I sit on the bed with my legs tucked under me, then turn to my handsome boyfriend. “We should probably talk,” I tell him.
“About how much you love me?” he asks, unable to keep the grin off his face. “We can totally talk about that. Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“I do love you,” I say honestly. “I haven’t said those words very often in my life, and I’ve definitely given them to people who didn’t deserve them. But this is different. You are different.”
JT’s expression turns serious as he cups my jaw. “I love you so damn much, Maggie. I love you, and I love our baby. There is nothing I won’t do for either of you. Nothing.”
“I know, and I love that about you,” I say. “But that’s not what I want to talk about.”
He nods solemnly and wipes his mouth. “I’ve been thinking, too, and I don’t want you to worry about money or about finding a job right away. My plan is to work at the warehouse full-time this summer. Then, when school starts up and the season begins, I’ll only take shifts when I have to. By then?—”
I can’t help it. I kiss him. I love him and the way he’s always taking care of us. “I have interviews lined up already. I should be gainfully employed this summer so that you can just focus on school and hockey. Two of the jobs I’m looking at are remote, so I have faith that things will work out the way they’re supposed to. Isn’t that what you’re always telling me? Not to stress so much because I’ll miss the good stuff?”
JT returns my kiss and then presses one to my belly. “Your mama is one smart lady, Nugget.”
“That’s what I want to talk about,” I say, caressing the spot he just kissed. “We can’t just call our baby Nugget. We need to pick a name. Or at least put a list together.”
“Oh, shit,” he says, rubbing absently at his bare chest. “How did I forget about this part?”
“I haven’t forgotten, I’m just dreading it. A name is such a huge responsibility.”
“No kidding,” he says with a shake of his head. “So…anything you love? Hate?”
I pull up my Notes app. “I started a list,” I say. “But it’s blank. There’s a just the title Possible Baby Names. So…yeah. Am I already failing the Nugget as a parent? I don’t know what to name them. All I know is that I really don’t want to name our baby after anybody. Like I told you, I was named for Gam, and it just got confusing. Plus, a name is basically an identity and I think everyone should have their own.”
“I can see that,” JT says, scratching at the stubble on his jaw.
“Oh, crap. Unless there’s someone in your family you really want to name the baby after?” We never talk much about his family. I only know he was passed around as a kid and grew up without his parents present, much like I did. “Is there an aunt or uncle or someone you really want to honor?”
JT laughs, but there’s no joy in it. “Not a chance. There’s not a single leaf on my family tree that’s ever getting nearNugget, that I can promise you. I’m not naming our bundle of joy after any of the assholes I’m related to.”
I move my plate aside and reach for him. He does the same and we find ourselves right back where we were a few hours ago, face to face in each other’s arms.
“Sorry,” he says, blowing out a breath. “The people I’m related to are pretty toxic, and I get a little defensive when it comes to you and Nugget.”
I kiss him again because it’s one of my favorite things to do. “No apology necessary. I love the way you love us.”
I’m running my fingers lazily over his muscled chest. “So…no family names. At least we agree on that. Any other dealbreakers?”
JT bites his lip and I know he’s not trying to be sexy, but my man doesn’t have to try. “You’re doing all the heavy lifting here, literally,” he says, his hands back on my belly. “So, I’m not sure how much of a vote I get, but I have one request.”
“Are you going to ask to name our baby after the greatest goalie who ever lived?” I can’t actually name any goalies other than JT, so even though I’m hoping he doesn’t want to gift our baby with the name of some hall-of-famer, I’m realizing I should probably pay more attention to the sport my boyfriend loves so much and plays so well.
He laughs and I sigh with relief. “Nah. Although Fleury has a nice ring to it, no?”
My eyes go wide, and that just makes him laugh harder. “Haha,” I deadpan. “If that’s not your request, then what is?”
“Name this little Nugget whatever you want, just please spell it normally.”
My brow quirks up. “Not a fan of fancy spellings? So J-a-n-e is fine, but J-a-y-n-e is a no-go?”
“Janie’s kinda cute, actually. But yes. No random letters thrown in. No silent letters. Just plain, well…Jane. Or Fiona. OrAndrew. Or Elliot. Pick whatever you like and spell it the way everyone else spells it.”
“That’s fair,” I agree. “But you are usually pretty chill, and you seem pretty intense about this. Does this have anything to do with why you go by JT? And why I still don’t know your real name?”
“JT is my real name,” he says, reaching into the nightstand for his wallet. He pulls out his license and hands it over. Sure enough, he’s listed as JT Norris. “But,” he continues, “that’s because I had it legally changed when I turned eighteen. This,” he says, handing me a battered plastic high school ID card, “is the alphabet soup of a name my drugged-up mother bestowed upon me when I was born. My dad was in jail at the time, so he didn’t get a vote.”
Wow. It’s not lost on me that even though my parents were absent from my life, I was loved by my family. JT never had half of what I did and he’s such an amazing person. It blows me away.
