Page 128 of Bragg's Match

“I want to be prepared.” At least she doesn’t know about all the childrearing books I’ve been reading. I may be slightly terrified I’ll screw our child up. My mom rocked as a parent, but I didn’t exactly have a great example in my dad.

“Enough stalling.” She points to the hallway. “Time to enter the dungeon.”

“My office is not a dungeon,” I grumble but I grasp her hand and draw her down the hallway to the room formerly known as my office.

“I don’t understand why you need an office in our house as well as an office at the community center,” Soleil complains. She doesn’t give me a chance to respond before babbling on, “And how many computers does one man need?”

“You crossed the line,” I growl. “You can complain about whatever you want but never say I have too many computers.”

She giggles. “You’re such a dork.”

“I’m a genius dork who loves you.” I pull her close to kiss her forehead. “Please don’t be mad.”

“I’m not going to be mad.” She inhales a deep breath. “I’m prepared for the mess.”

She’s not prepared but she’ll see why in a minute. “Maybe I should cover your eyes just in case the view overwhelms you.”

“You’re extra dorky today.”

I bow. “Thank you.”

I cover her eyes with my hand before opening the door. I nudge her inside and lift my hands. “Tada!”

“I don’t know why you’re tada—” She gasps. “Holy cow. When did this happen?”

“I’ve been working on the nursery for over a month now.”

She walks to the crib and runs her hand over the smooth wood. “This is the most gorgeous crib I’ve ever seen. Are these little pottery wheels carved into the wood?”

“Yes, and little computer screens.” I tap one.

“Did you make this?”

I chuckle. “Sorry, but no. The pottery shed was the limit of my construction capabilities. I asked Riley to make it.”

“Riley is an artist with wood.” She sighs as she continues to run her hands over the crib. “Our child won’t know whether to be a potter or a computer geek.”

I puff out my chest. “I prefer the word computer genius.”

She rolls her eyes.

“Maybe our child will be neither. Our child can be anything he wants to be.”

She rubs her hand over her belly. “What if it’s a girl?”

“Then, I’ll buy a shotgun to warn off all the boys.”

“No, I mean you want a boy. Will you be happy with a girl?”

“I don’t want a boy.”

“But you’re always coming up with boy names.”

“Because most of the bad guys in Star Wars are men.”

She looks to the ceiling as if to ask for patience. She won’t find any there. “Again, with the Star Wars.”

I pull her into my arms. “Don’t act as if you’re annoyed with me. I know you love me.”

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