Chapter One
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Celine had always wanted to have a baby.  She had wanted one of her own since she was a little girl, growing up as part of a very large family in Quebec, Canada.  She had dreamed, her whole life, about meeting the man of her dreams and having a family with him.  As she grew up, she began to reveal a talent that would bring her a sense of fulfillment that she could only imagine as a young girl.  She was just doing what she loved and with a little hard work, she began to see the fruits of her labors.  Her success came early.  She was a celebrated vocalist by the time she was 28 years old and had millions of fans around the world.  It was through her passion for music that she met Rene, the man who became her husband.  Rene started out as her manager.  He was not just the first person to take notice of her talent, but her staunchest supporter.  Pursuing the music she loved with Rene by her side gave Celine a sense of accomplishment and peace.  Rene was older than Celine was by about 25 years, but that didn't matter to her.  It was just a number.  He wanted to have a family with her and they began planning for children.  Her life was good.

Celine's world was rocked when she found out that Rene was very ill.  He needed her and she needed to be with him.  She couldn't take the strain of trying to pursue her career while he was so ill.  She made a hard decision and temporarily retired from the touring and entertaining she loved.  Their plans for children were placed on hold while they dealt with Rene's illness.  He went through treatment and Celine was beside her husband every step of the way, praying and waiting in hope for him to recover.  Her family and friends gave her the strength she needed during the long recovery.

Celine had developed a friendship with another famous singer, Gloria Estefan.  They had met during the taping of Celine's television special the previous October.  Celine had requested that Gloria be one of her guests. They had become fast friends. Now, when Celine needed her most, Gloria always found time to visit, or simply call, and try to get Celine out of the house.  Gloria gave her friend the courage she needed as she watched her husband go through the hardest times of his life.

But it was her old friend, Madeline, whom she had met while traveling the world after she graduated from high school, who got Celine through many rough days.  Madeline became her rock with her unending faith in the strength of Rene and Celine's love.

Rene finally made the recovery which Celine had been praying for.  She had never even thought about what she'd do if he didn't recover.  She hadn't let it even cross her mind.  Celine's devotion gave Rene the strength to fight his illness.  Without her by his side, he knew he would have given up long ago.

After his recovery was complete, Celine and Rene again tried to have children.  They had been trying for many years but the answers to the pregnancy tests were always negative.  Rene was painfully aware of the difference in their ages.  Celine was a beautiful young woman.  He knew she never even considered another man in her life, but that didn't keep him from feeling like she deserved a younger husband.  This time around, they went to specialists and had a million tests run, trying to pinpoint the cause.  It finally came down to the chemotherapy that Rene had been given to put his illness into remission.  The stress on his system had left him infertile.  He would never be able to get Celine pregnant which was devastating to both of them.   He was already a father, having children from a previous marriage, but he wanted Celine to have the chance to be a mother.  After many months of thinking about it, Rene decided that he wanted, more than anything, for Celine to have a child, even if the baby wasn't his.  She was a young, vibrant, beautiful woman and he felt he was holding her back.

Rene decided to broach the possibility with Celine that she become pregnant without him.  He knew how badly she wanted a baby and he was willing to do anything.  As they discussed their options, he knew she was resistant to having another man father her baby.  She was more than resistant, she was adamant that it wasn't even going to be considered, but he kept talking about it and bringing up options.  Little by little, she began to understand her husband's intentions.

Because of her career and their shared feeling that this was a private matter, she was strongly against going through the normal surrogate or insemination process.  She would deal with it privately or not at all.  That left one option that Rene didn't think she'd even consider.

One day, over lunch, he asked her what she found most attractive in a man.  She looked at him, strangely, and said, "Rene, what kind of question is that?"

Rene said, "I want to know.  What color hair do you normally notice?  Do you notice eyes?  What do you find attractive in a man, physically?  And don't say anything about me.  This is not about me."

