The baby and I gripped his hand, and we waited. But nothing.
"The baby doesn't like the name Matthew," I whispered, laughing softly. "Well, it was just a starter," Roger murmured, grinning at me. "You try one." "All right," I said, leaning back and taking a deep breath. I then offered a name: Oliver.
"Oliver!?" Roger exploded in disgust, and I gasped, glaring at him.
"You're biasing our son!" I accused, sitting up to smack him. "I said nothing when you suggested stupid Matthew!" "Matty's a cute name," he protested, laughing and blocking my blow. "Oliver is the name of a sickly Victorian child who wants more gruel—" I growled, laying back, taking a deep breath to compose myself. "Well, let's see what the baby thinks," I murmured, sending Roger another glare. I whispered "Oliver?" down the bond, but nothing happened.
"Good baby," Roger murmured, kissing my stomach and making me laugh.
"Don't let her call you that. It's terrible." "Okay, okay," I said, taking a deep breath. "Let's try one more." "I'll pick it?" Roger asked.
"Sure," I replied, relaxing. "But this time, pick one you really, really like. One you'd actually want him to be called—your favorite." "Okay," he murmured.
Roger then offered another name down the bond, and I smiled because I loved it.
We waited… Then Roger and I gasped simultaneously as we felt the baby respond.
Happy!
"Oh my god," I said, laughing and sitting up as Roger pulled me into his lap. "Did we—did we just—" He stared at me, thrilled. Laughing, elated, I kissed him repeatedly.
Because… I think we just named the baby.
Roger and I stayed on that beach until sunrise. Then we gathered our sandy clothes and blanket and returned to the house, where we slept for hours, ignoring the world.
We woke in the early afternoon to the bungalow owner tapping on the door with a basket of food. Roger got it while I burrowed deeper into the bed, deciding I wasn't getting up.
Of course, I eventually had to, because Roger wouldn't let me eat all my meals in bed. He insisted I join him on the couch for the elaborate dinner he'd made—elaborate for Roger, who'd never learned to cook. But the sandwiches, warmed soup, and crackers were delicious.
We spent two more days like that, surviving on food the landlord brought and otherwise lying in bed, talking, laughing, and messaging the baby when he was awake to see his reactions.
Honestly, the baby didn't do much, but it made us laugh.
And sex, obviously, a great deal of that too. It blended into everything else—a usual part of the day as we napped, swam, and sunbathed. The entire time was so natural and easy. Just Roger and I, together, away from the world.
It was wonderful. But after two days, we knew we had to return—because as much as we liked each other, we liked our lives too.
"We'll do this again, yes?" Roger murmured, pulling me close outside the bungalow after we'd packed. "Next week?" I laughed and let him kiss me. "Maybe not next week. But soon." He nodded, kissing me again, before looking around. "I really like this place. Maybe the owner will let us buy it," he murmured, looking fondly at the bungalow.
"That's sweet, baby," I sighed, placing a hand on my stomach. "But, considering this little guy is coming, we're going to want more space." "True," Roger said, raising his eyebrows. "And considering what the goddess said that night on the boat?" I grinned. "You're thinking more?" "I'm thinking a bunch more," he nodded, eager. "And I'm going to enjoy the process very much, Cora—" "Oh, sure," I said, laughing and rolling my eyes, pushing him slightly. "You just make the babies; I'll grow them, carry them, and raise them." He laughed, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as we headed for the car. "Nah, I'm going to be a very involved dad. You'll see. You'll barely have to lift a finger." "Good," I said, kissing his cheek as he opened my car door. "Or, we can just pass them all off on Ella," I added, shrugging.
"She'd be into that?" Roger asked, loading our luggage into the trunk before joining me.
"It would be her dream," I said, rolling my eyes and closing my door. "Ella, loaded up with four of her own kids and as many nieces and nephews as we can pass on to her? She'd be in heaven." "Sounds like a deal," he said, half-serious and grinning as he buckled his seatbelt and started the car.
"I know," I said, smiling and stroking my belly. "We're lucky. We've got a good family." "Good family," he agreed, "and only getting bigger and better." Roger kissed my cheek before we pulled away from our cozy bungalow and headed home. As we neared the city, I grimaced, glancing between Roger and my phone.
"What is it?" he asked, noticing my subtle movements.
"Um," I replied, grimacing. "Have you checked your phone at all in the past two days?" "No," he said, frowning. "I knew Dominic would swamp me with stuff I didn't want to think about, and that Ella would text you if anything bad happened. Why?" I laughed, raising my eyebrows. "Well, apparently he's pissed," I said, grinning.
"Oh god," Roger sighed, retrieving his phone from the center console. He handed it to me to assess while he drove, but when I tapped the screen, nothing happened.
"You let it die!?" I asked, appalled.
"Well, we can resuscitate it," he murmured, gesturing to the charging cable under the dashboard. Laughing, I plugged it in, waiting for the phone to power on. When it did, my eyes widened.
"Oh boy," I said, scrolling through the messages.
"That bad?" he asked, grimacing.
"Well, I think you should reroute the GPS," I murmured, scrolling through the dozens of messages. "Nothing truly horrible happened, but yeah. He wants to see you. Now." "Well," Roger sighed, changing lanes to head toward the palace instead of home. "It was nice being mated to you, Cora." "Three days of bliss," I said, pursing my lips and pretending to be sad as I patted his knee.
"Remember me to the child," he murmured, taking the exit. "Tell him I was a good man." "Don't make me lie to the baby, Roger," I sighed, putting away his phone and picking up mine to text Ella. "I'll tell him you were adequate, at best." Roger laughed, as I knew he would, and squeezed my hand.