Page 44 of A Chance to Believe

‘Would she be offended if we didn’t use it?’

‘I doubt it.’ He chuckled again. ‘She only ever called him Smithy, so I’m guessing it wasn’t her favourite.’

‘That could be an option, I suppose. Smithy something or other Long.’

The realisation of what she’d said bit into his gut. Until she’d said it, he hadn’t known how much he wanted them to share his name, as undistinguished as it was. ‘You don’t want them to have my surname?’

He slowed as they turned into the driveway. Cassie was gnawing at her bottom lip. The distance to the garages seemed to take forever.

She had the door open by the time he reached her side of the car. There was a momentary pause before she extended her hand and let him help her out of the vehicle.

Brushing down her skirt, she looked anywhere but at him. ‘I hadn’t thought about it. We aren’t married, so I assumed they would automatically have my surname.’

‘Not necessarily. We registered Kimberley under my name with her mother’s name as a middle name.’

‘Courtney was a Monroe?’

‘Yes. It’s the type of name that could be a first name.’

She shifted on her feet, and guilt stabbed him for keeping her standing. ‘You should rest. We can talk later.’

He fell into step beside her as she headed towards the annex.

‘You probably have heaps of things to catch up on. I didn’t expect it to take so long.’

‘Not a worry. Seriously, I was interested and I’d allocated the entire morning anyway.’ He dared a suggestion. ‘I’ll have lunch with you if that’s okay. We can start talking about names. I’ll make a list while you’re having your rest. You’ll have been thinking about it longer, so you already have a list, I suppose.’

‘A few ideas.’

Leaving her at her door, he strode through the house, stopping to let Parker know he’d be lunching with Cassie. Back in his office, he opened his schedules. He could bring on that young woman who’d applied through the job search scheme. That would free up some time for the more experienced full-time workers to take over the high-level tasks, leaving his managers free to step in if he had to head off in a hurry. They could usually cope in an emergency, but seeing he knew there was a likelihood of a day or two, followed by him needing to visit regularly if she was in Bialga, it was better to give them a heads up.

He tapped his fingers on the desktop. This wasn’t likely to be a short-term thing. In the long run, he’d need to make himself available to the boys and to support Cassie as a parent. Damn, he hoped he could convince her to stay at Maidens Hill. It would make everything easier in terms of parenting. If he was honest with himself, it would make him happy to have Cassie around permanently. He needed to understand her better. It wasn’t usual for a young woman to swear off marriage. There was something more behind it.

In the meantime, he’d better do his homework. Pulling out a writing pad from his top drawer, he made two headings. Family Names. Other Names.

The first column was easy. He listed as many ancestral names as he could remember, and then checked the list against the family tree his mother had given him in a fancy leather embossed folder. He’d remembered most of them, ignoring the obscure ones he knew he wouldn’t want to give his sons.

The other took longer, scrolling through lists of names on the internet, pausing if something caught his eye. At the end of an hour, he had a fair selection to present at the lunch table. He scanned the list and wondered if there were family names she might want to use. Another area of her life where she was very private. Maybe this would encourage her to open up.

With a light step, he made his way to the dining room. Life was full of surprises. Maybe today Cassie would surprise him with her trust. He firmed his jaw. He couldn’t expect too much. They still had a long way to go in building this relationship.

Chapter 9

The dining room was set with two places with the plates under old-fashioned flattish silver domes. Cassie lifted one and her stomach grumbled in anticipation as she inhaled the light lemony scent of the delicious salmon salad lightly garnished with capers and black olives.

Shayne appeared at the doorway into the kitchen with a jug of iced water and a couple of frosted glasses. Such a good idea.

‘How was your rest?’

‘Too short.’ She waved away his concern, demonstrated by his quick frown. ‘I need to eat and I can have another rest after lunch. It’s the way I roll now.’

He poured the water and placed them beside the plates. ‘Please, sit down.’

She thought he might be about to come and hold her chair, but he visibly jerked to the stop as she pulled out her own seat and made herself comfortable. A gentleman to the core. Now she knew his family, it was easier to understand the old-fashioned courtesy that had both surprised and disarmed her at their first meeting.

Shayne must have noted her comment about needing to eat because he tucked into his own meal, encouraging her to do the same. ‘Parker seems to think you need the salmon for your pregnancy.’

With a laugh, Cassie poked at the fish. ‘He’s worked out a very specific lunch-time diet, so I have plenty of leafy greens, fatty fish and red meat for iron and a ration of dairy and so on.’

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