Chapter 2
Tori Elliott
I realized I shouldn’t have told the ladies from work that I was going to visit a sperm bank the second it came out of my mouth. I watched all of their faces shift from shock to pity to blatant judgment and then I couldn’t seem to backtrack. Smooth, Tori.
“Well, who knows if I can even get pregnant? My dickbag ex-fiance and I could never get pregnant and now I’m sort of glad we didn’t try invitro. I just don’t want to be 40, single, and childless, ya know?” I looked around, grasping at the straws of my dignity.
A few of them looked sympathetically at me but, like a well-oiled machine, they all started glancing around at the room or snuck a peek at their smartphones. Way to scare everyone off, Birthday Girl. I rolled my eyes at myself and lifted my champagne glass to my lips. At least you can drink yourself stupid now, I amended and turned to get some of those delicious crab cakes off the hors d’oeuvres table. As I pivoted on my deliciously tall pumps, I ran smack-dab into Why-Not-Wyatt, the baby-faced Finance guy who was the only man on my “Why Not” list.
Since the breakup, I’d sworn off men entirely, but I decided I’d make an exception for that fine piece of work. He was somewhere over 6 feet, built like he knocked people out for a living, but could still fit into an Italian-cut casual suit. On top of all that, he could pull off the bright blue hue that I was pretty sure was the exact tone of his eyes and his hair was precisely razor-faded. Why-Not-Wyatt looked straight off a GQ cover, but the best part was he didn’t even know it. I had to bite my lip to keep from sighing. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten laid.
The suckfest that was my engagement ended because I finally figured out that there was no future with Henry. I also found out that he loved himself (and other women) a little more than he loved me. We were together for six years, three of which we were engaged. But he never tried to set a date, never wanted to talk about the wedding. I found myself avoiding the conversation around my friends, not wanting to get excited because I never knew if it was going to happen.
And then, I caught him banging the beautician across the hall one day and even then I didn’t have the balls to cut it off. But thankfully, he did. I thought it would be a fling and he’d come crawling back, but I found out from my mother, who loved to remind me of my single-ness, that those two twits were engaged. After only six weeks together. Guess it was just me he didn’t want to marry. I groaned a little at my inward thoughts and suddenly remembered Wyatt, who had been standing there for a least a full thirty seconds now.
“Uh… hey, Wyatt. How are you? Thanks for coming out,” I blurted out, trying to not look like I just returned from a very painful trip down Memory Lane. He looked rather concerned about my mental health, his eyebrows drawn in worry or surprise.
“Hey, Tori. Happy birthday, this is a great setup,” Wyatt said and gestured at the grand room around us.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful. I told Carter to keep it simple, but you know him. All of this is a bit much, but it’s a really nice gesture,” I said as I glanced directly at Carter and Emma. They were wrapped around each other and I felt a surge of warmth for my friends. Just as I was about to turn back to Wyatt, I noticed Carter as he looked up, stared directly at Wyatt standing next to me, and winked. Wyatt shifted a little uncomfortably next to me and I turned to face him. His beautiful, tanned skin was flushed just on the peaks of his cheeks, like a kid who had been running in the cold.
As I peered at him, Wyatt’s eyes went from dark blue to a steely shade of ice and his back straightened. He suddenly looked like a man on a mission, and I had no clue what to talk about. Just as I began to look around for an escape, it became my turn to blush from head-to-toe when Wyatt spoke.
Wyatt opened his mouth and said, “I heard what you said to Joanne and the other women. About the sperm clinic. I’d like to offer you an alternative.” At first, I felt my temperature rise in anger. How dare he eavesdrop! But then I realized that I was standing right next to the place where everyone gathered during a party - the freaking food table. Shit, I hope no one else heard, I thought as I assessed Wyatt more now.
I saw that he was flushed a bit more on his cheeks, but not in an embarrassed way at all. In an excited, maybe even sexual way. His body was turned towards mine and it looked like he was clenching his hands to prevent himself from touching me. At that thought, I melted a little. Who knew that Why-Not-Wyatt would find me attractive? I didn’t think he had even noticed me. I was just one of the admin assistants and obviously a bit older than him. Don’t guys like younger women, not older ones?? Either way, Why-Not-Wyatt had offered me an alternative to a sperm clinic - he couldn’t be serious. But then again… why the hell not?