Title: Baby Steps
Author: Gemma Johns
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 03/07/2023
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Female/Female
Length: 63800
Genre: Contemporary, contemporary, lesbian, sexual discovery, surrogacy, children, Australia, fake romance
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Description
Fiercely independent Belle Andrews can’t quite believe where her life has ended up. Belle and Tash always thought they’d have three children, but after nineteen years and two children together, Tash walked out on her and Belle doesn’t want her heart broken ever again.
Now, two years later, they’ve established a positive co-parenting relationship, and having moved on with their lives, both agree they have no need for the embryos they created together.
Georgia has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get pregnant for many years now. She’s about to give up trying and move on. Her doctor told her that her only hope now is a donor embryo.
Belle expects her embryos are the perfect solution, but she soon learns Australian legislation mandates she can only donate to someone she’s in a relationship with.
Belle might have given up on love, but can she pretend to be in love to give someone their dream? And can Georgia pretend to be in a relationship with a woman to get the end result she’s always dreamt of?
Baby Steps
Gemma Johns © 2023
All Rights Reserved
Once Tash and the girls had left, Belle sat on the couch reeling from the discussion. She already had a headache forming from the stress. She called Nikki up and asked her for dinner.
“Okay. Maybe we can catch that movie?” Nikki asked, but Belle said no, she had to talk.
“Sounds big,” Nikki said. “I’ll meet you at La Dolce Vita at six?”
Belle spent the afternoon aimlessly pottering around the house and listlessly sitting on the couch. At around 5:00 p.m., she finally got dressed for dinner. Belle put a bright red top on with blue jeans and boots. She ran her fingers through her long brown hair, put a smear of lipstick on her lips, and marched out the door. She arrived at the restaurant at 5:30 p.m. and grabbed a table. She drank coffee while trying to read a novel but couldn’t keep her mind on the story. Finally, Nikki breezed into the restaurant in a long, blue patterned dress.
“Oh, I like this,” Belle said, gesturing at the dress. “It’s new?”
Nikki smiled. “It is. I’m pleased it meets your approval, Ms Fashionista! I got it in the end-of-summer sales to meet Jason’s parents the other day. I’m taking advantage of the last few warm days to wear it.”
“Oh, shit, that was today? Meeting Jason’s parents?” Belle had been so preoccupied with her own drama she’d completely forgotten that Nikki was meeting her boyfriend’s parents for a family lunch. “How did it go?”
“Really good. They seemed to really like me.”
“How could they not?” Belle always joked with Nikki about her confidence.
“Well, yeah. How could they not?” Nikki smiled. “No, in all seriousness, they were friendly, happy, and lunch was good. I haven’t scared Jason off.”
“That’s fabulous. Remember that time with Stefan? When you met his parents?”
Nikki and Belle had been friends since high school, so Nikki had been by Belle’s side throughout her entire relationship with Tash, and Belle had been there for all the ups and downs of Nikki’s relationships. Stefan’s parents hadn’t liked Nikki from day one of their short-lived relationship, because they still held a torch for Stefan’s ex, Dora. Interestingly, Stefan ended up marrying Dora, they heard along the grapevine.
Nikki raised her eyebrows. “I think that goes down in history as the ultimate bad parents’ reaction. I don’t think any parents would ever be so bad to a new partner.”
“You never know. But I’m pleased that Jason’s parents loved you.”
“So, the food and company is great, but what was with the urgent catch up? Sunday night, Jase and I were planning a night in watching Sunday night TV and making mad passionate love to one another.”
Belle cringed. “Okay, okay. Enough’s enough.” She laughed and threw a piece of garlic bread at her friend. “But I am sorry, I didn’t even think. You were with me last night too.”
“I know. Jason will think we have a thing.”
Belle knew Nikki was joking. The idea was ludicrous. “Anyway, Tash came over today, and she wanted to talk about the embryos.” Belle explained the whole thing—about Tash and Emily planning to have another child, about the donor, and finally, about Tash’s plans with the embryos.
Nikki was clearly shocked. “Have you thought about a third child?” she asked tentatively.
“Of course I have. You know, when I was with Tash, it was all I wanted, to be honest. I thought that we’d be starting just around the time that Tash ended things. And then after we broke up, I spent so long focused on just being a mum that I figured one more wouldn’t hurt. I wasn’t dating, but I thought, well, at least I don’t have to date to be a single mum. I can just get the embryo transferred, and boom. But I was worried it would have me so tied to Tash, by using our embryos. I was worried she wouldn’t say I could. So I didn’t do it.”
“And now she’s given you that on a platter?”
“She has…”
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Gemma Johns has always loved writing and wanted to write a novel since she first discovered how much she loved reading them. Her older sister told her she needed to ‘live a little’ before she wrote a novel. Years later, Gemma has now lived a lot, so finally decided to put pen to paper. Writing fiction is a part time gig for her, and she has a full time job in academia. Gemma lives in Australia with her wife and their five children. You can find Gemma on Facebook.
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