***

Once Tina started her affair with Helena she rebuffed every attempt that Bette made to talk about the baby; always making the excuse that she needed more time. It took three weeks before Tina could finally face her ex and confess that she had self-inseminated four months after her previous pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage. Tina explained she hadn’t meant to keep the pregnancy a secret from Bette. She just wanted to shield her wife from the pain of going through another miscarriage if it didn’t stick. But mostly she blamed Bette for breaking up their marriage and putting her in that position. Before she even knew she was pregnant she’d discovered Bette’s affair with another woman. “You fucked off” Tina yelled at her wife. “I fucked up. I didn’t fuck off. I’m still here.” Bette retorted.

Bette was even more determined to fight for her child when she found out that Tina had used Marcus Allenwood’s sperm. He was Bette’s friend; an African American man that had agreed to be a sperm donor so Bette and Tina could have a child that reflected both their heritage. Even if the law didn’t recognize or support any legal binding, in Bette’s heart this was her baby too. She vowed to have a place in the baby’s life.

The marriage had already fallen apart when the trust was broken but after much deliberation, anger, threats, and tearful arguing Tina finally acknowledged Bette as the baby’s other mother. Once they called a truce and discussed their situation calmly without bringing lawyers into it, they agreed to form a new kind of partnership focused solely on being good parents to their unborn child.

For the next few weeks they just worked on being friends and sharing the pregnancy experience. Bette was beside herself when Tina included her in the 21st week check-up appointment that included the ultrasound. The first image of their baby girl on the sonogram had such an emotional impact that when Bette took Tina home they reconnected in a way that awakened Tina’s sexual cravings for her beautiful ex.

***

The sex that afternoon was mind-blowing. Bette described it to her therapist in this way … “it was like for one moment everything that went wrong between us had disappeared and I had my life back” Their desire was insatiable. They had made love for hours doing things that they’d never done together before. Even though Tina was pregnant she seemed strong and sure of herself. She was the aggressor; gone was the fragile breakable woman that Bette had cheated on.