CHAPTER 30
BUCKLE
Pax: It’s a baby!
Buckle: Congrats! Sorry we barged in. I knew you were close, probably should have checked before we showed up.
Aaron: No worries! We probably should have told you Pax was in labor. But all thoughts went out the window. Thanks for cleaning up the living room. I kind of panicked.
Pax: You always panic. ::kisses::
Aaron: I hate seeing you in pain baby.
Gods,they are so adorable.
Abel: We made you a lot of food so you don’t have to worry about what to eat for a while.
Aaron: OMG that’s so sweet! Thank you!
Buckle: Probably a month. We went all out. Even made some homemade pizzas! Yum!
Pax: Fucckkkk I would kill for some pizza right now.
Abel: We can bring it over! Like right now! We’re all dressed.
Abel scrambles to his feet, but I grab his arm and yank him back to me. I can’t help the snort. All three of us took a nice long shower together, and we cuddled naked for a while. Then Abel got antsy and wanted to work on desserts.
Pax: I will never say no to pizza.
“Let’s go,” Abel says.
“Yeah,” Perry says. “I wanna see the new baby.”
“I bet they are so cute.” Abel presses his hands to his cheeks and makes an adorable silly face. “Did they ever tell you what they were planning to name them?”
I shake my head, and my eyes twitch involuntarily at the memory of the last naming event, which turned into a three-day bender fueled by wine, beer cheese, and increasingly unhinged baby name suggestions. “They like waiting until they see the baby. I still don’t know where Willow or Forest came from, but it totally works for those two. I’m wondering if it’ll be another woodland name.”
“That would be so cute.Gah!The cuteness!” Abel says.
“Birch?” Perry offers.
Abel wrinkles his nose. “Too close to bitch. They need something cute and unique. Like Thistle, or?—”
“Aspen,” Perry says.
“Blossom,” I offer.
I grab my phone, thumbs tapping before the idea escapes.
Buckle: We’re heading over and early name predictions from the peanut gallery are Birch, Thistle, Aspen, or Blossom. Something tree related again.
The group text explodes with emojis. Pax sends a row of heart eyes. Aaron sends a string of little mushroom dudes for some reason, and then a voice memo: “We’re not saying until you get here, but you’re all very close. Love you guys. See you soon!”
I catch Abel’s eye before he rushes to the kitchen. He’s electric, supercharged on the prospect of a sweet new baby to coo over.
“He’s going to be an excellent father,” Perry murmurs, so quietly I almost miss it.
I turn to him, trying to imagine it. Abel with a child, cradling something so tiny and breakable with those elegant hands. It’s a vision that makes my chest ache in a way I can’t explain.
