Chapter 3

"Today's the day Matt," Ambrose said, nervousness evident in his voice.

"Oh no, I masturbated yesterday," Matthew said and Ambrose gave him a disapproving look. "Come on, I was just joking. I actually jerked off a week ago." Matt said and Ambrose just sighed.

"We have to be in the clinic in an hour, so please, just grab some shirt and jeans so we can leave," Ambrose said as he stood by the door of the walk-in closet.

"Hey, I'm going to be jerking off in a clinic and I need to be presentable so I don't get kicked out for public indecency," Matt said.

Ambrose sighed for the nth time today so Matt finally settled for a button-down short-sleeved shirt and a pair of trousers. Ambrose muttered 'finally' under his breath as they walk out of the house. Matt opened the car door open for Ambrose before getting into the driver's seat. Ambrose was clearly anxious as they drive to the clinic.

"Ambrose," Matt called out.

"Yeah?" Ambrose muttered.

"We'll be fine. I promise," Matt said and Ambrose gave him a weak smile.

They soon reached the clinic where Alana and Drake were already waiting. They greeted each other before going inside the clinic. They were oriented on the procedure after collecting semen samples from both men before handing Drake and Matt containers for sperm collection. Matt gave Ambrose a mock salute before being escorted off to a private room.

Ambrose and Alana were led to the waiting room where they were served some snacks and drinks to help pass time. Alana noticed how restless Ambrose is as he continuously tapped on the floor with his foot. Alana placed her hand over his leg and he gave her a small smile.

"Mind telling me what's on your mind?" Alana asked.

"I'm just worried about all of this. I mean, this is a pretty big step in our lives. I'm just scared to be a parent," Ambrose said, voicing out his concerns.

"Ambrose, you're a great person, and so is Matthew. I mean, you two clearly have so much love for each other and I'm sure your kid would be lucky to have you as parents," Alana said, reassuring Ambrose.

Ambrose didn't know what else to say so he just nodded. The two quietly waited for their husbands to return and after a few more minutes, the two men entered the waiting room with the clinic attendant following behind them. Matt sat beside Ambrose as Drake sat beside Alana.

"So we checked both your sperm samples and I'm happy to say that they're eligible for artificial fertilization," the attendant said and Alana clapped in joy. "We'll be going on with the process and then we'll call you if the fertilization is successful and then after that, we can move on to implanting the embryo."

"Thank you so much. We're so excited for this," Alana said, pulling her husband into a hug.

Ambrose, on the other hand, couldn't share her excitement. Matthew noticed this and pulled Ambrose into a hug, hiding his face so Alana wouldn't be suspicious. Matthew smiled at Alana when she turned to look at them. Ambrose tried to compose himself and put on a happy face before pulling away from Matt and facing her sister.

"Aren't you excited?" Alana asked.

"I am, but I'm also terrified," Ambrose said, chuckling nervously.

The two chatted a bit more before leaving the clinic. Alana offered to get lunch together but Ambrose quickly refused and pulled Matthew back to the car. Alana and Drake exchanged a knowing look before getting into their car. Matthew then pulled Ambrose into a kiss before getting into the car. Ambrose kissed him back, his body relaxing against him. Ambrose pulled away and reached for the car door.

"You've been kissing me more often," Ambrose said.

"Because you've been more stressed lately and kissing you seemed to help," Matt said.

"Don't get used to it," Ambrose said, sticking his tongue out at Matthew before getting inside the car.

Matt chuckled as he got into the driver's seat. Ambrose then started to talk about everything they need for the baby once again. They've had this conversation multiple times before, but Ambrose seemed to be more insistent on buying them now. For someone so unsure about having a baby, Ambrose is acting differently. Matthew then drove them to IKEA after having a quick lunch.

Ambrose did all the interior design in their home so Matthew just followed behind him as he picked out a crib, stroller, and baby furniture. Ambrose would ask Matthew which color or style would he like more, but Ambrose would then choose the opposite of what Matthew chose. Matthew sighed as Ambrose asked him to choose for the nth time, knowing that his choice would be thrown out the window anyway.

Ambrose then saw a huge stuffed bear so he quickly grabbed it and put it in the cart. Matthew raised a brow at Ambrose, but he just shrugged. They spent another hour more shopping for furniture before lining up at the cashier. Ambrose then grabbed Matthew's wallet and took his card before giving his wallet back. Matthew gave him a disapproving look, but Ambrose ignored him.

"We should get a joint account for when the baby comes," Matthew suggested.

"I was going to say no, but the decision now involves another hypothetical person so I'm going to agree with you," Ambrose said.

"So I'm expecting to be reimbursed half of what I'm paying for all of this," Matt said.

"No, the shared account will only start once the embryo is formed," Ambrose said before handing the card to the cashier.

Matthew's eyes almost burst out of their sockets as soon as he saw how much they were paying. Ambrose dared him to question it with his eyes so Matt just put his hands up in mock surrender before taking his card back.

"We can start building the nursery after your birthday," Ambrose said. "Let's just hope your joints won't start buckling then," he teased.

"Hey, I'm only two years older," Matt said as he pushed the carts back to their car.

"Yeah, but you're going to be in your forties now and I'm still in my thirties for two years so suck it," he said as he ran to the car.

Ambrose helped Matthew load the stuff they bought into the car when the light flashed multiple times from a distance. Ambrose groaned and flipped off the direction where the light came from.

"For fuck's sake, When are they going to stop? I thought the marriage would calm them down, but somehow they've been hounding us more. Are we that saleable?" Ambrose asked.

"I guess it's rare for them to see two male CEOs in a relationship so they love stuffing their noses where it does not belong," Matthew said as he closed the trunk door.

"What do you think they're going to put in the tabloids this time? Two gay men, playing house, blah, blah, blah," Ambrose said.

"Just ignore them like we've been doing for the past decade," Matthew said.

"We can't ignore them once they interfere with our kid's life," Ambrose said.

Matthew nodded in understanding. "You're right, but maybe we'll deal with them then when they do," he said before getting inside the car.

Ambrose sighed and got inside two. Once they got home, they brought the furniture boxes into the room they'd cleared out to turn into the nursery. After everything was inside, Ambrose packed him and Matthew's overnight bags for MAtt's birthday. Matt tried helping Ambrose pack their bags, but Ambrose refused and ordered him to get out of the room while he was packing.

Matthew sighed but followed anyway. Ambrose would always complain how Matthew doesn't know how to utilize the space in his luggage and he would always end up not knowing how to fit everything back after their vacation. Ambrose was looking forward to their vacation. They finally get time off once again with the guise of being a married couple on a getaway.