“I have it, but I want to add another contender.”
“A late addition?” I ask as our son lets out the cutest burp. It’s probably not cute, but he’s mine, I made him, and therefore everything he does is adorable. “When did you come up with this?”
“Last night.”
“Was this on the plane, the train, or in the automobile?”
“The plane, and there was no train, though that would’ve been kind of fun. But in the car ride, my new best friend Simon approved it.”
“Well then if Simon approved it…”
“Listen, you’ll really like him,” he adds. “And! His wife owns a restaurant in Rolling Hills, which is like a half an hour from us. I got her number for you so you two can connect when you’re back in bakery mode.”
Even in the most panicked situation, and when this man was being driven by a virtual stranger at ninety miles an hour, he’s still doing the littlest things for me.
Yeah… I think I’m going to keep him.
“That sounds amazing. Now, can I hear this name?”
“Oh! Yeah. So anyway, I was talking to people on the plane.”
“Of course you were.”
“Shush. This is a good story.”
“My apologies,” I say as I bring Tiny Tot down off my shoulder, positing him in my arms against my chest. “Continue.”
“After I was done telling them about you, and us, someone asked what we were naming the baby. I, being the honest man I am, said that we didn’t know. So, I whipped out the notebook,figuring we had nowhere to go so I might as well crowd test some of our contenders.”
I can picture everything he’s describing. A jet in the air flying over the Midwest, and there’s Maddox in the emergency exit line, holding court with his notebook calling out baby names.
“And what were the results?”
“Our favorites got great reactions—Graham, Noah, and Levi. Oh! There was a kid named Gunner on the plane, so I know you’re going to veto it, but I need to put it back in there for him. And they told me not to sleep on Baker, and I told them that we’d throw it back in the mix.”
“If that’s what the people want, who am I to deny the people?”
Maddox picks up on my sarcasm. “Quit teasing! Do you want to hear your son’s potential name or not?”
I can’t keep in my giggles. Watching this man get so excited is still one of my favorite things. “I won’t interrupt again.”
“Thank you. Now, where was I? Oh! Yes! Then, out of the blue, someone said a name, and I think it’s my favorite.”
If I could sit on a seat properly right now, I’d be on the edge of it. “Well don’t hold back. What is it?”
He smiles down at the baby before looking back up to me. “Ace.”
I let it process for a second. I never would’ve thought of that, yet somehow… it’s perfect.
“What do you think Tiny Tot? Are you an Ace?”
The child has no idea what we’re saying, but like he does, he takes that time to sneeze. Which, considering he’s less than twelve hours old, I take as a sign of communication.
“Ace Gallagher.” Maddox leans in closer, his fingers gently trailing up and down our son’s—Ace’s—cheek. “If he ever does decide to play football, it’s a hell of a name. It’s unique without being out there, which is what we were going for. But mostimportant, it gives an ode to Vegas. The place that changed our lives forever.”
Cue the tears.
“It’s perfect,” I say as I prop him up a little. “Ace Jacob Gallagher.”
