“Is that so, Montgomery?” I ask, using his name for emphasis. My hand comes down to rest on his head and I mindlessly play with his hair.

Shifting, he places his chin on my stomach as he looks up at me with soft eyes. “That’s so, Dawson. I plan on making an honest woman out of you one of these days. Knox just stole my thunder. Asshole.”

I know he’s teasing, but at the same time, I hear the honesty behind his words.

My fingers tangle in his hair, and I pull a little less than gently. “It’s 2014, Kale. There’s no such thing as an honest woman anymore.”

“Ouch. Dammit, baby. You’ve been working on your grip.” He gives me a mouthwatering smile, and I melt. I watch as he sits up, and he lifts my chin as his lips hover just above my own. My breath quickens as his eyes gaze into mine. “Lucy Dawson, I love you. More than I’ve ever loved any woman, and more than I’ll ever love anyone else. In a few short months, you’re having my son. Sometime after that—and I don’t know when—I’ll ask you to marry me, and I’ll stand at the end of an aisle as you walk towards me to make me the happiest man alive. Which kind of seems impossible because I’m pretty sure I’m that man already. But one of these days, you’re going to take my name. And I can’t freakin’ wait.”

Before I can respond, his lips brush against mine in a soft, slow kiss. When he pulls away, he settles in beside me again and picks up the book from my hands.

“Now, where were we?” he asks as he flips through the pages. “What about Gage? That’s kind of a badass name.”

Wrinkling my nose, I try out the name. “Gage Montgomery? Hmm. Mark that one down as a possibility.”

“Awesome. He’d be the baddest kid on the playground.”

“Oh yeah, that’s exactly what I need. A little badass you. That’s not a frightening thought at all.” I continue to look through the pages for names that stick out. “Oh, how about Jackson? I love that name for little boys.”

Kale shakes his head vehemently. “No way. Jackson Montgomery was Erica Kane’s, like, fifth or sixth husband. I am so not naming my son after a soap opera character.” He pauses as I cock my eyebrow up at him, and I try to stifle my giggles. “Babe, we’ve been over this. I grew up with three women. I know every single storyline on All My Children until 2003. I hate to admit it, but even I was gutted when Leo died.”

“Okay, okay. Scratch Jackson off the list,” I tell him, and we continue to go back and forth with names until we get to the Z’s, where I quickly nix his suggestion of Zeb.

Closing the book, I look at the list in his hand and see that we have about twenty names to choose from. Not too bad for the first run-through. Setting the book on the night stand, I curl up under the covers. Kale turns off the light and pulls me into his arms. Resting my head against his chest, I feel his rise and fall with his breathing.

“Hey, Kale?”

“What’s up, baby?”

“Just so you know… Some day in the future, I’ll say yes.”

His chest stops moving for a beat and then I feel him let out a deep breath. “Good to know, Lucy. Good to know. Now get some sleep.”

“Love you, babe,” I say, cuddling in closer.

“And I love you.”


Kale


I’M IN the bedroom trying to put together a bassinet for Lucy when the sound of the doorbell breaks my concentration. Even though we have the whole nursery set up, Mom advised me that, even if she doesn’t know it now, Lucy will want the baby in our room for the first couple of weeks, so when Lucy left with Charlie to go do some wedding shopping, I went out and bought one so I could surprise her. Looking down at my handiwork, I’m satisfied with a job well done and can’t wait for Lucy to get home to see it. I set it in the corner by her side of the bed and head down the hallway to answer the door.

“Uncle Kale!” Lily exclaims as she barrels through the door, wrapping her arms around my legs.

“Hey, Lil,” I tell her, bending down for a hug as I give Xavier a nod and motion for him to come in.

“Hey, man. Thanks for being down to watch her at the last minute,” Xavier says.

“Not a problem. Lucy abandoned me for the day anyway, and I never mind spending time with my favorite girl.”

Lily giggles then suddenly starts digging through her book bag. She pulls out a stuffed animal and hands it to me. It’s an old Winnie the Pooh that’s clearly seen better days. “This is for the baby, Uncle Kale. I’m getting too old for stuffed animals, and since you gave it to me, I thought it would be neat for him to have.”

“Don’t worry. We washed it,” Xavier chimes in.

Looking at Lily, I give her an appreciative smile. I’m touched by the thoughtfulness of this nine-year-old, but she’s always had a sweet heart, so I shouldn’t be surprised. “Thanks, Lily. I’m sure he’ll love it, and so will Lucy.”

