Her eyes soften, and she leans her forehead against my lips.
“She’ll also be loyal, and sharp, and funny as hell.”
I hum, leaning back to kiss the corner of her mouth. “So… me.”
She laughs against my lips, and I feel the sound more than I hear it.
“What do you think she’ll look like?” she murmurs after a beat.
I picture the flicker of her on the screen again. The little legs, the spine, the round belly. The way she sucked her thumb like she had all the time in the world.
“I hope she has your eyes,” I say. “And your laugh.”
Carina tilts her head up, eyes wide and shining. “She’ll definitely have your glare. God help the daycare teachers.”
“She’s gonna be a tiny threat,” I murmur. “We’ll have to teach her priorities.”
“Like?”
“Like… how to nap aggressively, throw a proper chirp, and spot a bullshit apology from a mile away.”
She smiles, snuggling against me. “Mm. All valid life skills.”
“And she’s gonna need a name.”
Carina exhales. “God. We are so fucked.”
I grin. “Hey, we’ve already agreed no naming her after professors, Ikea furniture, or literary heroines.”
“Which rules out half my list.”
“Exactly.”
She groans and drops her head to my shoulder. “Fine, but if you so much as suggest a hockey name, I’m walking.”
“I would never.”
“You wouldabsolutely.”
“Okay,” I allow. “But only if she’s born on a game day.”
Her laughter shakes both of us, and my arm around her tightens. We drift off again, both of us in our own thoughts, both of us clinging to each other and imagining this beautiful girl we’re so close to meeting.
“Do you want me to stay?” She asks me so softly, I almost miss it.
I glance down. “Yeah.” A pause. “Do you want to?”
She doesn’t answer at first, just reaches for Gremlin’s ear and strokes it gently, her brow furrowed like she’s sorting through something in her head.
Finally, she nods. “Maybe… for longer than a night?”
My heart thuds faster, but I don’t push. Just shift a little, so I can see her better.
“You wanna move in with me, Havoc?”
“Maybe? If you want me—”
“I really fucking want you to.”
