bikes through Fort Worth.
Lurd! If we ever got those new riding kits we’d discussed, we might become the most recognizable cycling couple on the entire Trinity Trail System.
While Corey and I were breaking in our Arctic Wolves, Kevin and Anna were busy carrying our newest impossible promise into their wider world. First, they flew to Utah to tell Anna’s parents their good news. Then, instead of celebrating my birthday here with us, they were spending this weekend doing a repeat performance for Kevin’s parents in Cincinnati.
I knew our friends were racking up some serious frequent flyer miles. And yes, I completely understood and forgave them for missing my little milestone event, because even from a few states away, they were still with us in spirit - and in several text messages, pictures, and FaceTime calls. By the time their little family-announcement tour was nearly over, Corey and I couldn’t wait to meet their parents too.
Because somehow, this overwhelming thing we’d promised on a sailboat off St. John was already becoming real enough to need grandparents. That thought still had the power to make my stomach flutter.
We all knew the next most important event on the horizon was our first appointment with Anna’s fertility specialist on Wednesday. Anna and Kevin already had an established relationship with him back from when they discovered Kevin couldn’t have children. But this would be the first time Corey and I got to meet him. More importantly, it would be the first time all four of us walked into that office together as our new, not-quite-explainable, but absolutely-chosen family unit.
I was really excited. And just as nervous.
Thankfully, before I had to be brave about any of that, I really did have an equally big birthday to celebrate. And maybe turning twenty-one was exactly the kind of distraction this lucky, terrified pup needed.
Chapter 61: Twenty-1
Corey and Riley were already happily splashing around each other in the pool by the time our little birthday party started coming together. And when Riley wasn’t happily paddling around in the water, our sweet pup was still cherishing his new BFF George, gently carrying the stuffed turtle around the house and sleeping with him every night. There was no doubt our pup loved his George just as much as we had loved meeting the real one. And thankfully, our real pookie had completely forgiven us for abandoning him for seven long, tragic, emotionally devastating days.
Mostly.
Because even though Riley was back to loving his wayward daddies, it was just as obvious that he now had two very special new pack alphas. The moment Ethan and Daniel walked through the garage-side fence gate, Riley jumped out of the pool and ran to greet them exactly as if his favorite vacation uncles had finally come back to the den. He even managed to stay out of the water long enough to welcome his two grand-alphas when Chris and Ted arrived a few moments later. Our little party had officially started.
After we’d settled down a bit, Daniel excitedly called out, “Hey, Riley pup! We have some big news for you!” Riley danced around him, mostly because he was happy to be surrounded by his pack and partly because Daniel had used the tone humans usually only use when something wonderful and snack-related was about to happen.
I walked over to get my own hugs. “What’s up, guys? What’s the big news?”
Ethan beamed. “Well, what with you and Corey deciding to have a real child with Kevin and Anna, we decided to once again follow your lead. I mean, first you convinced us to get engaged. And now…”
Daniel took over, practically glowing. “…we just put down a deposit for the pick of the litter from a local, very highly recommended Labrador breeder! We’re going to be new puppy parents! We get our little boy in early September.”
Corey and I were absolutely thrilled by our friends’ news and immediately wrapped them in congratulatory hugs. Once again, I swear our pup understood English perfectly. Upon hearing the words “new puppy,” Riley gave a dramatic huff, abandoned our excited celebration, and trotted over to Chris and Ted - apparently choosing the only two people in the yard wise enough, loyal enough, and old enough not to betray him with a younger, cuter model.
Our dads immediately leaned down to scratch behind his ears and kiss his nose, offering all the sympathy a wronged firstborn deserved.
****
While it was technically my turn to man the grill for our burgers, hot dogs, and jalapeño poppers, Corey decided I didn’t need to be on grill duty for my own birthday. So instead, I spent the time having a very special birthday drink with my friends - the two guys who had cared enough, and been patient enough, to help me move past my fear of alcohol.
My toast to Ethan and Daniel was heartfelt and sincere. They had helped me conquer a fear left over from high school, exactly like Corey and the dads had helped me move past Richard. Not by pushing me. Not by making me feel ridiculous. Just by standing beside me until the big scary thing had finally become something I could hold in my own hand without letting it own me.
