Overtime(149)

It was a striking moment, but seeing his baby was something he would never forget. If he was this in love with her now, Lord help the world when she got here.

Daddy’s little girl.

Kacey beamed up at him and he grinned down at her, but then he realized what this meant.

“Damn it!”

Kacey looked over at Jordie in shock, her brow furrowing as she glared. “What the hell! She’s healthy. That’s what we wanted. You should be happy,” she complained as the ultrasound tech eyed him cautiously.

Realizing what it sounded like, he held his hands up. “No, wait, okay, sorry! I didn’t mean it like that. I’m so happy, Kacey, I promise. But I owe your dad a hundred bucks now,” he complained and still she glared.

“Really? You bet my father on the sex of our child?”

He shrugged. “What? I thought it was a boy.”

“I told you it was a girl!” she said and he smiled.

“And I couldn’t be happier,” he said softly, kissing her temple. “My two girls that hold my heart.”

She rolled her eyes as a grin pulled at her lips, both their gazes going back to the screen where their daughter moved around in Kacey’s growing belly. He’d never thought he could love her more. But watching each day as her body changed, her belly getting bigger, and knowing that she was carrying his child, the admiration, the love, was overwhelming. She was blowing his mind daily, and when he’d felt the baby move a few days before, he’d had to hold in his tears as Kacey grinned at him.

If this was just the start of his happily ever after, he was convinced he would die of bliss.

Pure, unadulterated bliss.



“Kaleigh?”

“With a K?” Jordie asked as they walked, their hands threaded together, into their favorite Mexican restaurant. He had noticed that she was craving guacamole like mad. Thankfully, he loved the stuff and didn’t mind. He did mind though when she wanted to mix the cheese sauce, salsa, and guacamole together and stuff it down her throat. That was crossing the line, but she didn’t care and it made her happy. So he went with it—after making sure he had his own bowl of his favorite dips for his chips.

“Of course,” she said happily as they went to the table. “Or maybe Kassandra, Kassidy, Kristen? Kate? Krissy?”

He rolled his eyes as he lowered himself into the booth and glanced over at her. “You’re killing me. Why don’t we do a different name?”

“Like what?” she asked, getting a huge pile of salsa on her chip before devouring it.

Leaning back in the booth, he thought for a moment. “I don’t know? I’ve always liked the name Delilah,” he suggested and her nose wrinkled.

“Delilah?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I really like that song, ‘Hey There Delilah,’” he started to sing, but she rolled her eyes.

“And we are moving on,” she said impatiently. “How about Kara?”

“Kacey, no, I don’t want a K name!” he laughed and she glared.

“But it’s tradition in my family.”

“Um, no, Mena Jane is not a K name.”

She glared. “Fine, give me something then?”

He thought for a moment, “Billie Jean?”

“No.”

“Roxanne?”

“I’m going to hit you.”

“Diana?”

“We are not Michael Jackson, for one. And for two, if you can’t come up with something other than song names, then I’m picking the name!” she scolded him and he smiled.

“Fine, give me a second,” he said before the waitress came to get their order. Once he gave her his order, he went to a baby name site and looked through it. “Okay, how about Charlotte?”

“No way, that’s old ladyish,” she said, still stuffing her face, this time with guacamole.

“Okay, how about Alana?”

“No.”

“Aurora?”

“How about Belle?” she countered and he glared.

“Brat.”

“Dork.”

He smiled as he scrolled through the names. “Oh, I like Ella,” he said hopefully, and when she didn’t shoot him down, he smiled. “Ella Mae Thomas.”

“Mae?”

“After your mom,” he suggested and she smiled.

“Maybe,” she answered, typing something in her phone. “I’ve got it on the possible list. Give me some more.”

Dropping his phone to the table, he smiled. “This is fun.”

She beamed. “It is, but just wait. After dinner, we are going shopping.”

Letting his head fall back in a dramatic fashion, he groaned loudly. “I don’t want to!”

She kicked him under the table, grinning as he laughed, picking his phone back up. Scrolling again, he said, “Hazel?”

“Hell no,” she shot down with a full mouth, and he scoffed as he scrolled some more. “So, I think I found a place for the gym.”

He looked up, his phone falling to the table. Before he could say anything though, he noticed that she had guacamole all over her chin. Chuckling, he reached over, wiping her chin before she smiled sheepishly and he asked, “Where at?”