“What conversation?” Linx asked.
“Court here doesn’t like to be called baby mama and takes issue with me being called baby daddy.”
“Bet the hat isn’t helping with that.” Knox eyed said hat.
No, it wasn’t. Also, of everything Courtney wanted to do, having this conversation was not one of them. Didn’t even make the top one hundred.
“Bax.” Courtney waited until he met her gaze. Then she shook her head. “I’m the mom. You’re the dad. No other labels needed.”Or wanted.She didn’t actually say that last part, only thought it.
“Was thinking we should come up with something to call the little tyke until he or she is born,” Bax said. “I made a list.”
Color Courtney surprised, because Bax had actually made a list of pre-baby names. He’d written them down and everything. Also, he’d categorized them into boxes called “Favorites,” “Courtney Will Like,” and “In Case She Hates Them All.”
“Just ‘the baby’ doesn’t work for you?” Because she was totally fine with calling the baby that until the munchkin had an actual name.
“It’s just a littlenormalfor my kid.” He stopped. Swallowed, and glanced around. “Your kid. Our kid. The kid in your uterus.” And he’d officially read too many posters at the obstetrics office.
“Okay… Just…” Courtney didn’t read off the list. She’d just go with asking, “What do you think we should call him or her?”
“Something like Atlas or Tiny Badass?” Bax suggested. “That’s my favorite.”
Hah, what the—
“No.” Courtney shook her head.
He shrugged, going back to his seltzer. “Okay, your call.”
“Oh my God, stop doing that.” She enunciated every word.
He stopped mid-gulp, sputtering, “Doing what?”
“Being so agreeable.” She shoved her hands on her hips. “We’ve already had this discussion. You don’t just go along with what I say because I said it. If you want Tiny Badass and I say no, then you lay out the reasons you’re going to call Tiny Badass, Tiny Badass. Then we argue about it.”
“I like McFluffin,” Mom said. “It’s on the list under ‘Alternatives.’”
“Team Baby Shrimp over here.” Knox raised his hand.
“Somebody hold up the list,” Cherie said.
“No to McFluffin,” Courtney said to her mom. Then she looked at Bax. “Also, no to Atlas.”
“Squirt,” Linx read from the list, nodding. “That’s cute.”
“Especially since, you know, that’s how this whole thing started,” Knox oh so unhelpfully added.
Courtney pointed at him. “You’re not allowed to talk anymore.”
“What’d I say?” he asked.
“I’ve decided,” she said, taking control of the situation like a badass. A badass growing a little badass seed. “We are going to call this child Tiny Badass, but not because you came up with it.” She pointed to Bax for clarity. “But because it’s a really cool name and I like it.”
Bax glanced around the room at the other stunned faces, even his dial-in mom.
She may have taken that ascoochtoo far.
“What I mean is that you and I came to a mutually agreeable decision because I am also on board with the name Tiny Badass.” That framed the situation much better.
“Does anyone know what just happened here?” he asked.
