eyes back to our daughter, Sebastian seems lost in thought until he shakes his head with a bemused look on his face. “We really need to come up with a name for her, we can’t keep calling our daughter, ‘her’ or ‘baby girl’ for the rest of her life.” Or Miss Stir Mix-a-Lot…Jesus, I really need to stop thinking about Ashton.
Inwardly, I have to slap myself for allowing myself to get carried away with my thoughts as I return my attention back to Sebastian. “I know, but I don’t like any names. All the names suck.” I pull out my bottom lip in a frown.
Sebastian just rolls his eyes at me . “Now you’re just being ridiculous, you must like some names?”
“Yeah, of course I like some names, but nothing sounds good enough for our daughter, have you any ideas? Please tell me you have ideas or we’re screwed.”
He chuckle s as he plays with a strand of my hair. “I have thought of a few actually.”
“Okay, what did you come up with?” I ask with anxious excitement in m y voice.
“How about Lily-Mai? A lily after your favorite flower, Mai after my mother; or Ava-Grace, after you and my grandmother... ” I stop listening as soon as I hear the name Lily-Mai. That is perfect. It’s beautiful, unique and as I glance over to my daughter it seems to fit her effortlessly.
“Wait, Lily-Mai, I love that, Lily-Mai,” I repeat, testing how it sounds on the tip of my tongue, and I can ’t hold back the sob that escapes when I realize this name is perfect.
“I love you so much, it ’s perfect, so perfect!” I smack a full-blown kiss against his lips through my falling tears. Happy tears. With a breathless sigh, I pull away, and I notice his eyes widen with humor.
“You actually love the name, I thought you said all names suck?” he mocks.
“That was until you came up with Lily-Mai, it’s beautiful.”
He smiles his award winning smile before pressing yet another kiss against my mouth. “So, we’re going with Lily-Mai?” he whispers against my lips.
I nod enthusiastically as I press a kiss against his lips. I pull away and smile affectionately between my fiancé and my daughter, my daughter who finally has a name. Lily-Mai. “Yes, we’re calling her Lily-Mai Gilbert.” My heart sinks into the bottom of my stomach as he shakes his head at me. If he thinks he’s changing it now he will have a fight on his hands, the name has taken another piece of my heart, and it is now set in stone. Well, in a metaphorical sense at least. I still need to get her birth registered.
“No, we are calling her Lily-Mai Ava Gilbert.”
Relief engulfs me as I launch my arms around his neck, pressing my body deeper into his . “I love you,” I murmur into his neck, smiling happily against his skin.
“I love you too.”
My smile suddenly falters when I look up and see a distraught set of green eyes looking back me. Ashton is stood there motionless; hurt evident on his face as he looks between Sebastian and I.
My heart slams down into my stomach as I notice what he currently has clasped in his hand. I have no idea how he knew that was my favorite flower or that I literally just named my daughter after it just moments ago, but in his hand is a single cut pink and white Calla Lily. There is no mistaking it. I have no idea where he could have possibly gotten it from, here in the middle of a hospital, and I’m pretty certain flowers of any kind are prohibited in the NICU. Before I can react he suddenly turns and rushes away leaving me speechless and guilt-ridden.
Chapter 8
As much as I want to say I had a better nights sleep last night, with Sebastian lay beside me for the first time in months, I can’t, because I’d be lying. I spent the majority of the night tossing and turning, racked with internal guilt. I couldn’t get the image of Ashton’s distraught face out of my head. It was circling my mind on a loop all night long, and it didn’t sit well with me, yet I couldn’t figure out why. It
Inwardly, I have to slap myself for allowing myself to get carried away with my thoughts as I return my attention back to Sebastian. “I know, but I don’t like any names. All the names suck.” I pull out my bottom lip in a frown.
Sebastian just rolls his eyes at me . “Now you’re just being ridiculous, you must like some names?”
“Yeah, of course I like some names, but nothing sounds good enough for our daughter, have you any ideas? Please tell me you have ideas or we’re screwed.”
He chuckle s as he plays with a strand of my hair. “I have thought of a few actually.”
“Okay, what did you come up with?” I ask with anxious excitement in m y voice.
“How about Lily-Mai? A lily after your favorite flower, Mai after my mother; or Ava-Grace, after you and my grandmother... ” I stop listening as soon as I hear the name Lily-Mai. That is perfect. It’s beautiful, unique and as I glance over to my daughter it seems to fit her effortlessly.
“Wait, Lily-Mai, I love that, Lily-Mai,” I repeat, testing how it sounds on the tip of my tongue, and I can ’t hold back the sob that escapes when I realize this name is perfect.
“I love you so much, it ’s perfect, so perfect!” I smack a full-blown kiss against his lips through my falling tears. Happy tears. With a breathless sigh, I pull away, and I notice his eyes widen with humor.
“You actually love the name, I thought you said all names suck?” he mocks.
“That was until you came up with Lily-Mai, it’s beautiful.”
He smiles his award winning smile before pressing yet another kiss against my mouth. “So, we’re going with Lily-Mai?” he whispers against my lips.
I nod enthusiastically as I press a kiss against his lips. I pull away and smile affectionately between my fiancé and my daughter, my daughter who finally has a name. Lily-Mai. “Yes, we’re calling her Lily-Mai Gilbert.” My heart sinks into the bottom of my stomach as he shakes his head at me. If he thinks he’s changing it now he will have a fight on his hands, the name has taken another piece of my heart, and it is now set in stone. Well, in a metaphorical sense at least. I still need to get her birth registered.
“No, we are calling her Lily-Mai Ava Gilbert.”
Relief engulfs me as I launch my arms around his neck, pressing my body deeper into his . “I love you,” I murmur into his neck, smiling happily against his skin.
“I love you too.”
My smile suddenly falters when I look up and see a distraught set of green eyes looking back me. Ashton is stood there motionless; hurt evident on his face as he looks between Sebastian and I.
My heart slams down into my stomach as I notice what he currently has clasped in his hand. I have no idea how he knew that was my favorite flower or that I literally just named my daughter after it just moments ago, but in his hand is a single cut pink and white Calla Lily. There is no mistaking it. I have no idea where he could have possibly gotten it from, here in the middle of a hospital, and I’m pretty certain flowers of any kind are prohibited in the NICU. Before I can react he suddenly turns and rushes away leaving me speechless and guilt-ridden.
Chapter 8
As much as I want to say I had a better nights sleep last night, with Sebastian lay beside me for the first time in months, I can’t, because I’d be lying. I spent the majority of the night tossing and turning, racked with internal guilt. I couldn’t get the image of Ashton’s distraught face out of my head. It was circling my mind on a loop all night long, and it didn’t sit well with me, yet I couldn’t figure out why. It
Similar Books
