Cora

Matthew? Roger tries, passing the name down the line to the baby and I grip his hand, and we both wait…

But nothing.

“The baby doesn’t like the name Matthew,” I whisper, laughing a little. “Well, it was just a starter,” Roger murmurs, grinning at me again. “You try one.”

“All right,” I say, leaning my head back and taking a deep breath. And then I pass a name down, trying… Oliver.

“Oliver!?” Roger bursts out in disgust and I gasp, glaring at him.

“You are biasing our son!” I accuse, sitting up to smack him. “I said nothing when you said stupid Matthew!”

“Matty is a cute name “he protests, laughing and blocking my blow. “Oliver is the name of a sickly Victorian child who wants more gruel -”

I growl and lay back, taking a deep breath and gathering myself. “Well, let’s see what the baby thinks,” I murmur, sending Roger another glare. And then I try again, whispering Oliver? down the bond. But nothing comes back.

“Good baby,” Roger murmurs, kissing my stomach again and making me laugh. “Don’t let her call you that. It’s terrible.”

“Okay okay,” I say, taking a deep breath. “Let’s try one more.”

“I’ll pick it?” Roger asks.

“Sure,” I reply, relaxing. “But this time, pick one you really, really like. One that you’d actually want him to be called – your favorite.”

“Okay,” he murmurs.

another name down the bond,

Because I love it.

And we wait…

the same

Happy!

laughing and sitting up as Roger snatches me to him, pulling me fast into his

me, thrilled. Laughing, elated, I take his face in

think we just named

came up, and then we gathered up all of our sandy clothes and the blanket and trooped back to the house, where we closed the doors and slept for hours and ignored the

basket of food so we could eat something, and Roger

had to, eventually, because Roger wouldn’t let me eat all my meals in bed, instead insisting that I come and sit with him on the couch for the elaborate dinner he made. Well, elaborate for Roger, who never learned to cook. But the spread of sandwiches and warmed

that, surviving on whatever the landlord brought us every day in baskets and otherwise laying in bed talking, making each other laugh, sending messages to the baby when he was awake to see what he’d do. And honestly, the baby never did much, but it made us

sex, obviously a great deal of that as well. But honestly, it blurred in with everything else we did, a usual part of the day as we napped, and went swim and laid out in the sun. The entire time it was just…so natural, and so easy. Just Roger and I simply together, away from the

was wonderful. But after the second day, we knew we had to get back – because as much as we like each other, we like

pulling me close outside the little bungalow after

it sweep through me. “Maybe not next week. But

peck, before looking around. “I really like this place. Maybe the owner will let us buy it,” Roger murmurs,

then I put a hand on my stomach. “But, considering that this little guy

his eyebrows raising. “And considering what the goddess said that night on the

a

“And I’m going to enjoy the process very

and rolling my eyes, shoving him away a little bit. ” You just make the babies, I’ll

head for the car. ” Nah, I’m going to be a very

my toes to kiss his cheek as he opens my car door for me. “Or, we can just pass

luggage into the trunk

behind me as Roger climbs into his seat. “Ella, loaded up with four of her own kids and as many nieces and nephews as we can pass over to her to raise? She’d be

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255