Coda Books 06 - Fear, Hope, and Bread Pudding (MM)

wrong, that’s going to help you.”
    Cole sighed and smiled sideways at me. “Thank goodness we have something in our favor.”
    “You have a lot in your favor, actually. Outside of being a same-sex couple, your only real disadvantage is your lack of family. I understand you have Jon’s dad here in town, but other than that, you have no support structure in place. No uncles or aunts or cousins.”
    “It’s not like we can change that now,” I said.
    Thomas nodded. “Exactly. I’m only trying to be thorough.” He fiddled with a pen on his desk. “In fact, at this point, I feel it’s important to be completely honest about what we’re up against. It’s easy at the beginning for couples to become overly optimistic.” He looked up again to meet our eyes, giving weight to his words. “I’d advise you to not get your hopes up.”
    “You’re saying we don’t really have a chance?”
    “No. That’s not it at all. And I’m not saying this as your lawyer, but as somebody who’s seen how ugly adoption can get. This journey can be full of heartache. It may be months or even years before we find a child. To make matters worse, there are some people out there who will take advantage of your situation. They’ll say whatever you want to hear in order to have their prenatal care paid for, but in the end, they’ll refuse to sign away their parental rights. People that cruel are rare, but they seem to pop up a lot in this business.”
    “Don’t we have some kind of protection against that kind of thing?”
    He shook his head. “None. Arizona law stipulates that a mother can’t authorize an adoption until seventy-two hours after birth. Anything promised before that isn’t valid in court. I’ve seen couples spend every penny they have, even take out second mortgages on their homes so they can give the birth mother what she wants, only to have the rug ripped out from underneath them once the child is born. Given your unique financial situation, you’d be a prime target for anybody who’s only out to get free maternity care.”
    I was still holding Cole’s hand, and I felt the way he began to shake.
    “Now,” Thomas went on, “like I said, those types of people are rare, and I want you to know, I intend to be very careful about any offers I put through to you. Part of my job is to make sure people like that don’t have a chance to use your own emotions against you. But what I want you to bear in mind is this: no matter what, the birth mother has three days to change her mind. Three days . And most of the time, it’s not even a matter of them trying to manipulate you. They may fully intend to give their child up, but once they hold that baby in their arms, they sometimes change their minds. It’s not about them being selfish or trying to take advantage of you. It’s a maternal instinct.”
    “It’s hard to argue with biology,” I said.
    Thomas nodded. “Exactly. And if that happens, we’re right back to square one. There’s not a damn thing in the world we can do about it.” He leaned back in his chair. “Now, with all of that said, you tell me: is this still something you want to pursue?”
    I turned to Cole. He had a death grip on my fingers, but he didn’t waver. He nodded. “Absolutely.”
    Thomas smiled. “Good. Then we’ll get down to business right away.”

Chapter Two

    Date: February 10
    To: Jared
    From: Cole
    Sweets, I can’t thank you enough for coming to Paris for the wedding. It meant so much to us both. It was nice to see Matt’s soft side too. I finally understand what you see in him. You’re adorable together, really. I’m happier for you than ever. I’m rather fond of him now, truth be told, even if he is grumpy (but don’t you dare tell him I said so).
    Now, I have news. You asked on top of the Arc de Triomphe why Jon and I were in such a hurry to get married. I suspect you already knew the answer, but given our history together, it’s only fair that I actually say it rather than making you guess. Jon and I hope to adopt a baby. Now that we’ve made the decision, it’s all I can think about. I worry that I’m obsessed with the idea, but I suppose there are worse things. We told George of our plans on Christmas, and he cried and cried.
    Jon is so ploddingly logical about the whole thing. One step at a time, never looking beyond that. He is ever the accountant. Ever the pragmatist. I’m grateful for it though, because on my own, I’d be a nervous wreck. God