the back-up plan

chapter 3.

briar pov
i walked happily into the pet store that i owned and was greeted by my dog nuts. it isn't exactly a pet store, it's more of a store for dogs. you can adopt them or just buy different items for your dog. nuts walked quickly out of his kennel and came over to me. i rescued him a few years back and he's been my best friend ever since. he was abused by his previous owner which resulting in permanent damage to both of his back legs. sooo, i bought this thing for him, it's kind of like a wheelchair for dogs. his back legs attach to it and when he walks, the wheels take the place of his back legs!

"hii nutsy!" i smiled at him as my friend dylan ran towards me. "oh my god. you're glowing. oh my god. she's glowing, right?" she turned to noah as he approached us. they work at the store with me and i'm so appreciative of that. i really have the best best friends. "tell us everything," she continued, making me laugh, "there's not much to tell." "no no no, you just got shot up with a wad of red headed freckled sperm, there's something to tell!" noah joined in. "wait wait wait, he had red hair and freckles? why would you do that?" she asked, clearly concerned for some reason. "i tried to talk her out of it," he continued as she shook her head, "so come on, what happened?"

"uhhh, i lay down, put my feet over my head and five minutes later is was over. i barely felt a thing," i said simply, shrugging my shoulders as i continued to organise some things. "so basically it was like having sex with noah," she glanced at him, causing him to roll his eyes, "you wish." i laughed softly then turned to them, "if you need me i'll be in the back with my legs over my head." i threw the collar i was holding to dylan before walking towards the door leading to the back. "red hair and freckles!" noah yelled after me. "you had your chance!"

although i was in the back room, i still heard the conversation dylan and noah had continued. "what?!" she asked him sharply, receiving an answer in what can only be described as an immensely confused tone, "i don't know it's just weird, you know? like who is this guy she was with anyway?" "she wasn't actually with him." he sighed, "yeah but i still wanna kick his ass. is that wrong?" "you're stupid." idiots.

...
"okay, alright," the woman sitting at the front of the room said while clapping her hands, "welcome to single mothers and proud. as the name suggests we are all single, mothers and proud." yes, i took the doctor's advice and joined a support group. i expected it to be more.. professional. i mean, it's just a bunch of women sitting in the woman hosting's living room. but you know, whatever helps.

"some of us have adopted, some of us have conceived with a donor. every story is different but with the same common denominator, we wanted a child and we made it happen on our own. we sure did!" i listened as she spoke until i heard a woman from the other side of the room start talking, "are you already a single mother or are you trying to become one?" i looked towards her and realised she was talking to me, "oh uh, i was just inseminated a few days ago." ohhhs and nods filled the room before i continued, "inseminated," i laughed, "makes me few like a cow or something."

"well we do what we have to do when we don't have a penis partner," the lady replied, making my eyes widen slightly. okay then. "so! let's hear about you!" she spoke once again, pointing at me. "uh okay. let's see. well i own a pet store, yeah. i used to work in the corporate world, which was great for a while but it just didn't feel like the life that i wanted to live. so, now i'm happy on the work front but you know.. i don't know. even though i have more balance.. it's personal.. i still haven't found 'the one,' so that's why i'm.." i nodded as i trailed off at the end. they understood. "well, the elusive 'one'. good luck," she spoke again. dang i really should've paid attention when she said her name. my thoughts were interrupted by the other women in the room laughing. although i was confused, i spoke up, "i thought i'd be married with kids by now but that's just not happening so i guess it's time for my backup plan." "well, briar, listen. if you really want a baby, we here at single mothers and proud, we can be your partners. from inception to graduation, everything in between. we can be here for you." "great. thank you," i smiled. i wasn't really sure if that was a good thing but at least i'd have the support. i mean, some of the mothers here are kinda.. weird?

my point was proven just as one of them spoke, "dakota was born right here. in this very room. right where you're sitting actually." what. "really?" "mhm." "right here? ha. imagine that. funny." completely disgusted. it took all of my might not to just get up off of the chair. but i stayed calm and continued, noticing the child on her lap, wrapped in a blanket while feeding, "so how old is your baby now?" the child sat up and looked at me with a smile, "i'm three." oh my gosh. i looked at the little girl, my mouth opened slightly in shock. wow. i heard the other women fill the room with awws as the lady at the front looked at me, "so cute!"