Earth and Sky

Grant and Bill had had an altercation at the birth of Brenner’s foals, when Grant had defended Calley’s honor and Bill had clearly taken that the wrong way. They’d had a chance to talk it out, and although they would never be best friends, Grant wasn’t worried about being in the same room with Bill anymore. He admitted to some residual tension, though. He couldn’t erase the past or the fact he’d had an affair with Calley, so it only stood to reason that he wouldn’t be Bill’s favorite person, but they’d reached a stalemate and now managed to be civil to each other.

    Calley had been fairly vague about the reason for the sudden dinner invitation. Hunter and Grant had never been invited to their house before, and certainly not with Gable and Flynn as dinner companions. Calley, being the no-nonsense type, dropped her bombshell during the appetizers: she wanted to try for a child again. Although Bill was clearly in on the matter, he stayed quiet. The other four men simply stared at each other. It took some time to let her words sink in.

    Grant was the first to say something. The proposal for them to become sperm donors wasn’t foreign to him, after all.

    “You basically only need one of us, Calley,” Grant said softly, looking at Calley while she was rearranging the lettuce leaves on her plate with her fork.

    “I know,” she said, smiling lightly and reaching out for Bill’s hand. “But it’s taken me a long time to persuade Bill, and he doesn’t really want to know who fathered the child, so this is our compromise.”

    “There is such a thing as an anonymous sperm donor,” Flynn said. “I’m sure they can hook you up with some at the hospital?”

    Calley nodded. “We talked about that too, but Bill feels we should be able to tell the child who his real father is at some point. When he’s older.”

    “Or she,” Hunter cut her off.

    “Or she,” Calley agreed. “You never know when it might be necessary to know.”

    Grant looked around the table at the one man besides Bill who remained quiet. Gable’s gaze was miles away, and Grant knew what that meant. He was thinking things over, taking his time. Grant also caught Flynn lovingly gazing at Gable, though Gable was oblivious to it.

    When Calley got up to gather the dirty plates, Grant helped and followed her into the kitchen.

    “Well, I suppose it’s the best sort of response I could expect,” Calley said, taking the plates from Grant once they’d put some distance between them and the rest of the group.

    “It’s a big thing to ask.” Grant put his hand on the small of her back but pulled away when the door opened. Bill walked in to pick up a bottle of wine before walking out again.

    “I know,” Calley replied once Bill was gone. “Don’t suppose you’ll put me out of my misery and volunteer again?”

    Grant sighed. “I’m sorry, Calley. You’d be afraid all through your pregnancy.”

    “Who says the miscarriage wasn’t my fault? I’ll be afraid no matter what. It might happen again, Grant.”

    “I know.” Grant placed a soothing hand on her arm, not daring to come much closer in case Bill walked in on them again. “But I think I have enough of my offspring running around for now. If nobody wants to help, I will. I won’t let you down, but let’s let the others decide first, okay?”

    She nodded. “How about Hunter?”

    “You’ll have to talk to him yourself, I’m afraid.” Grant inhaled deeply. “But he’s pretty preoccupied with Miranda right now—”

    “And one baby on the way is enough for him, I suppose,” Calley said, finishing Grant’s sentence. “I understand.”

    “Maybe Gable will say yes this time?”

    Calley smiled sadly. “His arguments were pretty convincing last time. He wants to raise his child. I can’t give him that.”

    “He hasn’t said no yet. He was thinking about it, Calley.”

    Calley turned to face Grant and pulled him into a tight hug. “Thanks for giving me hope.” She let go of him, turned around to grab the oven mitts, and handed them to Grant. “Will you carry out the roast for me? Bill will carve, I’m sure.”

    The rest of the dinner was delicious, and they spent it with lots of small talk and gossip about the goings-on at the nearby ranches and things that had happened around town. It was as if the evening hadn’t started with such a loaded question.

    Just before midnight, Hunter drove them home, and he and Grant were silent in the car