Kinsley propped an elbow on the side table and looked at me intently while I tried not to squirm with building lust. "What do you have in mind?"
"Ronin, Finn, Leith, something along those lines. Something that sounds good with Gallagher."
"Hm."
Shifting my legs to hide the effect her large eyes had on me, I propped one ankle on the opposite knee. "Do you like any of those?"
"Once upon a time, I thought I'd name my firstborn son after my father." Shrugging, she continued, "But he refuses to believe I'm safe, that I chose to move away and live my own life. Of course, he doesn't know all the details, or he'd have a fit."
There was no doubt she was right about her father's reaction. I hadn't admitted it to her, but I was glad the Hawthornes stayed in Chester. "Thomas?" I clarified.
"Don't worry, I'm not lobbying for that name."
Relief flooded through me. I didn't hate it, but it didn't fit. "Do you have a preference?"
"Finn."
I grinned. "Truly?"
Smiling, she nodded. "Finn Gallagher sounds strong."
"Yes, it does." There was no use telling her it was the name I'd leaned toward myself, or she'd disagree just to be contrary. "I'm glad we agree."
"On something."
I reached out, resting my hand on her belly. There was no way to stop my wide grin when I felt the responding kick. My son was already strong. "Yes, I'm glad we agree on something since we so often don't."
A few seconds of silence passed before Kinsley spoke again. "Is there any chance I can have someone over?"
"You want someone to come over?" My first thought was that she wanted to invite the beast and his wife, and my shoulders tensed as I pulled back. I knew her conciliatory nature was too good to be true.
"You wanna know what's funny?" She continued without waiting for a response. "I can read you like an open book."
Considering I prided myself on my poker face for my daily business dealings, I didn't like that thought. "And what am I thinking?"
"How you hate my friends on principle. Just the fact that Danny is a man means you hate his guts, regardless that he's married."
I stiffened. "That's not entirely true."
"Yes, it is. Doesn't matter." She waved that away. "I want to invite my friend Daisy. She has a break from school coming up, and I haven't seen her since I got pregnant."
"It might take some time to screen her and give her security clearance. What's her full name?"
"Daisy Herndon." Kinsley sighed. "Will it always be this way?"
"I'm afraid so." I took a chance and decided to open up a small part of myself. "I didn't want to leave you behind, Kinsley."
She merely watched me.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I said, "I know it was selfish to be with you at all. There are many risks involved in associating with me. When I had no choice but to walk away, I knew it was the smartest decision."
"For you."
Frowning, I thought about what she said. "What do you mean?"
"It might have been the smartest decision for you, but I didn't have a choice because you never gave me one."
"This life is not for everyone. It's dangerous; it's ugly, it's ruthless. It's the opposite of what you grew up with." To me, it was obvious she didn't belong in the middle of all I described.
