Chapter Twenty-Nine
Choosing a Name Shouldn't Be This Hard
Ender
“He’s going to kill me or maybe kick me out. Either way it’s going to devastate me,” I tell Kaden as I park the car in the driveway at Gab— our—house. I’m still getting used to that.
“You’re being dramatic, Ender. Connor has finally rubbed off on you.”
“Eww, that was mean.”
Kaden sighs. “I thought you left all of that behind. You know that man loves you more than anything in this world.”
“I know, and this is not about that. We’ve only been living together for five days, and I go and do this,” I say as I pick up my bundle of joy from the back seat and head into the house. “What the hell was I thinking?”
“He’s going to love him. Stop worrying so much.”
When Gabe comes into the hallway to greet me, we both pause and stare, his fond expression mirroring mine until his gaze falls to who’s in my arms. “What did you do, Bean?”
“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” The golden retriever puppy starts to whine and wiggle in my arms as if on cue to announce his arrival.
“Yes, he’s adorable, but don’t you think we have something to discuss?” His stern voice doesn’t do the ‘I want to suck your cock so bad’ thing to me this time.
“Umm I’m sorry. I should’ve asked first.”
His tight-lipped expression fades into amusement. “You don’t have to ask, Ender. I mean we need to discuss his name. That needs to be a joint decision.”
My heart flutters every time he says my name, knowing why he does. I put on my best brat voice and tell him, “I want his name to be Bruin.”
He scoffs. “No chance in hell. You’re lucky enough that I watch them play. I won’t have one of them living in our house.” He strides toward me and begins to pet the puppy’s head. “His name has to be Habs.”
“How is that fair?” I say maybe a little too loudly, making the puppy whine a little more.
“Give him to me. You’re scaring our baby boy.” I swoon at the thought.
“Fine, what about Puck?” I counteroffer since there’s no way in hell we’re naming him Habs either.
“We can’t name him something that gets hit with a stick, Bean.” I can’t argue with him about that one. “What about Deke?”
“No way. He’s not a faker, are you, sweet baby?” I nuzzle into his fur, loving his puppy breath as he licks my cheek.
We’re both silent for a moment, probably both searching for a better name. Our eyes finally meet as we both say, “Phoenix.” Except, I phrased mine as a question.
While he’s grinning, I’m hesitant. “It’s not going to be weird having a dog named after my last name?”
Gabe moves Phoenix to the side and pulls me into him. “Hopefully, it won’t be your last name for much longer.”
“What do you me—” I think my brows just met my hairline.
“Bean don’t overthink it. You’re mine and nothing is going to change that.” His lips graze across my temple, and the minor freak-out in my head fades away. He knows me so well—I think he has from day one.
“Then Phoenix it is. I won’t let that name die when I marry you.
” The words leave me breathless. “Not when it brought me to life.” He nods, brushing my hair from my forehead to put his soft lips to it.
“Even though I didn’t start living until you found me.
” I almost choke on the words until his lips crash into mine, dominating the moment and making me feel more alive with every second that passes.
This man is my world—the one I never knew could exist for me—and he’s right.
I’m his, and nothing can ever change that.