Once again, I had no idea why I always got to be such a lucky pup. So I quietly decided to stop questioning it and just be grateful.
As always, our outdoor lunch was incredible. The burgers were perfect. The hot dogs disappeared quickly. The jalapeño poppers were painfully good. And my unexpected birthday cake was perfect too.
Well, perfect because of its outrageous imperfection.
Seriously, the cake itself was delicious, and the icing was absolutely artery-clogging delightful. But even after it had been sliced and the pieces passed around to our friends and family, I couldn’t stop myself from completely losing it every time I glanced back at the one little mistake still sitting there in frosting. I looked over at my very embarrassed wolf, and that was it. I was gone in a fit of giggles.
All Corey could do was blush while he stammered, “I swear, Ollie, it was supposed to say ‘Celebrate Ollie’s 21st.’ It was… well, never supposed to encourage you to be ‘Celibate’ on your big birthday.”
I nuzzled my way into my wolf on my right, still trying to keep my laughter under control as I kissed his flushed cheek. “It’s okay, Corey, but you know you’re going to have to prove that to me later tonight, right?”
Ted cleared his throat. “Okay, you two. I can’t believe our trusted bakery made such a hilarious typo, but we do not need to know anything more about how Corey plans to make it up to you, Sport.”
Naturally, I handled my father’s loving reprimand with all the maturity I had developed in my newly legal twenty-one years. I quickly leaned to my left, tucked myself into Dad’s strong embrace, exploded into belly laughs before letting him rescue me from all the ridiculousness.
Ted squeezed me close before continuing, “At least we know there are no embarrassing typos on these.” He reached under his chair and retrieved two more wrapped packages, handing one to me and the other to Corey.
“I know it’s your birthday Sport, but I think you’ll understand why Corey gets a gift too.”
We eagerly unwrapped our presents and discovered that the dads had given us the exact custom biking kits we’d discussed just before our honeymoon. I had no idea how they’d managed to pull it off so quickly, but our complementary bibs and jerseys were a perfect match for our wedding bikes. My kit leaned into the blues, while Corey’s leaned into the silver-grays, both using white as their base and both somehow looking like they had been designed for two ridiculous newlywed wolf-bike husbands who absolutely did not deserve their amazing dads.
I immediately jumped up and gave both Ted and Chris the bear hug they deserved. But before returning to my seat, I made sure my bibs were unfolded and ready to step into. Then, with all the casual confidence of a man who had apparently learned nothing from any previous family gathering, I started to remove my speedos, causing my two friends and our two dads to shout one shocked word in perfect harmony.
“Wait!”
I chuckled. My joke had landed perfectly. “Seriously, everyone? After everything we’ve been through together? Are you sure y’all don’t need to see just how fast my pubes are growing back in?”
Corey stood up and took control of the chaos while giving his father a knowing look. I had no idea what was coming next until he presented me with the most perfectly non sequitur gift I’d ever been given. He handed me an ancient, scratched CD - yes… an actual, physical Compact Disc in its case.
Flashing me his most mischievous smirk, he cryptically said, “Hey, pup. Instead of getting all naked in front of everyone - again - how about you take a serious look at your latest present?”
After our antics at Waterlemon Cay, I really couldn’t feel the least bit scolded or admonished. But I was suddenly very curious about my gift as I took a closer look at the plastic case. Unfortunately, I was still a little too buzzed to stay too serious. “Cool! So, you got me a used CD for my birthday. That’s awesome!” I glanced over at the dads while trying my best to behave. “Dad, Dad 2 - do y’all even still have a CD player we could maybe play this on?”
My sweet Ted took over. “Ollie, you really should take a closer look at the guy on the cover. Like, really close. Then take another look at the track listing on the back.”
I stared at the cover - earnestly this time. And I froze. “…wait.”
Ted barely gave me any more time to realize what I was finally seeing before adding, “Anything seem familiar there, Sport?”
I looked up from the man on the cover over to Ted and Chris, then back again. My brain finally starting to catch up with my eyes. “Hey… isn’t this that guy from Woody’s? The one who was writing that really beautiful song right in front of us?”
