name book out from under her hands.
I glanced at the page she'd had open and grinned. She'd only circled one name, but she'd circled it three times and put a few stars next to it, too.
Ava.
That kinda had a nice ring to it. Short. Sweet, yet sophisticated. Ava Sawyer. Yeah, I liked the sound of that.
"Hey," a sleepy voice grumbled. "Give that back, jerk. I wasn't done with it yet."
I grinned down at her and held up the page. "Ava, huh?"
She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "Mmm hmm. I was trying to think of girl names, because it's gonna be a girl, but you already knew that. Anyway, I was trying to come up with some that would work for her when she's little and when she's older, too."
"I like it," I nodded and crouched down so I could kiss her. "It's pretty. But you know, if it's a boy—and I said if—I think we should name him Connor. Keep it in the family, you know?"
"Yeah," she smiled. "I think so too."
I reached out for her hand so I could gently pull her off the couch and walk her down the hallway. With one hand at her waist and the other splayed protectively over her stomach, I leaned in to brush my lips against her neck. She shivered a little and I felt her body relax under my touch.
She leaned into my chest and inhaled deeply. "You smell like smoke, Caleb."
Jesus, she really didn't waste any time. One month, my ass .
"Uh yeah, Dom and me might've blown off a little steam, so to speak, while we were waiting for all this shit to resolve itself."
She shifted around to face me, one eyebrow arched slyly and I knew my days as a smoker were now officially numbered. So in an effort to just get this over with already, I beat her to the punch.
"I'm gonna quit, Iz. I promise."
She didn't look any more convinced than I felt. "When?"
"I'll start tomorrow if that's what you want," I just shrugged. "I'm not gonna do cold turkey or anything because that would suck balls. Dom did the patch and the gum before Chloe was born, so I'll give that a try."
"That's good," Isabelle nodded warily and it was clear she still wasn't completely convinced. "Because you know you can't just step outside for a cigarette and then come back in the house and go anywhere near the baby."
"Wow," I laughed. "We're barely three months into this thing and you're already sharpening your mama bear claws."
Her eyebrows lifted in amusement and a grin tugged across her lips. "And that's a bad thing?"
"Absolutely not, Iz. And, just so we're clear, when you're at school tomorrow, I'll grab some patches and a box of that nicotine gum on my way to the clubhouse."
That seemed to be enough for her and she turned back around in my arms to lean back against my chest again. Even with the lights off, even with her nestled against my chest in our bed, it didn't feel like this was going to get any easier.
"You did the right thing," I started softly, tightening my arms around her as I murmured into her hair. "You know that, don't you?"
She nodded wordlessly and maybe it was for the best that I just did all the talking right now.
"If there was ever any doubt about where your loyalties lie, that's gone now. You took care of that. And Becca...I don't know how to tell you this, Iz, so I'm just gonna come out and say it. After she left our house, literally right after, Casey tailed her to The Sundown Saloon."
Isabelle's head shot off my chest and even in the darkness, I could still make out her wide, terrified blue eyes shining back at me.
"He followed her inside," I went on. "He didn't have to wait too long before she was in a back corner with some guy, buying an eight-ball from him."
"Eight-ball as in..."
I nodded into her hair. "Coke."
She fell back against her pillow and her hands immediately shot up to her head almost as if she was tearing at her hair in disbelief. All she could do was shake her head and run a hand over her face. I guess that was probably as good a reaction as any to finding out your best friend was a closet junkie.
"I
I glanced at the page she'd had open and grinned. She'd only circled one name, but she'd circled it three times and put a few stars next to it, too.
Ava.
That kinda had a nice ring to it. Short. Sweet, yet sophisticated. Ava Sawyer. Yeah, I liked the sound of that.
"Hey," a sleepy voice grumbled. "Give that back, jerk. I wasn't done with it yet."
I grinned down at her and held up the page. "Ava, huh?"
She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "Mmm hmm. I was trying to think of girl names, because it's gonna be a girl, but you already knew that. Anyway, I was trying to come up with some that would work for her when she's little and when she's older, too."
"I like it," I nodded and crouched down so I could kiss her. "It's pretty. But you know, if it's a boy—and I said if—I think we should name him Connor. Keep it in the family, you know?"
"Yeah," she smiled. "I think so too."
I reached out for her hand so I could gently pull her off the couch and walk her down the hallway. With one hand at her waist and the other splayed protectively over her stomach, I leaned in to brush my lips against her neck. She shivered a little and I felt her body relax under my touch.
She leaned into my chest and inhaled deeply. "You smell like smoke, Caleb."
Jesus, she really didn't waste any time. One month, my ass .
"Uh yeah, Dom and me might've blown off a little steam, so to speak, while we were waiting for all this shit to resolve itself."
She shifted around to face me, one eyebrow arched slyly and I knew my days as a smoker were now officially numbered. So in an effort to just get this over with already, I beat her to the punch.
"I'm gonna quit, Iz. I promise."
She didn't look any more convinced than I felt. "When?"
"I'll start tomorrow if that's what you want," I just shrugged. "I'm not gonna do cold turkey or anything because that would suck balls. Dom did the patch and the gum before Chloe was born, so I'll give that a try."
"That's good," Isabelle nodded warily and it was clear she still wasn't completely convinced. "Because you know you can't just step outside for a cigarette and then come back in the house and go anywhere near the baby."
"Wow," I laughed. "We're barely three months into this thing and you're already sharpening your mama bear claws."
Her eyebrows lifted in amusement and a grin tugged across her lips. "And that's a bad thing?"
"Absolutely not, Iz. And, just so we're clear, when you're at school tomorrow, I'll grab some patches and a box of that nicotine gum on my way to the clubhouse."
That seemed to be enough for her and she turned back around in my arms to lean back against my chest again. Even with the lights off, even with her nestled against my chest in our bed, it didn't feel like this was going to get any easier.
"You did the right thing," I started softly, tightening my arms around her as I murmured into her hair. "You know that, don't you?"
She nodded wordlessly and maybe it was for the best that I just did all the talking right now.
"If there was ever any doubt about where your loyalties lie, that's gone now. You took care of that. And Becca...I don't know how to tell you this, Iz, so I'm just gonna come out and say it. After she left our house, literally right after, Casey tailed her to The Sundown Saloon."
Isabelle's head shot off my chest and even in the darkness, I could still make out her wide, terrified blue eyes shining back at me.
"He followed her inside," I went on. "He didn't have to wait too long before she was in a back corner with some guy, buying an eight-ball from him."
"Eight-ball as in..."
I nodded into her hair. "Coke."
She fell back against her pillow and her hands immediately shot up to her head almost as if she was tearing at her hair in disbelief. All she could do was shake her head and run a hand over her face. I guess that was probably as good a reaction as any to finding out your best friend was a closet junkie.
"I
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