She rolls her eyes. “I mean with leading the classes. He’s really stepped up to—”

“Hold on, back up.”

She takes a step back.

Jesus Christ. “I didn’t mean literally. What do you mean by leading the classes?”

Her smile is a little puzzled. And adorable. God, is she adorable. “Marty leads the Lamaze and yoga class we’re about to take. When I went through my first surrogacy, he fell in love with the vibe at Lamazing Grace and decided he wanted to become an instructor. Now he leads three classes a week. Isn’t that wonderful? He’s also training to become a doula. Not many men do that.”

Otter immediately slaps a hand over my mouth. “That’s great. Can you excuse us for a second?”

“Of course. I’ll head into the studio we’re using. It’s the second door on the right. We start in five minutes. Don’t be late. Marty won’t give you the Sunshine Point of Arriving on Time if you’re late.”

I try not to scream against Otter’s hand.

“We’ll be there,” he says, fingers tightening on my face.

“Is Bear all right? He’s turning really red.”

“He’s just so excited to be here,” Otter tells her. “Can barely contain himself.” He waits until she’s turned toward the studio before he drags me away from all the other pregnant couples who have started to gather.

“We need to take Megan and run,” I gasp as soon as he drops his hand. “Keep her safe until the babies are born and then we can give her back.”

“You need to give him a chance,” Otter says sternly. “They wouldn’t let him in front of a class full of pregnant women if he didn’t know what he was talking about.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

“We’re not going to kidnap Megan and hold her against her will.”

“Well, when you say it like that, of course it sounds bad—”

“It’s going to be fine,” he says. “You know it is. Stop looking for troubles where there are none.”

“Okay. But the moment he starts making things weird, we are leaving.”

“THANK YOU, everyone, for showing up on time! You have all been awarded one Sunshine Point for Arriving on Time. If, at the end of the class, you’ve accrued six Sunshine Points, you may turn them in for a hug and a yogurt parfait with chopped walnuts. Oh, who am I kidding, you’ll get those anyway, because what do we say here at Lamazing Grace?”

“Hugs are love!” most everyone chants around us.

“Bear, sit down.”

“He made it weird.”

Otter tugs me back onto the mat.

IT’S NOT—okay, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Sure, Marty is ridiculous, and I couldn’t care less about the goddamn Sunshine Points. And hell, the breathing part of it is all right, learning that the whole hee hoooo thing you see on TV and movies is pretty much bullshit. It’s all about the deep breaths, the parasympathetic breathing to help relax, to slow each breath, to drop your heart rate and blood pressure. I’d always thought it was just a dumb thing that was meant to be a distraction for women in labor, but it’s actually starting to make sense.