Ted’s smile only widened, as I turned the case over and traced my finger down along the track listing. That was when I finally understood what they were waiting for me to figure out.
The song titles were right there: “Island Boy” … “Boston” …
I blinked.
“Wait. Are you telling me we were just casually talking to someone who’s really this famous?”
Dad 2 chuckled. “Well Sport… it was kinda only you who was ‘just casually talking.’ The rest of us were in a mild state of shock, wondering how it would all turn out.”
Ted shook his head, still smiling. “Ollie, we knew he owned a villa on the island. We’d even heard he’s a very nice guy. We just didn’t know how truly kind he really is.”
My wolf stepped in to finish it. “Hey, pup, he sent something else along with that used CD you’re holding.”
My heart started pounding, unsure what to expect next.
Ted nodded. “Yep. He gave you his entire Apple Music library, Ollie. And…” Dad glanced at me, his eyes warm and still excited. “And he sent very private MP3s of the two special songs he made up for you and Corey on the spot. Um, he trusts that you both will never give them to anyone else.”
Dad handed me a birthday card with a flash drive inside. The card’s handwritten message said:
“Happy Birthday, Ollie!
“I hope your beard’s growing back and that you almost look twenty-one again. I also hope you enjoy my songs as much as I enjoyed meeting you and your family.
“I figured out that you really had no idea who I was. And I also figured out that you were loving my music anyway. After all my years as a country music ‘star,’ believe me, that made me feel special.
“It made me feel like I still know what I’m doing. Heck, it made me feel young again.
“Your fan,
“Kenny Chesney”
I knew I confused everyone with my reaction when I involuntarily allowed a quiet thank-you to a very kind “unknown force” to slip out. Ethan immediately caught it, but I somehow managed to convince him to simply blow it off. Whatever that force was, it was definitely making sure my life was always going to be as special as possible.
Lurd.
Chapter 62: The Deep End of the Gene Pool
It didn’t matter that Anna’s parents had cried joyful tears when they heard what we’d promised. It didn’t matter that Kevin’s parents were already talking about how either Corey or I would help give them an absolutely beautiful grandchild. I knew they meant every word as love and support.
But there was still something about hearing it said out loud - hearing our promise turned into DNA and grandparents and a real child with real eyes and real fingers and real giggles and tears - that made my stomach suddenly flip.
I knew we hadn’t been drunk when we made our promise on the sailboat heading back toward the Caneel dock. Not even close. But let’s face it, being a couple thousand miles away from the real world, sailing along the coast of a Caribbean island and being pleasantly buzzed on joy, had made our big decision feel so much easier and more certain than it felt right now.
Because there was no yacht anymore. No turquoise water. No warm island breeze making anything feel possible.
There was only the four of us in my Bronco, heading toward our first whole-pack fertility appointment.
By the time we’d found a space in the parking garage and headed down to the building’s lobby, my hands - and pits - were already starting to sweat. From now on, I’d definitely be using deodorant for any and all fertility-related doctor appointments.
I guess my latest deer-in-the-headlights moment was obvious to everyone, because Anna stopped our little pack just before we reached the elevator.
“Hey, Ollie,” she said gently. “It’s okay. I swear nothing has really changed. We’re all still in this together. We all still have the same goal.”
Her calm eyes met my panicked ones, and somehow, just like she had on St. John, she managed to make our new beach volleyball game feel a little less impossible.
“Take a deep breath, buddy. You’re okay. I’ve got you. It’s just finally getting real. We’re not joking about making puppies anymore. We’re about to start a very real journey toward making a very real child. One we all want. One we’ll all love and care for together.”
Kevin quickly closed the distance between us and wrapped me in his arms. For a second, I actually thought he might kiss my cheek, and that thought almost made me chuckle. It was such a Kevin thing to almost do. Sweet. Protective. Maybe a little terrified himself. But it shattered the tightest part of my growing tension.
I blinked at both of them. “I’m sorry, you two. Anna’s right. It just suddenly got very real. I mean, it finally hit me that I could have a biological son or daughter soon.” My throat tightened before I could stop it. “Are you absolutely sure that my DNA is what you really want? I mean, we can let Corey make the donation if that makes this process easier. Does the world really need another little Ollie?”
