39. Epilogue Volt #5
Volt privately thought that most people could probably tell when Quincy looked something up, because it had never occurred to them to do it discreetly. It was one of the many endearing things about Quincy’s exuberant personality.
Wallace shrugged. “I can just see it. There’s this little pause or something, and I guess my brain is good at picking up the pattern.”
“Speaking of patterns,” Oliver observed, “did you notice that people have been suggesting a lot of names that start with vowel sounds? Maybe because they’re a little softer and closer to a W.”
Volt immediately dove into a new search, some part of his mind aware of Wallace laughing again. Everyone was probably running the same search.
Names flew around, with people seconding their favorites or suggesting connections. Avery. Ever. Asher. Indigo. Asa. Ashby. Ellery. Ira. Oak. Yarrow. Oriole. Wallace would nod and consider, making a few notes, but none of them seemed to click.
“What about Ember?” Volt asked. “Because you glow. It’s gentle and warm, but still powerful. And it has just a little bit of mystique.”
Wallace’s eyes lit up as they turned to Volt. “I like Ember. But do you think it’s too… presumptuous? Or weird?”
There was a roar of approval from the rest of the room. Everyone loved it.
Volt kissed Wallace’s nose. “I think it’s perfect for you. Is that the name you want? Ember?” He let the syllables roll across his tongue. They were round and soft, smoldering with joy and passion that were just waiting to be released. Just like his baby girl.
“I need to think about it,” Wallace said. “It’s a big decision.” But they’d already put down their phone. They weren’t making any other notes.
“Let’s test it out!” Ben suggested. “Hey, Ember!”
Wallace paused to make sense of the greeting, then turned to Ben with a radiant smile on their face. “Uh, hey, Ben.”
The welcome echoed around the room. “Hi, Ember.” “I see you, Ember.” “Hey, Ember.” “Over here, Ember!”
Their smile grew bigger and bigger.
Volt nuzzled against their ear. “I’m so happy that you’re mine, Ember.”
His baby wriggled on his lap, looking too pleased to speak.
Volt kept whispering. “That sounds right, doesn’t it? Take whatever pace you want, creampuff, but it looks like you’ve found your name. Ember is perfect for you. Just let me know when you’re ready.” With his soft words, the two of them were in a world of their own.
“I think I’m ready now, Daddy. I like it.” The words were nearly hidden against his neck. “You’re sure it’s not too over-the-top?”
Volt hid a chuckle. His baby girl was so bold sometimes and so shy and worried at others. The way that they turned to him for comfort and guidance made his Daddy side sing. They were asking him for a push, and he was more than happy to give it to them.
“It’s not too anything, Ember. It’s perfectly you, and everyone loves it. I love it.” He dropped his voice a little lower. “I want to scream that name the next time that I fuck you.”
Ember sucked in a sharp breath. “Okay, Daddy.”
“Do you want to tell everyone? Or just test it out with me first?”
Ember nuzzled in closer. “Everyone.”
“Should I tell them or do you want to do it?”
“You, Daddy?”
“I can do that.” He tilted their face up for a kiss, careful not to smudge their lipstick, then shifted them around to face the group. “Hey, everyone!” He waited for the side conversations to die down. “I’d like you to meet someone very special to me. They’re the love of my life. This is Ember.”
Everyone clapped and cheered, repeating the name and yelling out their congratulations. Volt knew that a lot of people didn’t make this much of a deal out of a name change, just sliding it into conversation, but Ember deserved to be celebrated.
Quincy pulled Ember from Volt’s lap to hug them and jump around shrieking, then Ember got passed around for more hugs and compliments. They looked giddy with happiness, and Volt snapped a few photos in addition to recording the video to his long-term storage.
“Can I tell Angel and Magnolia?” Volt asked, when Ember returned to his lap. “Or do you want to wait to tell them yourself?”
Ember shrugged. “You can tell them.”
Volt chose a few of his favorite pictures and sent off a text to each of them. Magnolia didn’t write back, which he expected since she was probably asleep. She’d be excited whenever she next looked at her phone.
Angel replied, but it took him that extra handful of seconds that always left Volt feeling off kilter.
I like it. Tell Ember congratulations from me.
There was just something uncanny about the message.
It was technically appropriate for the situation, but it just wasn’t Angel.
There were no gifs of confetti and hugs.
There was no excited static. No audio file with a triumphant sound byte or well-chosen song.
It was like Angel was doing the bare minimum, just going through the motions.
Tomorrow morning, Volt decided, he would approach Angel again. He didn’t want to push, but he could at least remind Angel that he was there for him.
It weighed on the back of his mind, but for now, there wasn’t much he could do except enjoy his baby girl’s happiness and the warmth of their friends around them.
Ben slipped Evan some coffee in a new mug with a picture of a raccoon digging joyfully through a rubbish bin with the speech bubble, “It’s called a trash can, not a trash can’t!” Evan laughed at the joke, then rolled his eyes when Ben murmured something about Evan keeping it.