bed not wanting to disturb him and have him see her pain and disappointment. She crossed to the window and stood looking out, seeing nothing.
The doctors diagnosed her with something called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. They explained that PCOS was a genetic disease that triggered a hormonal imbalance and caused her ovaries to produce few or no eggs. The few eggs produced were usually immature, so treatments like in vitro fertilization and other surgical interventions were not an option. Today, the doctors had started her on fertility drugs and hormones at her insistence although they told her the drugs were a long shot and there was no guarantee of success. Her best options seemed to be surrogacy or adoption. This news had devastated Regan and was the cause of her uncharacteristic bad mood tonight. She and Rick had always planned on having a big family. Now their future had changed. It was so unfair.
Her exhausted mind raced. How did she tell him? Could she tell him? He would be such a good father. She knew he would be disappointed but would be supportive. He’d go along with whatever treatments the specialist recommended whether it was some costly, drawn out infertility treatments or adoption. But how could she put him through all this? She wasn’t sure she was ready for it herself.
How could she ask him to sacrifice his dreams for her? He was thirty-five and ready to start a family. She couldn’t begin to count the number of times he had talked of the son he would have to carry on the Spencer name. As her emotions threatened to erode her control, she tiptoed out of their bedroom. Once in the hallway, she rushed to the guest bathroom where she poured out her grief in private. She slumped on the cold tile floor and grieved for the children that would never be and wondered. What was she going to do now?
Chapter Two
Regan was working late at the bakery. As she went over the revenue and expense reports she realized she should be happier about the success of their business. She and Megan along with two of her cousins had invested in the new bakery about two years ago. It was already operating in the black. It was primarily Megan’s business and the others dabbled here and there content to leave her in charge. But running the bakery in Megan’s absence had fallen to Regan and it had become a major headache. With all that was going on in her personal life, she had a hard time focusing on work. She hoped she wasn’t screwing things up.
She spent most of her time putting out fires, figuratively of course. The biggest problem with Regan taking over was the she couldn’t bake. In fact, she pretty much sucked at it. Her meringue always burned, her roses were lopsided and her cakes flopped, literally. Megan was the baker with the skill to create beautiful cakes and confections. Her absence had posed a serious problem.
A knock at the door was a welcome break from the endless jumble of numbers. Regan smiled when Francine, their new pastry chef stuck her head in. “I’m heading out, boss. We’re all ready for the Briggs wedding and the Salisbury party tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Fran. I don’t know what we would do without you. You were heaven sent.”
“Nope, more like Jersey sent. Seriously, I’m grateful for the opportunity. Now, don’t stay too late and have a good night.”
Francine was a real find. She hadn’t been in town for more than a week when she’d seen their ad. Finding a substitute for Megan so quickly had been the only bit of luck that Regan had lately. With Fran firmly in charge of the creative end of operations, Regan was free to deal with the business end like payroll, ordering supplies, and invoicing account holders. Ugh! Just because she had a business degree didn’t mean she enjoyed the mundane tasks of running the business. However, it was either pitch in or the bakery would fail. Her sister needed
The doctors diagnosed her with something called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. They explained that PCOS was a genetic disease that triggered a hormonal imbalance and caused her ovaries to produce few or no eggs. The few eggs produced were usually immature, so treatments like in vitro fertilization and other surgical interventions were not an option. Today, the doctors had started her on fertility drugs and hormones at her insistence although they told her the drugs were a long shot and there was no guarantee of success. Her best options seemed to be surrogacy or adoption. This news had devastated Regan and was the cause of her uncharacteristic bad mood tonight. She and Rick had always planned on having a big family. Now their future had changed. It was so unfair.
Her exhausted mind raced. How did she tell him? Could she tell him? He would be such a good father. She knew he would be disappointed but would be supportive. He’d go along with whatever treatments the specialist recommended whether it was some costly, drawn out infertility treatments or adoption. But how could she put him through all this? She wasn’t sure she was ready for it herself.
How could she ask him to sacrifice his dreams for her? He was thirty-five and ready to start a family. She couldn’t begin to count the number of times he had talked of the son he would have to carry on the Spencer name. As her emotions threatened to erode her control, she tiptoed out of their bedroom. Once in the hallway, she rushed to the guest bathroom where she poured out her grief in private. She slumped on the cold tile floor and grieved for the children that would never be and wondered. What was she going to do now?
Chapter Two
Regan was working late at the bakery. As she went over the revenue and expense reports she realized she should be happier about the success of their business. She and Megan along with two of her cousins had invested in the new bakery about two years ago. It was already operating in the black. It was primarily Megan’s business and the others dabbled here and there content to leave her in charge. But running the bakery in Megan’s absence had fallen to Regan and it had become a major headache. With all that was going on in her personal life, she had a hard time focusing on work. She hoped she wasn’t screwing things up.
She spent most of her time putting out fires, figuratively of course. The biggest problem with Regan taking over was the she couldn’t bake. In fact, she pretty much sucked at it. Her meringue always burned, her roses were lopsided and her cakes flopped, literally. Megan was the baker with the skill to create beautiful cakes and confections. Her absence had posed a serious problem.
A knock at the door was a welcome break from the endless jumble of numbers. Regan smiled when Francine, their new pastry chef stuck her head in. “I’m heading out, boss. We’re all ready for the Briggs wedding and the Salisbury party tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Fran. I don’t know what we would do without you. You were heaven sent.”
“Nope, more like Jersey sent. Seriously, I’m grateful for the opportunity. Now, don’t stay too late and have a good night.”
Francine was a real find. She hadn’t been in town for more than a week when she’d seen their ad. Finding a substitute for Megan so quickly had been the only bit of luck that Regan had lately. With Fran firmly in charge of the creative end of operations, Regan was free to deal with the business end like payroll, ordering supplies, and invoicing account holders. Ugh! Just because she had a business degree didn’t mean she enjoyed the mundane tasks of running the business. However, it was either pitch in or the bakery would fail. Her sister needed