Tucker laughed the loudest, making me think he ate the most candy that day. As much fun as everyone had sharing stories, babies began fussing. First, Lark and Aaron’s twins made a stink about the heat and mosquitoes. Soon, Scarlet threw a major toddler tantrum. Lily slept through it all until Sawyer claimed to see a bear and screamed loud enough to bring nearby campers to check on us.
Bailey and Nick remained outside after everyone else fled from the bugs into the cooler RVs. When I gave Winnie a goodnight hug, I remained silent about my decision to leave for Houston soon. Rafael noticed my silence on the matter.
“Best not to ruin the fun,” he whispered later in bed while we moved together in the darkness. “I can’t imagine tears in this heat.”
I fell asleep in Rafael’s arms, knowing tomorrow would be the last day I kept my decision secret. Just one more day to enjoy everyone happy and together.
Having a taste for the outdoors, Rafael loved hiking. He told me how he spent all day outside as a kid. From morning to well past dark, Rafael played in the fields around his home. Sometimes, he played with other children. Usually, he preferred to spend his time alone, so he could play at his own pace. Even as a kid, Rafael didn’t like anyone bossing him around.
“It’s because you’re an only child,” I teased the next day while walking next to him along the path. “Spoiled rotten.”
Rafael laughed loudly, gaining the attention of Vaughn and Judd behind us. They stopped cussing at each other long enough to give us a weird look. Judd hitched Tawny a little higher on his back then continued walking. When she’d gotten tired, he didn’t want her going back without him. Now he was her pack mule.
On our last night in the park, Tawny came up with the idea of giving the parents in the group an evening to themselves. Those couples without kids would each take a child. Bailey immediately claimed Sawyer who immediately freaked out until she realized Nick was part of the deal. The rest of the pairings weren’t nearly as dramatic.
Tawny and Judd took their niece Lily. Raven and Vaughn snatched up their niece Phoebe. Winnie decided to take Scarlet since she didn’t think we’d be capable of handling the little firecracker. Saint and I ended up with Leo who wasn’t thrilled to leave Lark. He screamed for a half hour while I bounced him in the RV.
“I never want kids,” I muttered to Rafael who nodded.
Fifteen minutes after my declaration, Leo settled down and rested on the bed. I sat crossed-legged next to him with Rafael on the other side. Every time the pacifier popped out of Leo’s mouth, Rafael pushed it back in.
“Babies are cute,” I announced. “We should have one.”
“I want to name him something French.”
“Why?” I balked.
“Mom’s family comes from Haitian Creole and she always enjoyed French names. I was supposed to be Pierre, but Dad overruled her.”
I knew laughter was immature, but my giggles refused to be subdued. As I toppled over laughing, Rafael looked at the curly haired baby.
“Good thing my name isn’t Pierre, huh, Leo?”
I sat up, wiping my eyes. “I can’t see you as a Pierre.”
“What did you think my name was before I told you?”
“Steele. Remington. Something to that effect. Ooh, maybe Bond.”
Rafael rolled his eyes. “Bond. You'd want to name our son after a manslut?”
“Oh, yeah, he is a slut, isn’t he?”
“Yeah and Remington is out too. My mom would never stop laughing.”
“Sorry, but Francois ain’t happening, Bob.”
Grinning, Rafael glanced down at Leo. “How about Claude?”
“I’d rather have Pierre,” I snorted.
“I’m sure we can find a name that will satisfy my mother without sending you into hysterics.”
Resting on my side next to Leo, I played with his curls. “I hope our baby has your wavy hair.”
Rafael gave me a weird look and I figured I’d taken the baby talk too far. His dark gaze held mine then he smiled.
“Tomorrow, we’ll return this cherub to his parents and get started on making our own little Pierre Remington.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No.”
“Already?”
“Look, I’ve been kicked in the balls a lot in fights over the years. That and I've spend way too much time in hot tubs, soothing my busted balls. It’s very possible we might take a long time to for my little warriors to reach your omelet.”
Laughing, I rolled my eyes. “Omelet?”
“My parents had me skip Sex Ed, so I don’t know the technical terms.”
“You’re full of crap.”
“I’m also full of little warriors looking for your sweet Cadburys.”
My smile softened. “Do you really want to have a kid?”
“Life doesn’t always go as planned, so why plan anything? Let’s just do what feels right and let God decide how things play out.”
“You can’t know how sexy you are when you do the wise man routine,” I said, caressing his stubbled face.
Rafael returned the projectile pacified to Leo’s mouth. The boy smiled then spit it out again. A quick game ensued and I was fairly sure Rafael lost.
We entertained the baby for hours in between feeding him. By the time he crashed, I wasn’t so sure I was ready for a ball of energy of my own. Yet like Rafael said, life does what it wanted and we should be open for anything. With him at my side, I would be.
Chapter Forty Four ~ Saint