Page 108 of Paternal Instincts
Aslan backed me against the wall and tipped my face to his, stroking my cheek. Stubble rasped under his thumb since I’d forgotten to shave that morning. Before I could speak, he pressed a delicate kiss to my mouth.
I sighed and closed my eyes, savoring my husband’s closeness and steadiness. Aslan didn’t care that hospital personnel wandered about, that patients roamed the hallways, and that our families were less than fifteen feet away in the waiting room. He was loud and proud when it came to our relationship.
At that moment, I didn’t care either and soaked him up.
“Let’s hear it, hot stuff. What have you got?”
My insides jittered. We’d spent months bouncing names back and forth, never landing on anything we both liked. I owned four baby naming books, each with ten thousand names inside, and there didn’t seem to be one decent name among them worthy enough for my firstborn.
“Okay. Don’t judge too harshly. You’ll hurt my feelings. Name number one, if we have a boy.” I pressed my lips together for a second, then dove in. “Hudson. It’s gentle. It rolls off the tongue. It’s not abrasive, nor can it be reduced to unsavory nicknames. It rings well as a child’s name but also presents itself as a mature adult name. It—”
Aslan pressed a finger to my lips. “Hudson, huh?”
I nodded.
He repeated it in a way that gave away none of his feelings. It was as though he needed to taste it on his tongue and roll it around his head before commenting. If he was anything like me, he used it in imaginary scenarios.Hudson, pick up your toys. Good morning, Hudson. Daddy loves you, Hudson. Are you ready for school, Hudson? Good god, Hudson, your music taste is worse than your father’s.
“What’s the other one?”
My face fell. “You don’t like it.”
“I didn’t say that. You told me you’d picked two, so what’s the other one?”
“Quinn.”
He waited, probably for me to ramble again, but I didn’t.
“That could be unisex,” he said.
“I suppose. I never considered that. If you persist in choosing stripper names for our girl, it will be bumped to the top of the list.”
Aslan laughed, bringing out the beautiful creases beside his eyes. Crow’s feet. Laugh lines. I preferred the latter. Aslan wore his age well, getting more attractive as the years passed. Even the smattering of silver at his temples held appeal.
“Well? Do you hate them?”
He tipped his head to the side, taking an excruciating and annoyingly long time to voice his opinion. “I don’t. I think I’d be happy with either one. Or we can use Hudson for a boy and Quinn for a girl.”
I frowned. “Are you giving up on the girl’s name?”
“No. I have one on reserve, but I’m not sure you’ll want to use it.”
“It’s not Moonbeam, is it?”
He grinned. “No.”
“What is it?”
“Hudson and Quinn. Yes, those are nice names.”
I studied his face, but he gave nothing away. The love in his eyes was pure, and I couldn’t tell if he was being honest or not. “Are you agreeing because we’re hours from holding our baby and haven’t decided on anything?”
“No. I like the names.”
“But you’ve hated everything so far.”
“No, hot stuff,you’vehated everything so far.” Aslan moved in to kiss me again, but a snappy voice down the hall interrupted before our mouths connected.
“You motherfuckers.”
