Page 81 of Paternal Instincts
Costa’s cousin, Tallus Domingo, had been a full-time employee with the department, working as a records clerk alongsideKitty Lavendar. He’d recently gone to part-time after going into business with his private investigator boyfriend and ex-cop, Diem Krause. The two were an odd pair, but they seemed to work. Diem’s gruff personality balanced well with Tallus’s outgoing, sassy nature.
“He’s kidding, you know.” Costa’s concentration never left the computer screen.
“What are you talking about? I feel like I missed the segue.”
“Aslan and his porn star names for your child.”
“Oh.” I chuckled. “I know. He’s trying to get a rise out of me.”
“It’s working. I’ve seen the face.”
I elbowed Costa in the ribs and earned a shove.
“Have you come up with your boy’s name?” he asked.
“Nothing concrete. I have a few ideas. I haven’t run them past Az, so he might veto them.”
Costa glanced over with a curious twinkle in his eye. “Care to share with me?”
“Not yet.”
“But I’m your bestie.”
“Nope.”
“Come on. I’m your boy…” He made an extended rolling motion with his hand, exaggerating the pause. “Friend.”
“You’re really afraid of that pause going unnoticed, aren’t you.”
“It’s the rumors. You’re a married man, and I’m not a home-wrecker.”
I snorted. “Yes, because that’s why. Costa, if we were both single, that pause would be bigger than ever.”
“You know it.”
“You probably wouldn’t be my friend.”
“I would so.”
A tiny shadow of hurt eclipsed his smile. It was still possible to bruise his feelings. I’d long ago forgiven him for his past behavior, but I doubted Costa would ever forgive himself.
“What about you? Did you have boy’s names picked out before you had your kids?”
His smile returned as he nodded. “Yep. If Tia and I had a boy, his name would have been Matias or Alejandro.”
“Very Spanish.”
“That was the point.”
“Your girls don’t have Spanish names.”
“Tia named them. We had the same deal as you and Az. She got to name the girls, and I got to name any boys. Only, the boys never happened.”
Aslan told me the previous night that Costa and Tia had been trying unsuccessfully to have another baby for two years. My best friend had never mentioned it to me, but I could tell by the tone of his final statement that it was a sore spot. “Maybe someday.”
“Doubt it. Things aren’t… happening like we hoped.”
It was as much of a confession as I was going to get. “Does that make you sad?”
