“Like what?” There was a smile in Bella’s voice.
“Like… pin the tail on the baby. I don’t know. But I’ll figure it out. Oh, and then, in the evening, we can order the baby supplies. You’re in your seventh month now, so we’ve really got to figure all this stuff out.”
“Sounds good.” They entered the park, where kids were riding pushbikes, families were eating on blankets on the grass, teens were sitting around taking pictures and laughing, and a few dogs tussled in the off-leash area. A man rode by on a unicycle, and Bella smiled.
“Keep Portland weird,” Luke said, nodding his head in the unicyclist’s direction.
“I don’t know if you’re allowed to say that, seeing as you aren’t from around here.”
“Hey, I’ve lived here for five years.” Luke nudged her with his shoulder. “I’m basically a local.”
“Say that again when you’ve donated the umbrella in your hall closet,” Bella told him. “You know real Portlanders don’t use them.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “We need to focus. What baby names do you like? We know we’re having a boy, so that narrows it down, at least.”
“I like classic names with a bit of a twist,” Bella told him.
“Oliver?” Luke asked, his eyes flashing with warmth as he teased her. Bella punched him lightly on the shoulder.
“I mean I like names like Thomas or Alex or Benjamin.”
“Those don’t really have a twist,” Luke pointed out. “But they are good names. Except Benjamin. I knew a Benjamin in elementary school.”
“And you weren’t friends?” Bella asked.
“No.” Luke shook his head, making a face. “Benjamin was the class bully. He was always putting thumb tacks in people’s seats and gluing their fingers to their pencils.”
“When did you go to school, the 1970s?” Bella asked, giggling. “Those are such old-fashioned pranks.”
“Hey, they hit home,” Luke said. “You don’t know the pain of sitting on a thumb tack.”
“This was back in Pittsburgh?” Bella asked. She was making an effort to tell Luke about herself and learn about him. He’d been right that getting to know each other was the best thing for their child, but beyond that, she enjoyed finding out more about him. Most of their conversations were still easy and light, but now and then, they actually shared something real — and Bella’s life hadn’t fallen apart.
Yet.
“Uh-huh. I went to school there from when I was a kid until I left for college.”
“Harvard, right?”
“That was for medical school. First, I did my undergraduate degree at UPenn.”
“Wow, and then Harvard for grad school?” Bella raised her eyebrows. “And then you went to Minnesota, right?”
“Yes, for residency.” Luke glanced at her. “Where did you go to college?”
“UCLA,” Bella told him. “I had big dreams about going to LA, surfing every day, and maybe finding my way onto a film set or two. Plus, they gave me a great scholarship.”
“That was part of my decision to go to UPenn, too,” Luke told her. “And I wanted to stay close to home. How did it go in LA? Did you ever learn to surf and find your way onto a film set?”
Bella chuckled. “Not exactly. But I did learn that I don’t like the weather being sunny all the time and that LA traffic is just too much for me, which is why I ended up back in Portland when I graduated.”
“I was in LA for a conference once and sat in my car for almost two hours trying to get across the city at rush hour.” Luke gave an exaggerated shudder. “So, I understand what you mean.” He gestured to a bench. “Shall we sit for a bit?”
“Sure.” They wandered over to the bench and sat, Bella a little gingerly. Maneuvering with a heavily pregnant belly was not easy.
“Okay, so Benjamin is out,” Bella said once she was seated. “What other names do you like?”
“Hmm…” Luke leaned back, putting one arm over the back of the bench. It was close enough to Bella’s shoulders that she could feel the warmth of his skin, and she leaned a little closer out of instinct. It was almost like they were a real couple preparing for their first child. “I’m not a fan of names from movies.”
