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I sigh, handing the folded Post-it back to Kelly. “Just tell us.”
“You sure?” she says again.
“Yeah,” I reply. “We all know, or we all don’t. Tell us, Kelly.”
She glances over at the guys. A pregnant pause hangs in the air as we all wait. My heart is pounding. Not that this matters in the grandest scheme of things. My guys are all in three times over. Jamie may be Jake’s biological son, but no one could love that baby more than Ilmari and Caleb. And they show their love every day. In that sense, bio dad status doesn’t matter.
At the same time, I know just how much it matters. They can’t help but be competitive. Protective. Possessive. They want to know, and I want them to know. It changes nothing collectively, even as it changes everything individually.
We all lean in, holding our breath.
Kelly’s gaze settles on Ilmari and my tears start falling before she even speaks. “Mars is the father.”
“Yes!” Jake whoops, hopping off the edge of Caleb’s chair and punching the air. “God, I fuckingknewit. Didn’t I call it in the car on the way over here?” He hurries around the bed to wrap Kelly in a bear hug and kiss her cheek. She laughs, giving him a good natured shove.
I turn to the side to take in Ilmari and Caleb. Ilmari looks shocked, his massive hand rhythmically patting the baby’s back. My gentle giant holding his son. My heart can’t take it.
Caleb is smiling too, tears in his eyes. He leans over in his chair, one hand squeezing Ilmari’s arm. “So happy for you, man.”
I wipe under my eyes as Jake swoops forward to wrap me in a hug.
“I’ll let you all be, and come back with the paperwork in a bit,” says Kelly, heading for the door.
“Thanks, Kel!” Jake calls. Then he rattles down the side of my bed and climbs in with me, squishing me with his weight, but I don’t mind. He slings a leg over me, nestling his face in at my neck.
I feel tired and unwashed. I’m still wearing those mesh underwear things with the witch hazel cooling pads on my battered vaj. But none of that matters now. Jake certainly doesn’t care.
“Babe, you are so fucking amazing,” he murmurs, nuzzling me and kissing up my jaw. “You make us the most beautiful babies.”
Tears sting my eyes again as I look at little No Name in his daddy’s arms.
“We’re so goddamn lucky. You know that, right?” Jake adds, his hand brushing my shoulder. “You have us, and we have you, and we have two beautiful, healthy babies. We’re so lucky, guys.”
Caleb nods, his eyes still locked on Ilmari and the baby. “He needs a name,” he says. “It’s time.”
Ilmari goes still, his gaze unfocused as he holds the baby closer to him. No Name is quiet, already happily asleep again in Ilmari’s arms.
“Mars never wanted to play the name game,” says Jake. “I had like a thousand good ideas if Glow Worm was mine. I know Cay had one or two. But I could never squeeze any names out of you.”
“It felt like tempting fate,” Ilmari replies.
“Well, bio dad names the baby. That’s you, champ,” Jake says, kissing my shoulder. He’s careful of my IVs, ghosting over them to pick up my hand, massaging it. “I just did a mash-up of mine and Amy’s names. Jake and Amy became Jamie. Boom. Done.”
I smile, taking another sip of my coffee with my free hand.
“Yeah, but Mars doesn’t have any siblings to do a mash-up like that,” Caleb reasons.
“He can just combine his name with Rachel’s,” Jake replies with a shrug. “Like…Ilchel.”
“Ramari,” Caleb teases.
“Ilra,” Jakes adds with a laugh.
“Shut up, and let him think,” I say.
“Ooo, let’s stick with the gods thing,” Jake says, ignoring me. “We’ll have Mars and his son Jupiter. Or—who’s the other god of war, Cay? Mars is Gree…” He drags out the sound with a raised brow.
“Roman,” Caleb and Ilmari correct at the same time.
