Page 77 of Forsaken Trail (Runaway 4)

“Maybe. Did it work?”

She stood o

n her toes and her lips whispered across mine. “I guess you’ll find out when you take them off.”

Chapter Fourteen

Aria

“Courtland.”

“I will never, ever name my child Courtland.”

Brody frowned. “That was my great-uncle’s name.”

“Did you love and admire this uncle?”

“I didn’t really know him.”

“Then it’s a no.” I took a bite of my cheeseburger and scrolled down the list of names I’d been collecting on my phone. “Parry. Spelled with an a.”

“Meh.”

That made five in a row he’d nixed with a meh. Ben. David. Steven. Jacob. They’d been too plain. And now Parry. “Fine. Your turn.”

Brody and I had been making lists of baby names. We’d collect favorites throughout the week, then have lunch at the flower shop on Fridays to pitch them to each other. Today he’d come bearing cheeseburgers from the diner because it was the one craving I’d had consistently during the transition from the second trimester to the third.

In the past month, ever since I’d confided in Brody about my past, the two of us had settled into little routines, like this one. Dinner every evening. Breakfast after he’d worked out in the morning. Texts throughout the day to check in. Saturday night dates in the theater room. Anything to spend time together.

Today we were debating boy names. Next week, we’d start tackling the girl list.

“Adler,” he said.

I scrunched up my nose. “Adler?”

“It was my grandfather’s name.”

“It’s not awful. But it’s . . .”

“Pretentious?” Brody finished.

I pointed a finger at him. “Now you’re learning.”

He chuckled and wadded up the paper wrapper from his meal. “What if we can’t agree?”

“We have three months. I’m sure we’ll find one boy name and one girl name that we both like.”

“I think you underestimate our natural tendency to disagree.”

I giggled and tossed my napkin at his face.

The smile on his made my heart flip.

I’d seen that smile more in the past month than in all the years I’d known Brody. Even Clara had commented on how happy he was.

How happy we both were.

We bickered endlessly about stupid topics like nursery purchases and the BMW I wouldn’t drive. Every time I lifted an object weighing more than two pounds, Brody would scold me for five solid minutes.