Page 52 of Paternal Instincts
“In that case, we have a deal. Oh, I think I’ve come up with our girl’s name.”
Quaid groaned and lifted his head to pin me with a skeptical eye. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Don’t make the face.”
“I’m not. What name?”
“Epiphany.”
“You had an epiphany?”
“No. We should name her Epiphany.”
Quaid blinked several times before narrowing his eyes. “Is this a joke?”
“No.”
“We are not naming our child Epiphany.”
“I thought we decided I got to pick the girl’s name.”
“I didn’t actually agree to that.”
“Why are you worried? You told me Bryn was carrying a boy.”
“I’m worried you’re even considering such a ridiculous name.”
“What have you come up with?”
Quaid sighed and lowered his forehead to my shoulder. “I don’t know. Nothing.”
“Then I guess we’d better hope it’s a girl.”
“If you name our baby Epiphany, I will divorce you on the spot… and apply for an immediate name change.”
I squeezed him tighter, grinning. “No you wouldn’t. Where would you find a better husband than me?”
“I don’t know. I feel like I’m close to converting Costa.”
I laughed. “Good luck with that. Even if he decided he was bi-curious, Ruiz would never leave his wife and girls.”
“True. I guess I’ll put up with you.”
“I’ve got it. How about Phelony, with a PH?”
Quaid dug his fingers into my sides, making me yelp as he smothered a laugh against my shirt. “Letting you name our baby should be a felony.”
“If we have a boy, we can name him Jedi. We’d have to redecorate the nursery.”
More laughing.
“Or Boss. I kind of like the name Danger. No one would fuck with him.”
Any tension Quaid had been carrying melted away. He laughed as I concocted an alphabet soup of horrible names for our unborn child.
“We’re in trouble,” he said when he calmed. “This poor kid is going to be nameless at this rate.”
“What do you mean? I’ve come up with at least a dozen excellent choices in under five minutes.”
