The Russian Billionaire’s Secret(45)



“Anyway, so I go through with the date, ‘cause I’m not about to hurt his feelings just because he’s a little bit insecure but honey, when he tried to take food off my plate…that’s when I lost it. You don’t take food off your girl’s plate! You want something, you order it!” Katie was clutching her stomach by now and Tami shook her head. “It’s so hard to find a good man out there and this clock is tickin’!”

“Don’t be in such a rush, I have three kids at home and I love them to pieces but God they’re hard work.” Katie bit at her fingernails.

“Maybe, but I come from a big family and I need to have a big family but the way I’m going I’ll never find a man sane enough to have one with!” Katie shrugged.

“So, go to the sperm bank? At least that way you get to pick out the dad and you don’t have to deal with any of their shit.” Tami laughed.

“You might have a good idea there. I wonder how those things work anyway.” Katie shrugged.

“You walk in, ask for sperm and pick the one you want out of a book?” Tami shook her head.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works.” The two burst in to a fit of giggles that only worsened when Katie nodded towards a customer approaching the till.

Tami had no doubt that she could thrive as a single mother. She had spent much of her life raising her brothers alone while her mother worked to support them. It wasn’t that she didn’t think she could ‘do’ the single parent thing, it was more than she didn’t really want to.

Katie had got her to thinking though, what if the right man never did come along? What if he did come along but he came too late? She made a mental memo to look for the local sperm bank and to at least find out what the process took.

Chapter 3

Life Changing Decisions

“We should know relatively soon if you’re pregnant.” Tami’s OBGYN gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Like how soon?” Her doctor chuckled.

“I’d say two weeks is a good time frame.” Tami nodded.

“Not soon enough but I’ll take it!” It had been months since Tami and Katie had talked about the possibility of her using a sperm donor to get pregnant, but the idea had stuck and as she always did, Tami fast tracked it.

She had spent weeks pawing over the candidates, but one in particular had stood out. He was athletic, tall, slender, white and educated – all of the things that were truly important to Tami. She had intended on waiting before going through with the insemination process, but the more she thought about the possibility of getting pregnant, the faster she wanted to complete the process.

“Okay, I suggest that you take it easy for the rest of the day and try not to overdo it at all for the next few weeks. Recent research shows that the amount of rest you get is directly proportional to the success of pregnancy with artificial insemination.” Tami nodded. She had no intention of taking it anything but easy, not after the amount of money she had spent to go through the process. “So I want to see you back here in two weeks, okay?” Tami nodded.

“And if I’m not pregnant?” Her doctor shook her head.

“Then we will cross that bridge when we get there. For now, go home, relax and take it easy.” Tami laughed.

“Easy for you to say doc!” Her doctor smiled.

“Well, try to take it easy. We will know the results in no time.” Tami nodded.

“Okay, I’ll leave your chart here. When you’re dressed and ready to go, just pick it up and give it to the ladies at the front and they’ll take care of you.” Tami inched toward the end of the table, her petite frame lifted high off the ground.

“Okay, thank you Doc.” They exchanged a smile and Tami’s doctor left the room.

Tami sat for a moment on the end of the examination table. She let her legs dangle freely and stared at the floral print wallpaper. She couldn’t help but wonder if she had made the right decision.

Ever since Albie had felt that uncomfortable feeling of jealousy towards the coffeehouse barista’s advances on another customer, he had been drinking more coffee than usual. In fact, every morning he made sure to visit the local coffee house even if he had no intentions of going in to the office.

Over the months, he had begun to work out Tami’s schedule and the more he saw of her, the less he wanted the company of his usual twentysomethings. As he watched her at work he wondered if perhaps, Albert P. Johnson III could live the life of a married man rather than that of a playboy.

“Can I take your order?” Katie leaned over the counter and Albie looked at her, confused.

“Is…Tami not here today?” He asked, trying not to sound overly interested. Katie shook her head.

“Sorry, she’s off today.” Albie felt his heart sink.

“Oh…” He paused.

“She will be back in a few days. What can I get for you?” Albie contemplated not ordering anything at all, but then opted to save face and ordered his usual instead.

“Quad espresso, please.” Katie punched the order in to the till.

“You’re Albie, right?” Albie nodded as he reached in to his pocket and pulled out a crisp ten dollar bill. “I thought so. Tami always talks about you.” Katie took the money and slid it in the till. “I don’t mean that to sound weird or anything, just that she always talks about what a good customer you are.” She went to hand Albie back his change and he shook his hand.

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