Anna joined our hug, and this time I did get a kiss on my cheek.
“Of course it does, Ollie,” she said softly. “In fact, the more Ollies, the better.” Her smile trembled just enough to tell me she understood exactly what I was asking. “But I need to ask you too. Are you okay? Do you still want to do this?”
I nodded and refused to let any tears fall as I reached out and pressed the elevator’s Up button.
Go Time was here again.
****
We made it to the doctor’s office, and Anna checked us in while the three of us guys found four seats in the waiting area.
Just like in a certain urology clinic way over in Rockwall, a seeming eternity ago, things became a little less terrifying once we were actually inside. Waiting rooms must have some strange magic that way. From the outside, they let your imagination invent every possible nightmare. From the inside, they’re usually just rooms full of people trying to be brave.
This one wasn’t filled with old men in obvious pain. It was filled with couples. Some looked every bit as pensive as I felt, but most seemed happy and hopeful - quietly holding hands, whispering together, waiting for science - or maybe faith - but definitely love to do whatever they could do.
I felt a lot more relaxed in their company than I had right before I first met my Norse god.
Still… we sat in anxious silence until the door opened and a physician’s assistant called Anna’s name.
The poor assistant looked a little shocked when all four of us stood up and headed toward her. Anna gave her a reassuring smile and explained that, yes, the four of us really were in this together. Our overwhelmed PA recovered quickly enough and led us back toward our room.
Along the way, Anna simply chuckled and said, “You know they say it takes a village…”
Unfortunately, typical exam rooms just weren’t designed to accommodate four adults and one very complicated family plan. Corey and I respectfully remained standing, letting Anna and Kevin take the chairs. Leaning against the wall was just fine with me.
There was no way in heck I was getting anywhere near that exam table.
Thankfully, the doctor arrived within minutes.
The surprised look on his face was priceless, and somehow, it actually made me feel more comfortable. Apparently, our bold new family adventure was unique enough to throw even seasoned medical professionals off a bit.
Dr. Bradley couldn’t contain his chuckle as he took in the four of us. “Well, this is a fun surprise. I usually only get to see two people at a time.” His eyes moved from Anna and Kevin to me and Corey before settling back on Anna with a warm, curious smile. “I’m guessing y’all are here for some really important business.”
Kevin was the one who took the lead.
“Hey, Dr. Bradley. I apologize. We probably should have given you a little more of a heads-up.” He glanced at Anna, then back at us. “But the thing is, Corey and Ollie here just got married a few weeks ago, and they’re also our two best friends. In fact…” His mouth twitched like he knew exactly how strange this next part was going to sound. “We spent their honeymoon with them.”
Dr. Bradley’s eyebrows lifted for the second time since entering the room, but to his credit, he only nodded and let Kevin continue.
“Most importantly,” Kevin said, his voice settling into something steadier, “these two guys mean the world to us. They’ve agreed to be the donors for our child. Their only request is that we don’t have to pick one of them over the other.” He looked from me to Corey, and the love in his eyes almost broke me. “They want to make their contributions in a way that none of us will know the biological father until we have our baby in our arms.”
Anna added, “Is that something we can do without causing too much trouble?”
Dr. Bradley still looked a little stunned, but his professional instincts finally caught back up with him. “Of course,” he said quickly. “Of course we can do that.”
For some reason, hearing it said so easily made my knees feel a little less trustworthy.
He gave us a reassuring smile before continuing. “The funny thing is, gay couples like you two do something similar all the time - just usually not because they want to preserve an element of surprise. Most of the time, they do it because they’re hoping for twins, with one child biologically connected to each father.”
By then, Dr. Bradley had clearly recovered enough from our little family ambush to give Anna a sweet, dangerous smirk.
“So, Anna,” he teased, “are you sure you don’t want to have twins? One from Corey and one from Ollie?”
Corey and I chuckled as Kevin suddenly gave his wife a look exactly like a little boy who had just been told he could have two scoops of ice cream on his cone.
Anna shut that possibility down immediately. “Get that look off your face, Kev. Don’t even think about it. I’m strictly a one-baby-at-a-time kinda girl.”
