“Do you have names picked out?” Dirk asked, and I snuggled in deeper against him on the bed swing.
“To be honest, I haven’t thought about it. You?”
He chuckled. “I’m still getting used to the idea that I’m going to be a father, and now I’m married.”
I moved and rested my chin on the back of my hand, which I had placed on his chest. “Then, should we talk about it? I heard some couples fight over names for months. Sometimes babies are born with no names until the very last minute, when the couple is forced to give the child one.”
Dirk frowned. “That’s terrible. We’re not going to fight over names.”
“I hope not,” I replied with a wink.
“Let’s think about this,” he said as his fingers moved lazily over my bare back. “We probably need to narrow down names before we go back.”
“Why?” I asked with a giggle.
“Tanner and Timberlynn are having a baby, also. We need to make sure we’ve got the one-up on them.”
“Dirk!” I said as I playfully hit him on the chest with my free hand. He grabbed it and kissed my knuckles, then the inside of my wrist.
There was something terribly romantic about being outside under the stars lying naked next to this man. My husband.
“Okay,” he stated, then drew in a deep breath. “Boys first?”
“Why boys?” I asked, drawing a small pattern of circles over his chest.
“Because I’m almost positive it will be a boy.”
Laughing, I asked, “Positive, huh?”
“Almost positive,” he countered with a wink.
I let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine, boys first.” After a few moments, I said, “Dirk, if we have a boy, I think we should name him after your father.”
He stilled, and I felt myself stop breathing.
Then, his fingers began to move once again on my back. “You want to name him Bradly?”
“Yes, if it’s okay with you. We can either use it as a first name or a middle name.”
He tightened his arm around me, and I tried to get even closer to him.
Then, he finally spoke. “I’ve always liked the name Michael.”
I smiled, knowing he was picking my brother’s name on purpose, even after he had insulted Dirk. They had always been good friends, though. “Me, too.”
“Bradly Michael Littlewood,” Dirk said, barely above a whisper. His green eyes filled with tears as he looked at me.
I did my best to hide my own emotions, and focused on keeping my voice steady and strong. “I think it’s perfect. If the baby is a boy, Bradly Michael it will be.”
He let out a shaky breath, and I kissed his chest ever so lightly.
After another minute or two, Dirk asked, “What about a girl’s name?”
“Oh, a girl. This one might be hard.”
He chuckled, which made me relax. The intense moment from earlier was clearly ebbing from his body. “Why is it going to be hard?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve always loved that my name was different and not like most girls. I guess I always thought if I had a little girl, I would want her to have a unique name, as well. Or at least, not a common one.”
“Okay, non-common names. I’ve always loved your middle name, though.”
“Grace?” I asked in a surprised voice.
“Yeah. What about Avery Grace?”
My heart felt like it stumbled in my chest. “You’re teasing, right?”
He looked at me with a confused expression. “Do you not like Avery? Did we know an Avery in high school whom I can’t remember?”
I sat up and pulled the sheet around me. “Dirk, you don’t remember?”
A confused look passed over his face, and he sat up. He cursed. “Fuck, I know I didn’t know an Avery in high school. I…I don’t know where I came up with the name. It’s just a name I’ve always remembered, for some reason.”
I reached over and took his hand in mine. “Breathe, Dirk. Breathe.”
He stared at me, and I knew he was worried that he had made another mistake like he had the time he’d called me Kaci.
With a warm smile, I quickly said, “Avery was the name of the doll you gave me at the first real birthday party I had. You named her, and you told me that when you wouldn’t be able to be there as a friend for me, Avery would.”
The memory hit him, and he opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again.
“Do you remember?” I asked.
He nodded quickly. “I didn’t remember until you said it just now. Now I remember her. She had dark brown hair and eyes the same color as yours. My mother had a friend of hers make the doll for you after I told her I wanted to give you something special.”
I felt a tear slip free and make its slow journey down my cheek. “I still have her, in my room at my parents’ house.”