She squirms at his touch and he nearly drops her, and I do my best to act as backup.
“See that?” Chloe beams from her perch on the bed, the comforter pulled up mid-chest. “Skyla won’t let a thing happen to our precious angel.”
His chest expands, no words. I can feel him looking at me, scouring me for something, tears most likely. It seems all Gage likes to see from me these days is pain.
“Skyla”—Logan swoops over and physically removes me from his presence—“you must be exhausted. Let’s get you home.”
Logan is doing his best to end this trauma for me, and I sure as hell appreciate it.
“You can’t go,” Chloe barks it out like a command. “I need a name. Skyla, you’ll have to name her. You named the boys. You’ve named all of Wesley’s children, too. I don’t see why you can’t name this one.”
“No.” I shake my head as if coming to life. “Chloe, that’s for you and Gage to do.”
I give Logan’s hand a squeeze.Take me home.
“Well then”—Chloe grouses—“we’ll name her after her daddy, GageChloeOliver.”
My stomach turns and I think I might be sick. Gage is just one consonant away from Sage. I don’t know how I’ll get through life without weeping each time I see her.
Laken’s eyes meet with mine and she shakes her head frenetically. “No. It’s too close to Sage. Sorry, Skyla, we’re all thinking it.” She cocks her head to the side as she looks to Gage. “Have mercy, please. Name her something else.”
Wesley’s chest bucks. “I agree. Not Gage.”
Gage grunts as he tosses a glance Chloe’s way. First one. No kiss on the lips, noI love you. I guess he is having mercy on me, after all, or at least I’d like to think so.
Gage takes a quick breath as he looks at the baby. “Chloe, name her something else.”
“Skyla, please,” Chloe groans. “You know I’m not good at this. I don’t even care.” Chloe catches herself and straightens as she looks to Gage. “All I care about is that she’s here and healthy. Skyla counted out her fingers and her toes the moment she delivered her. She even said a blessing over her before she patted her on the bottom. Wait until you hear her little cry, Gage. She sounds like a lamb bleating.” That’s exactly what the boys sounded like. “Our destiny has finally been achieved. We are a true family, Gage, just the way it was set out to be in the beginning. Name her, Skyla. My ass is on fire. Ezrina, hand me an ice pack, please.”
Wes takes the baby from Gage and rocks her close to his chest. He is such a natural father. Gage looked as if he got stuck holding the hot potato.
“What is it, Skyla?” Wes never takes his eyes off the tiny tot, bringing her close and whispering right over her lips. “What’s this beautiful princess’ name?”
I sigh at Logan and shake my head. “I don’t know. You can name her after the month she was born in like you did Tobie. How about Augusta?” It sounds foreign on my lips.
Chloe scoffs. “I don’t want to call her Gusty. Try again.”
Ezrina scuttles in with an ice pack and Chloe is quick to dip it under the comforter as she sighs with relief.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Chloe moans as if she were about to vomit. “Name the baby, Skyla, so Gage and I can get naked and hold her.”
My own baby leaps in my stomach as if she were laughing, and an idea comes to me.
“Celestra,” I say, my eyes widening as I take in their faces.
“Skyla”—Logan gives my fingers a tug—“that’s a name we were tossing around,” he says it low, but just loud enough to make his point known to everyone in the room.
“You can call her Celeste,” I say to Chloe, still working on the sale. Gage will be destroying the very same people who gave his precious daughter her moniker. It’s poetic gold.
“No.” Chloe shoots it down. “It offends my husband. I can tell by the way his brows pinch together.”
Something I suppose she’s used to doing herself. But I don’t think Gage was offended.
“No.” Gage’s voice is hoarse. “It’s a beautiful name.” He locks eyes with Logan for a moment. “Save it for yourselves.”
Logan and I weren’t sure if we were going to use it, and after this fiasco, I’m definitely shelving it.Maybe.
I hug my belly. She’ll always be Angel to me. Thankfully, she’s gone back to sleep and isn’t kicking and screaming from inside of my womb to get her out of this debacle. Little does she know I can’t figure out how to get myself out of it.
