“Have you thought about names?” Asa asked suddenly, like Cricket wasn’t bent over and dripping sweat onto the floor. “We have to be running out of ‘A’ names by now.”
“I’m open to suggestions,” Cricket said through gritted teeth. “Distract me.”
She waved off the others attempting to help, then walked around the bed, her hands never leaving the mattress as she went. She was fiercely independent and unwaveringly loyal. Thomas had instantly thought of her as a daughter. There were few women in the family, but Thomas was forevergrateful for the few they had. While he thought of Cricket as a daughter, he thought of Calliope as a sister, now Lola too. Ara and Adi were going to need them as they grew up, whether their fathers knew it or not.
Thomas startled as Lucas set his hand on Thomas’s shoulder. He stepped out of the way to allow him and August entrance. They’d gone downstairs to check on the girls and grab some food. They seemed surprised to see all the others still sitting around the space.
“What’s happening downstairs?” Noah asked.
August shook his head. “Calliope and Lola snuck off together. Archer and Adam are teaching the twins, Jett and Jagger to play poker using cookies as poker chips, Cree and Jordan appear to be having another movie date alone in the theater room and ‘Lake watch’ has unofficially begun though Matty still seems painfully oblivious.”
He slid down the wall to land beside Avi and Asa, while Lucas went directly to Cricket, perching carefully on the edge of her bed, one hand automatically going to her knee. “What’s happening?” he asked. “What did we miss? Are you okay?”
Atticus glanced up. “Her contractions are coming in fast now. About three minutes apart. I’m gonna check her cervix in another five minutes and we’ll see where we’re at.”
“Cricket wants to talk baby names,” Noah said. “Hopefully bad ones.”
Cricket looked at Lucas then August, her cheeks bright and body damp with perspiration. “We’re gonna have to decide on something soon.”
Felix straightened. “I’m so down. Let’s do this. Don’t beboring either. Let’s get creative.”
Zane raised a brow. “What are you hoping for? You want a nephew named Aquaman or Avalon?”
“You named—” Cricket shot back, then paused, eyes squeezing shut as another contraction rolled through. Her breathing went measured this time, practiced. Thomas watched Lucas mirror her inhale without thinking. “You named your kids after fashion designers,” she finished.
“Of course, I did. Who else would we use?” Felix said like the answer was obvious.
Noah scoffed. “Literally anything?”
Felix stuck his tongue out. “Have your own baby then.”
“Maybe we will,” Noah shot back, eyes going wide when they all turned to look at him in shock. His cheeks turned pink. “What? I said maybe.” When they continued to stare, he said, “It’s a figure of speech. Jeez.”
Felix and Zane narrowed their eyes but Asa broke the tension. “So the only criteria is it has to start with A, yes?”
“Obviously,” Noah said. “We’re nothing if not aggressively on theme.”
“Okay,” Zane said thoughtfully. “Oh, what about Atlas?”
Noah frowned. “Like a map?”
Zane rolled his eyes. “Like the Titan?”
August shrugged, then nodded. “I kind of like Atlas. Feels strong. Literary.”
Avi snorted. “Achilles is literary, too, but I wouldn’t want to have to go to school with that name either.”
Asa smirked. “Didn’t Atlas, like, hold up the world? Feels like too much pressure for a newborn.”
Zane huffed. “Fine. What about Apollo?”
Avi grimaced. “What’s your hard-on with gods?”
“Also,” Noah added, “every Apollo I’ve ever met was either deeply pretentious or incredibly feral. No in-between.”
“How many Apollos could you have possibly met?” Zane asked.
Noah squinted, thinking. “Just two. But, if I’m being honest, one was a drug dealer so it could have been a street name.”
