Except that Wade’s made a whole case about me not being ready to be a father.
And Liddy.
Even if she was willing, I couldn’t take her away from everything she’s got. The money, the home, the security. How could I even come close to measuring up to Reid?
Reid, who’s never done anything but help me and who gets, in return, a brother who sleeps with his wife.
Yeah, I’m the perfect father. A real, upstanding role model.
“Reid and Liddy have been praying for children for years,” Pastor Clive says. “They’d recently considered adopting through the Snowflakes agency. When Max came to me, I thought that maybe God was offering us a different solution, one that would benefit everyone involved. That perhaps Liddy and Reid were the best parents for these particular pre-born children.”
“How did Max react?”
“He was cautiously optimistic.” Pastor Clive looks up. “We all were.”
“Thank you, Pastor,” Wade says, and he sits back down.
Angela Moretti starts talking before she even rises from her chair. “A solution that would benefit everyone involved,” she repeats. “Is that what you thought?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t seem like much of a benefit for Zoe, the biological mother of these embryos.”
“As much as I understand the need to cater to Ms. Baxter’s concerns, what a child needs is far more important,” Pastor Clive says.
“So you think that picking nonbiological parents for these embryos is a better choice than picking a parent who has a direct gametic relationship to them.”
“What I think matters far less than what God thinks.”
“Oh yeah?” Angela asks. “When’s the last time you talked to him?”
“Objection,” Wade says. “I won’t let her mock my witness.”
“Sustained… watch yourself, Counselor.”
“You said you’ve known Max for half a year, Pastor?”
“Yes.”
“And you’ve never met Zoe Baxter-you’ve only just seen her in this courtroom, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“You have no information about them when they were a married couple?”
“No. They were not members of my church at the time.”
“I see,” Angela says. “But you
“Yes.”
“You had no trouble coming into this court and saying that, in your opinion, they are the preferred custodial couple for these embryos.”
“Yes,” Pastor Clive says.
“You have a professional relationship with Reid Baxter, too, right?”
“He manages the church’s funds.”
“He’s also one of the biggest contributors to your church, isn’t he?”
“Yes. Reid’s always been very generous.”
“In fact, your church recommends tithing income for its members, doesn’t it?”
“Many churches do that…”
“Isn’t it true that you receive a grand total of about four hundred thousand dollars a year from your friend Reid Baxter annually?”
“That sounds about right.”
“And coincidentally, here you are today recommending that he be awarded custody of these embryos, correct?”
“Reid’s generosity to the church has nothing to do with my recommendation-”
“Oh, I’ll bet,” Angela Moretti says. “When you spoke with Max about his ex-wife’s request to have custody of the embryos, you were the one who in fact suggested that he consider Reid and Liddy as potential parents, weren’t you?”
“I opened his mind to the possibility.”
“And you even went a step further, didn’t you-by finding him an attorney?”
Pastor Clive nods. “I would have done the same for any member of my congregation…”
“In fact, Pastor, you didn’t just find Max a lawyer. You found him the biggest hotshot attorney in the United States with a reputation for protecting the rights of the pre-born, right?”
“I can’t help it if Max’s predicament attracted the attention of someone so prestigious.”
“Mr. Lincoln, you stated that the purpose of marriage is to procreate?”
“Yes.”
“Does the Bible have anything to say about heterosexual couples who are unable to have children?”
“No.”
“What about heterosexual couples too old to have children?”
“No-”
“How about people who remain single? Does the Bible condemn them as unnatural?”
“No.”
“Even though, by your own logic, they are not procreating?”
“Plenty of other passages in the Bible condemn homosexuality,” Pastor Clive says.
“Ah, yes. That lovely bit you read from Leviticus. Are you aware, Mr. Lincoln, that Leviticus is a holiness code that was written over three thousand years ago?”
“Of course I am.”
“Do you know that holiness codes had a very specific purpose? That they weren’t commandments but prohibitions of behaviors that people of faith would find offensive at a certain time and place? Are you aware, Pastor, that in the case of Leviticus, the code was written for priests in Israel only, and meant to hold them more accountable than priests from other countries, like Greece?”
“It’s quite clear what’s right and wrong when you read that passage. And you may try to explain it away historically, but it’s still morally relevant today.”
“Really. Did you know that, in Leviticus, there were many other prohibitions listed? For example, there’s one against wild haircuts, did you know that?”
“Well-”
“And one against tattoos.” She smiles. “I’ve got one myself, but I’m not gonna tell you where.” The lawyer walks toward Pastor Clive. “Is that a silk tie against a cotton shirt? Did you know that there’s another prohibition against wearing garments made of mixed fabric?”
“I fail to see how-”
“And hey, there’s another one saying you shouldn’t eat pork or shellfish. You like shrimp scampi, Pastor?”
“This isn’t-”
“There’s another prohibition against getting your fortune told. And how about football? You like football, right? I mean, who doesn’t? Well, there’s a prohibition against playing with the skin of a pig. Wouldn’t you agree, Pastor, that many of those prohibitions are indeed historically outdated?”
“Objection,” Wade says. “Counsel is testifying!”
The judge tilts his head. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, Mr. Preston. Overruled.”
“The Bible is many things to many people, but it is not a sex manual, correct?”
“Of course not!”
“Then why on earth would you turn to it for recommendations about appropriate sexual activity?”
Pastor Clive faces the lawyer. “I look to the Bible for
“What does it have to say about butt plugs?”
Wade rises.
“Really, Ms. Moretti?” the judge says, scowling.
“Should we assume then that there might be things not mentioned in the Bible that are still sexually