“Okay, Lil, I’ve gotta run. Be good for Kale. Love you,” he tells her, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

“See ya, Daddy,” she says flippantly, and Xavier rolls his eyes.

“She’s getting way too old.” And I nod in agreement. “You kids have fun.”

Once Xavier leaves, I turn to Lily and ask what she wants to do for the day. Naturally, she wants to explore the nursery, and she tells me at least three times how much she wishes we were having a girl. When I show her the bassinet, she decides that it’s the perfect place for Winnie, and I have to agree. After she inspects nearly every baby item, toy, and article of clothing we have, she finally gets bored with it.

“Let’s go play outside,” she suggests, and I’m happy for the warmer late March weather we’ve been blessed with this weekend. I’ll do anything to keep her entertained.

We head to the backyard. As I look around, I realize that it’s pretty empty. Making a mental note to check out outdoor toys for kids, I turn to Lily. “Well, what do you want to do?” I ask, and she mulls it over.

“Let’s play catch,” she says, and I grin as she pulls her small mitt and softball out of her backpack. She’s definitely her father’s kid.

“Sounds good. Just give me a second to get my glove,” I tell her, running inside to get it.

We spend time throwing the ball back and forth, but as much as she tries, we end up chasing the ball more than either of us catches it. I don’t mind though, and I imagine doing this same thing in a few years with my son. I can’t freaking wait.

“I suck at this,” Lily huffs after she misses another catch. “I don’t even know why I play.”

I pause and give her an encouraging look. “Hey. You keep playing because it’s fun. And if you quit, you’ll never improve. Plus, I’ll let you in a little secret.” She eyes me warily. “When Kalli was your age, she couldn’t ever catch the ball. Ever. So you’re already doing much better than her.”

Lily giggles and I smile, knowing that I helped put her at ease. “Kalli’s good at everything though.”

“Everything but playing catch. So keep at it, kid, and you’ll be catching and throwing like a champ in no time.”

She sighs heavily but then gives in. “Okay. I’ll keep trying.”

The next pass I throw to her is way too hard and it sails over her head and into the front yard. “I’ll get it,” she yells as she runs around the side of the house before I can stop her.

“Lily, wait!” I yell as I run after her. When I round the corner, I see the ball rolling across the street and Lily following it without looking. “Lily!”

“Don’t worry! I’ve got it!” she yells back at me without looking.

She darts into the street at the same time that a car flies down the road, and I feel like my whole world stops as I watch it hit her. In what feels like slow motion, she’s launched into the air, and I feel like I’m having a flashback to the explosion. My breath stops as I remember the aftermath and I struggle to believe what I’m seeing. With a loud crash, Lily’s body lands on the pavement, and even from twenty feet away, I can tell she’s not moving. My brain kicks into overdrive and I sprint to her.

I let my basic Army medical skills take over as I make sure she has a pulse and is still breathing, and I let out a sigh of relief when I feel her breath on my cheek. She’s unconscious, and a small trail of blood is oozing out of her nose. Giving her a once-over, I can’t see any broken bones, and I silently thank God for that small triumph. I tear off my shirt and ball it up, slowly lifting her head to place it under her. When I pull my hand away, I’m frozen as I see the sticky crimson liquid covering my fingers.

The driver, a young male, gets out of the car. “Man, I didn’t see her. I swear to God I didn’t fucking see her,” he repeats, and right now, I don’t care. All that matters is Lily, and without knowing the extent of her injuries, I know I can’t move her.

I turn to look at him, and I can tell he’s scared out of his mind. “Call an ambulance!” I shout, and he scrambles to his car get his phone. I vaguely register him explaining to the 911 operator what happened.

Time seems to stand still as I kneel next to Lily, my goddaughter, my saving grace, and the thought of losing her is overwhelming. Running my hand along her forehead, I whisper encouraging thoughts to her, but every minute that passes without her waking up, I become more and more afraid that I’m about to lose the one thing that kept me together for all these years.

Sirens sound in the distance, but I don’t move until I feel hands pulling me up from her. A paramedic starts asking questions as two others slowly, carefully, transfer Lily to a stretcher.

“Sir, can you tell me what happened to your daughter?” the young woman asks, and I have to choke back a cry as I pick up the shirt that has been a pillow for her. It’s speckled with her blood, but I don’t care.