Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
Weâ??re silent for a really long time, starting at the kid, when suddenly I start to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. â??Oh, come on,â? I sigh. â??Weâ??re not stupid people â?? surely we can come up with a name.â?
â??I think thatâ??s the problem,â? Kent murmurs. â??We can easily come up with a name, we just both want a good one.â?
â??What about, Daniel Redeux â?? try that one again, see if it comes out right this time. â??
Kent laughs at this, but shakes his head. â??Daniel will be too vain if he gets a namesake. Plus, confusing in the household on holidays. Theyâ??ll fight over their presentsâ?
I grin. â??All right, well, what about Lil Kent â?? that one had some charm to it -â?
Kent just growls at me this time, a low sound in his chest as the puppy lifts his head, quirking his ears at me. â??Weâ??re not naming the dog that either, so try again.â?
â??Well, the dog needs a name too!â? I say, gesturing towards the sweet, patient little pup, who blinks his brown eyes at me.
â??Call the dog â??back to the farm,â??â? Kent murmurs, his voice dry even as he wraps his arms tighter around me, pulling me close and pressing his lips to my hair, â??because thatâ??s where heâ??s going â??â??
â??Oh, hush you,â? I sigh, scowling and shooting Kent a little glare as I stroke a hand over the dogâ??s soft head.
â??All right,â? Kent says, his voice more serious now. â??For the dog, what aboutâ?¦Titus.â?
â??Titus,â? I say, sitting up a little, curious.
â??Sure,â? Kent says, â??a figure of classic literature, a general returning to Rome, everyone wants him to be the emperorâ?¦itâ??s a noble name.â?
â??Kind of aâ?¦dark ending thoughâ?¦â? I murmur, grimacing as I remember my Shakespeare.
â??Well, weâ??ll just ignore that part. Give our little Titus a chance to rewrite it.â?
â??All right,â? I say, grinning and leaning forward to pat the puppyâ??s head. â??Titus Lil Kent Lippert. Perfect.â?
Kent laughs at my addition of a middle name and I turn to see him grinning at me. I lean back against him, looking up into his face with a happy sigh.
â??Well,â? I say, a little cunning, â??if you got to name the puppyâ?¦I get to name the baby. Only fair.â?
â??What!?â?
â??Well, you canâ??t do both names,â? I protest, my jaw dropping open. â??Plus, Janeen will never forgive me if I let a man name Princess Baby â??â??
â??That is too sly, Fay, you canâ??t just wait for me to name the dog and then change the rules â??â??
â??I can too! I did all the work today!â?
Kent scowls and narrows his eyes at me, but I can see the little smile fighting to be on his lips. â??Fine,â? he growls, wrapping his arm around me and letting his hand slip down my back, using his leverage there to pull me closer. â??But I have veto power if you pick something horrible. What do you have in mind?â?
â??Wellâ?¦â? I say quietly, biting my lip and looking down at the sleeping baby in my arms. â??I was thinkingâ?¦Dominic.â?
Kentâ??s silent for a long moment â?? long enough that I look up at him curiously.
But heâ??s just staring intently at our son.
â??Damn it,â? he says softly, shaking his head a little. â??Itâ??s just too perfect. I canâ??t even make a joke about it.â?
My face bursts into a smile. â??You like it?â?
â??I really like it, Fay,â? he says, leaning close and pressing a kiss to my mouth. â??Itâ??sâ?¦like it was always his name.â?
I hum a little with pleasure, lifting a hand to stroke Kentâ??s cheek and then smiling down at my son. â??Dominic Lippert,â? I sigh, pleasure welling warm in my heart. â??Youâ??re very much loved already, little boy.â?
â??Domenico,â? Kent murmurs softly, reaching out and stroking the babyâ??s head like itâ??s a blessing.
â??What?â? I ask, turning and frowning up at him.
â??Domenico,â? Kent repeats, turning to me. â??The Italian version of his name â??â??
â??Well, weâ??re not going to call him that â??â??
â??Even if we donâ??t everyone else will â?? heâ??s a little Italian boy and Italianâ??s canâ??t say Dominic â??â??
â??They can damn well learn!â?
Kent laughs a little now, shaking his head at me. â??Itâ??s not like thereâ??s not precedence. Daniel goes by Daniel and Daniele. Two names â?? one for each culture. Why canâ??t Dominic do the same?â?
â??Because Domenico isnâ??t as cute,â? I sigh, a little bitter, even thoughâ?¦well, I do actually think itâ??s pretty cool that heâ??ll have a name for each culture.
â??Itâ??s very cute,â? Kent sighs, disagreeing and pulling me close again. â??But weâ??ll all just call him Dom for short anyway.â?
â??Right, Dom?â? I say, giving into it and tapping my little boy on his tiny, perfect nose. He fusses a little at the tap, yawning and turning his face away just an inch, which makes me grin. â??Itâ??s perfect.â?
â??Youâ??re perfect,â? Kent murmurs, pressing another kiss to my hair as I yawn again.
â??I may be perfect,â? I mutter, â??but I think Iâ??m fading. Will you please not let me crush the baby if I fall asleep?â?
â??Give him here,â? Kent says, reaching for him, â??better safe than sorry.â? And so I pass Dominic over to his father, who I have full confidence knows how to hold a baby better than I do. This is his second time around, after all.
â??Wake me up when he cries,â? I murmur, snuggling against Kent and leaning back against the pillows. â??The book says,â? I yawn so wide it feels like itâ??s going to crack my jaw, â??maybeâ?¦two hoursâ?¦â?
â??You got it,â? Kent murmurs, one arm warm around me as the other cradles our infant son. â??Just rest, Fay. Iâ??ll take it from here.â?
And I swear, it takes about eight seconds for me to fall completely asleep.
Kent gets two or three hours of sleep as well, after Fay drifts off. He takes a minute alone with his son, studying his face and his tiny form, but when he feels himself slipping off he lifts both Titus and Dominic from the bed, slipping Titus into his little crate, where the pup promptly curls up into a little sleepy ball of fur. Then Kent swaddles Dominic and place the baby in his little bassinet, wheeling it over to his side of the bed.
Because as much as Fay insists upon being woken up in two hours? Kentâ??s absolutely not letting that happen. Fay â?? she did too much today, and she hasnâ??t slept in more than thirty-six hours. Heâ??s determined to let her rest, no matter what the consequences.
His eyes drift shut, but they immediately spring open again a few hours later at the first noise from the baby. Kent groggily blinks his eyes but forces his body into action, sitting up and reaching for the child. Before he can even begin to wail, Kent has Dominic up in his arms and is headed for the door to the room. When the baby really gets started, Kentâ??s already out in the hallway, gingerly pulling the door shut.
When Kent emerges out into the living area, he smiles to see eyes already turned towards him.
Gio and Janeen, he sees, are seated close together at the kitchen island, enjoying a little cup of coffee.
â??Iâ??ll take some of that,â? Kent says, stifling a yawn and lifting a chin towards the coffee as the baby starts to fuss and cry. â??If thereâ??s any left.â?