While the four of us were still chuckling, Dr. Bradley’s expression shifted into something a little more serious.
“The process is called split-cycle IVF,” he explained. “And for what you’re asking, it’s very workable. It doesn’t add any risk to the pregnancy, and it doesn’t make the procedure more difficult for Anna. It just means we have to be very careful and very organized on our end.”
That answer settled some part of me that I hadn’t even realized was still shaking.
Then he looked directly at me and Corey, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Now, you two can even give your samples on the same day. And at the same time, if that’s what helps keep you both… inspired.”
Corey’s shoulder bumped mine. I tried very hard not to blush. I failed.
“But,” Dr. Bradley continued, slipping right back into doctor-mode, “you each have to use separate collection vials. At no time do we ever combine your samples.”
The room sobered with him.
“We keep them separated for a couple of reasons. First, we need to test each sample independently to confirm that both of you are viable donors.” His eyes moved from Corey to me, then softened slightly as they shifted toward Kevin. “And please don’t take offense. You both seem to be healthy young men. But fertility doesn’t always match appearances. As Kevin and Anna already know, sometimes the body simply doesn’t cooperate with what the heart wants.”
That was the moment I felt all humor drain out of me.
I shot Kevin a quick, apologetic glance, worried that even sitting here with me and Corey was somehow rubbing salt into an old wound. But Kevin simply nodded once, steady and reassuring. Not embarrassed. Not diminished. Just Kevin.
He knew Corey and I had his back.
And he knew we had his family’s future in our hearts.
Dr. Bradley continued with his high-level explanation of the procedure. “Even after we receive your samples, the fertilization process still has to be controlled and precise. We don’t simply drop both of your donations together over Anna’s eggs and let biology turn it into some kind of testosterone-fueled swimming competition.”
His mouth twitched again. “As entertaining as that might sound to some of you.”
We politely chuckled at his mostly lame doctor joke. I tried my best to help his punchline land by raising my arm, giving a very controlled little fist pump, and softly cheering, “Come on, little Ollies - I know you can do it!”
Corey’s shoulder shook beside mine.
I wasn’t entirely sure if Dr. Bradley appreciated my contribution to his explanation, but he continued on with a smile and another little chuckle.
“What we actually do is separate Anna’s harvested eggs into two groups. Then we introduce Ollie’s contribution to one group and Corey’s to the other.”
He slowly looked around at all four of our captivated faces before continuing.
“And in your case, to preserve the mystery, once the embryos are tested for viability, we’ll identify them only by sex and a letter. Think of it like ‘Girl A’ or ‘Boy B.’ Then, when the time comes to transfer an embryo, Kevin and Anna will simply choose a gender and a letter.”
He gave us a small, reassuring smile. “So, in a way, it still comes down to random chance for which one of you two gets to become the biological father. Not because we’re being careless, but because we’re being very careful in exactly the way you want us to be.”
That landed harder than I expected.
Dr. Bradley glanced around the room one more time. “Does all this medical mumbo-jumbo sound acceptable to y’all?”
We nodded in a dazed stupor.
If my internal monologue was any indication of our new family’s consensus, we probably all felt like we had suddenly jumped in way over our heads - straight into the deep end of the gene pool.
This was real.
Not just a bold thought that had sounded so perfectly acceptable while we were buzzed and mostly naked on a sailboat in St. John.
Not just a beautiful promise wrapped in warm island wind and saltwater.
We were about to bring a new life into the world.
Ollie's Paradise will be concluded on Sunday. And y'all will hopefully feel that the long journey was worth it. Then there are two very special - very unexpected - epilogues that I'll release next Thursday. After that, Ollie and Corey will be free to live their lives without my interference - well, unless they invite me back in again.
Oh, and Kenny really did have a villa on St. John, he really did do spontaneous little performances. But I don't know if he rebuilt after 2017's dual Cat-5 hurricanes. Ollie's birthday CD is "Be as You Are (Song's from an Old Blue Chair)." And it is absolutely a melodic love letter to the island.
Even better, yesterday was the 9th anniversary of my last time on the island. I might touch St. John sand again this fall. We'll see.
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