Page 82 of Entirely Yours
She rolls over to face me. “Middle name decided,” she echoes with a faint smile. “Now just the first… and last I guess. Did you have any thoughts on that?”
“Hmm. Well Bex and Anders hyphenated to Bardot-Olsson. It’s a mouthful, but Anders felt like it was really important for their kids to know that they came from both families, not just his. Plus, he has some… interesting parents, so I don’t think he was inclined to stick only to Olsson.”
“How do you feel about hyphenating?” Thea asks. “It’s not something a lot of people do where I’m from. It’s kind of the whole ‘ditch your maiden name when you get married’ kind ofvibe. You know, the patriarchy is extra strong in the south. Not that we are getting married! But, you know, for the baby.” Her face flushes bright red.
“Yet.”
“What?”
“We aren’t getting married, yet.”
Her laugh is more of a high-pitched screech. “Funny, Jules!”
But I’m not laughing, so she quickly sobers up. “You’re… are you serious?”
I nod. “One day. I’m not in a rush.” I shrug. “But this is it for me, Thea Rose. I’m not planning on ever doing any of this with anyone else. I’ve never loved anyone before you, and I don’t want to love anyone after you.”
It’s not quite a confession, but I still don’t know if she’s ready for that.
Then Thea shocks the ever loving fuck out of me. Instead of running away, like I’m half expecting her to do, she tells me, “I think I might like that idea. I think I might… likeyou.”
“Thank God.” I smirk, leaning in for a taste of her. Our kiss is tender and drawn out, full of silent confessions. When I pull away, I lay my forehead against hers. “All that to say, I’m fine with hyphenating, taking your name, taking my name—whatever you want,” I whisper.
She contemplates for a moment before, “I really want him to have the same last name as Chloe. I don’t want them to ever feel intentionally separate from each other in any way.”
“We can make that happen,” I promise. “I’m not just in this for you and our baby, I’m in this for Chloe, too.”
I watch as a single tear drips down the side of her nose. “I know you are.” She sniffs. “And Cat too, obviously.”
“Obviously,” I tease.
“What about Brooks?”
“Brooks Henry Bardot-Rose… Rose-Bardot? Brooks Henry sounds regal.”
“Hmm, you’re right,” she muses. “I’ve always liked the name Emmett.”
“I like Emmett.”
Her smile is mischievous. “It was the hot vampire’s name inTwilight.”
“We are not naming our child after aTwilightcharacter,” I guffaw.
Thea’s reply is indignant. “Why not?”
I think about it for a moment. “You know what, I don’t have a good reason.”
She gives a triumphant smile. “Emmett it is.”
“Let’s let that simmer for a bit before making any rash decisions,” I joke.
“Fine, we can let it simmer.” She watches me for a moment, gaze piercing. “Thank you, Jules. For everything. You’ve changed our lives.”
“You, Thea Rose, have changed my life much more than I’ve changed yours.”
“Agree to disagree.” She yawns. I smile and watch as she slowly drifts off to sleep.
I never actually agree to disagree with her.
