Father Christmas

“I don’t think it’s going to be, but we can brainstorm girls’ names, too.”

“I always liked the name Lucy.” He chuckles at my disapproving expression. “Okay, no Lucy. How about Laylah?”

“That’s not bad.”

We continue throwing out names until the last ornament is on the tree, then settle onto the sofa to take in our handiwork. The lights we picked out have a sparkle setting, and I love the way the light bounces off the glass ornaments. The tree itself is one my dad would be proud of, tall and lush.

Finn smooths his hand back and forth over my belly. “What’re your thoughts on Connor?”

I can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. Twenty-four hours ago, I was afraid to tell him about the pregnancy. Now here we are trading baby names in front of the Christmas tree.

“Connor’s a good one. I’m going to start a list.” I grab my phone from the coffee table and bring up my note-taking app. “What about Colin?”

“Colin Wright,” Finn says thoughtfully. “It’s got a nice ring to it.”

“Who says the baby’s taking your last name?” I bite back laughter at the incredulous look on his face. “Kidding! Though, I don’t hate the sound of Astrid Wright-Greer—” I tense up. “—not that we’re talking about getting married or anything.”

Finn captures my left hand and kisses the fourth knuckle.

“Of course we’re talking about it, baby.”

He holds my gaze beneath the glittering light from the tree. I know, technically, we aren’t in a rush to get married. It might even be smart to try dating like normal people for a while, to see if what we have can survive in the daylight. I might hate the way he folds his boxers, or he might get sick of pulling my hair out of the drain. Plenty of people raise kids together without actually being together.

But I don’t just want Finn to be the father of my child. I want him to be my husband, my Daddy, mine. Just as fiercely as I want to be his, forever.

The belly flutter is back, stronger than before. Suddenly, I know what we should name our baby.

“What about Jamie?”

Finn’s lips curve into a wide smile. “I fucking love it, just like I love you—”

A car engine rumbles. Tires crunch. I sigh, disappointed.

“Sounds like they’re back,” I say.

“Sadly, it was inevitable.” Finn plants a quick kiss on my lips, then stands to stretch. “Text me that list real quick, would you?”

I fire off the list in a text message to Finn.

A few seconds later, my phone chimes with a message from Leena.

Leena: Uhh, bae? Did you mean to send that to THE FAMILY THREAD???

I stare at her message, confused. There are only two contacts in my phone whose names start with the letter F. One is Finn, and the other is—

“What’s wrong?” Finn asks.

I scroll upthread and confirm the worst.

“I meant to text you the list of baby names. But I was typing so fast, I chose the wrong contact.”

“Who’d you text it to?”

My throat closes.

“Everyone...”

The front door flies open and in sweeps my mom, trailed closely by Leena and Aunt Terry.