Page 99 of Hollow State

"Definitely." Wynn leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I like being pregnant too much, and we're gonna make some cute kids."

"You can't say no to her," Gideon said.

"I'd like to see him try," Quinn added.

Darwin took a sip of his beer. He wanted to make Wynn's dreams come true, and if that meant a second kid, they’d absolutely have a second one. He was just worried about getting through this first pregnancy. There was no reason to worry, but Darwin worried about everything.

Zadie leaned forward. “Since you found out she’s a girl, do you have a name?”

Wynn placed her hand over Darwin’s. “We do.”

Darwin was grateful for the change in topic. "Do you want to tell everyone?"

They’d talked about the name. Several times. Usually at night, after the house had gone quiet and the lake had become a dark shape beyond the windows. God, they both loved looking out the windows. At first, he thought it would be weird. Maybe even scary. But it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

Wynn’s thumb brushed his knuckles. “Her first name will be Maya. After my grandma.”

Darwin felt as though he knew Maya through Wynn’s stories. Through small pieces Wynn let slip when she talked about courage, or old trucks, or the kind of man her grandma had told her to look for. A man dedicated to something larger than himself. A man who might not be easy but would be worth loving.

Darwin had spent months trying to believe he could be that man.

Some days, he did better than others.

“And her middle name?” Zadie asked.

“Rosalind,” Darwin said.

Coulter smiled. “That’s beautiful. Where does Rosalind come from? Is that a family name from Darwin's side of the family?”

"No. But the name does have a story behind it." He pushed his glasses up his nose, though they hadn’t slipped since he'd finally gotten new ones. “Rosalind was the name my parents had picked if either Newton or I had been a girl.”

“That’s sweet,” Neve said.

"There's more, and please don't laugh." But Wynn covered her mouth and chuckled. She'd been doing that ever since Darwin asked her if they could use the name. It was more that he wanted to carry on the tradition his parents had started, like his brother had done with his two boys.

"I can't promise that," Scout said. "But it’s a very pretty name, so whatever laughter comes out, it’ll be short."

Darwin didn't care about the teasing. This was family. He expected it. “The name comes from a scientist named Rosalind Franklin who captured critical X-ray diffraction images that helped reveal the structure of DNA.”

The entire patio went deadpan silent, and everyone just stared at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

Then Zadie burst out laughing.

Scout followed.

Gideon dropped his head and shook it like a dog, his wild hair flying.

Quinn stared at Darwin as if trying to decide whether the man had made a joke or confessed to a crime.

Coulter smiled. “Of course you’d pick a name like that.”

“It’s a good name,” Wynn said.

“It’s an excellent name." Darwin took her hand. "Maya Rosalind Oswald."

“That poor child is going to know more about DNA before kindergarten than most people learn in college," Neve said.

“And I bet all her aunts and uncles will teach her about weapons, and combat, and coding, and hacking, and criminal justice and whatever else this team does." Darwin lifted his beer. "I doubt I'll be able to keep you all from teaching her about your interests."