Celine thought for a moment.  "I'm not too picky.  I find the All American look appealing, I guess.  You know, blond hair, blue eyes.  I don't think I'm different from any other woman, Rene.  Why do you ask?"

Rene answered, "You never comment on other men so I don't know what you find attractive.  Like, that guy over there, with the dark brown hair and brown eyes.  Do you like that look?" and he pointed at a man sitting across the diner.

Celine casually looked towards him and then turned to Rene saying, "Not really.  I think I do prefer blonds!  You know, light complexions, lighter hair."  She laughed at his inquisition.

He smiled at her and said, "If the guy was your "All American guy", would you consider having his baby?"

Celine's smile faded.  "I don't even know that guy!  I don't want to have anyone's baby, if it's not yours.  How can you think I'd even consider another man, just so I can get pregnant?"

Rene said, "Calm down, darling.  I think it should be considered.  If you found the man attractive and he was perfect in every way, for our purposes, isn't it worth it?  Say he was an acquaintance of ours and met all our other needs, would that be better?"  Celine just shrugged.  She didn't know if she had met anyone that would cause her to consider Rene's suggestion.

Rene knew they'd have to find someone who suited Celine for the process to be successful.  They continued to discuss the possibility, and came up with several criteria they both felt would be important in choosing the man to father her baby.  Rene understood her wishes that the man be a friend to them both and predisposed to privacy.  She and Rene talked about it at length for months before she finally agreed.  Initially, Celine thought she would never give Rene's suggestion the time of day, but she listened to what he had to say.  He was relentless in his enthusiasm for this idea and this in turn gave her a lot to think about.  In the end, it all came down to how badly she wanted to have a baby.  Celine trusted Rene to always tell her the truth and she knew him well enough to know that he wasn't faking the sincerity.  He genuinely was putting her needs first.

It was a delicate subject and in order for she and Rene to be able to deal with the circumstances surrounding the conception of her baby, they talked about it openly and worked through it together. Rene wanted her to have fun and enjoy the experience, which she couldn't even fathom when they began discussing the matter.  She asked him how he felt about her sleeping with another man.  Rene replied, "Under normal circumstances, of course, the thought wouldn't cross my mind.  As your lover, I know what I'm asking you to do.  As your husband, it isn't something that I can dwell on.  Your need to be a mother has overshadowed any notions of possessiveness or jealousy I might have.  I've beaten this illness that tried to take my life.  I was forced to look at my life and you from a different perspective.  I have felt such true love and devotion from you that I cannot allow my own feelings of inadequacy into the decision.  I love you enough to know that you won't be fulfilled in your life without being able to carry your child inside of you.  I'm not going to stand in the way of that.  If this is something that you still feel is out of the question, we can adopt, but I know that isn't your wish.  As a teenager growing into a young woman, you weren't dreaming of adopting someone else's baby.  You were eager to experience the whole process.  If we can find someone you are comfortable with, I don't want you to feel like you are betraying me.  I trust you completely."

Several months later, Rene walked in to find Celine sitting on the floor with several pictures spread out on the floor.  She told her husband that she had decided it needed to be someone younger who would be willing to sign away their parental rights in exchange only for her gratitude.  She didn't know what else she could offer in payment for this kind of favor.  She thought that maybe a younger man would be more willing to disengage from Celine and the baby.  She showed Rene a few of the pictures.  Rene said that he'd like to meet her final choice on an informal level to gauge his personality and willingness to participate.  He thought it'd be nice to have a party and invite a lot of people, when she finally came to a decision.

Celine looked closer at a few of the photos as if trying to read the writing in each man's soul.  The one she kept coming back to made her smile, just looking at his picture.  She'd met him a few times and had even performed with him.  He was young, incredibly good looking and very talented.  She also knew he was mature enough to not be freaked out by the situation.  He was just as famous as she was.  She knew he was gentle and discreet.  Rene would like that.  He told her he wanted her to be very comfortable with whomever she chose.  Rene was working on the contract; Celine was deciding the biological father of their child.