Ethan appeared from the office like he’d been summoned by smell. “You’re an angel.”
“She’s not an angel. She woke me up at four in the morning to discuss paint colors.” Wyatt pulled a stool over to the benchfor her, and she sat, adjusting until she found a position that worked. The stool was too tall for the bench, and she had to lean forward with her elbows on her knees, which made Wyatt frown and look around for something better.
“I’m fine,” Becca said. “Stop hovering.”
“I’m not hovering.”
“You have been since the moment I peed on a stick.”
“That’s not hovering. That’s reasonable concern.”
Becca looked at Dawson. He kept his face blank and took a roll from the bag.
“We’re thinking about names,” Becca said, tearing off a piece of roll. “If you have opinions.”
“No opinions,” Dawson said. He knew better than to say a word about what they might be considering naming their kid.
“Everyone has opinions about baby names.”
“I don’t.”
“Wyatt wants to name him Eugene,” Becca said.
Ethan stopped chewing. “Eugene. Do youwanthim getting beat up in preschool?”
“It’s a family name,” Wyatt said.
Okay, so in this case, Dawson owed it to his unborn nephew to veto that choice immediately. “It’s an old man name. The kid’s going to be born in the twenty-first century, Wyatt.”
“What’s wrong with Eugene?”
“Everything.” Ethan grabbed a second roll. “That kid would get destroyed on the playground. Every day. And he’llneverget laid.”
“Kids don’t care about names,” Wyatt scoffed. “And if it becomes an issue, we could give him a kick-ass nickname.”
“Kids absolutely care about names. That’s all kids care about.” Ethan wadded up the shop rag in his hand and whipped it at Wyatt’s head. “Not to mention teachers call out everyone’s given name on the first day of school. I refuse to let you do that to him.”
Becca watched Dawson while the other two argued. Dawson chewed his roll and looked at the snowblower.
“You look good,” Becca said. “Something’s different about you lately.”
Dawson swallowed. “Same as always.”
“Nope.” She popped the P. “Something’s different. Can’t put my finger on it.” She tilted her head, studying him with that direct, unblinking look that made Wyatt nervous and made Dawson feel like he was standing under a floodlight. “You’re lighter.”
Dawson’s hands went still at his sides.
“I’m the same weight I was in August,” he said.
Becca laughed and threw a piece of roll at him. “Not what I meant, dummy.”
Wyatt’s hand settled on the back of Becca’s neck, thumb moving in an absent circle. He wasn’t even looking at her. His attention was on Ethan, still making his case against Eugene, but his handknew where she was. Automatic. Like it had never occurred to him that he couldn’t just reach for her whenever he wanted.
“There’s no way we’re naming this baby Eugene,” Becca said. “And he knows it. He just likes watching you two get worked up.”
Wyatt didn’t deny it.
Dawson finished his roll and went back to the snowblower.
