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“Do you think she can hear us?” Druig murmured, tracing the words on Makkari’s stomach. They lay in bed together, Makkari on her back, Druig curled next to her where he could be eye level with their child. “Hear is the wrong word. Do you think she knows when we’re talking about her?”
“I don’t know,” Makkari signed lazily with one hand as the other carded through her husband’s hair. Her brow furrowed suddenly, and a smile tugged at her lips. “You called the baby her.”
“Did I?”
“My darling, do you want a daughter?”
“Any child you give me is precious,” Druig said, kissing her stomach. “I’ll be ecstatic either way.”
“But?” Druig sighed.
“But I keep thinking about a little girl with beautiful curls like her beautiful mama.” Makkari smiled and shut her eyes, imagining it at well.”
“Wouldn’t it be lovely if she got your eyes?”
“Blue eyes are recessive. It’s not likely.”
“But it would be lovely. My hair, you eyes—”
“Definitely not my nose.” Makkari laughed.
“But I love your nose!” Druig groaned.
“If there is any good force in this universe, our daughter will not inherit my nose.”
“Do you have a name for our hypothetical daughter?”
“Something classic. Regal.” Druig hummed as he thought. “Persephone?”
“You don’t want her to have your nose, but you’ll saddle her with a name like Persephone?” Makkari clicked her tongue. “What about Alexandria? You can get a lot of nicknames out of that.”
“Ophelia?”
“She died.”
“Everyone dies, Makkari.”
“She died tragically. I don’t want to name our daughter after a tragic heroine.”
“I suppose that takes Antigone out of the running.”
“What’s with you and the Greek names?”
“Ophelia wasn’t Greek.” Makkari laughed.
“You are such—” Her breath caught, and her hands frozen mid-sign. Druig sat up, his brow furrowing with slight concern.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“I think we woke her up.” She reached for his hand and guided it to the swell of her stomach. “Feel her?”
“No matter how many times…” He looked up at his wife. “What does she feel like?”
“A bit weird. Kind of like butterflies.”
“Good butterflies or bad butterflies?”
“Good.”
“That’s good.” Druig leaned closer so his lips were right above Makkari’s navel. “Hi, little one. This is your Da. I hope you’re being kind to your mama in there. She’s putting quite a bit of effort into making you as perfect as she is.” Makkari pursed her lips against a teary smile. Druig looked up. “What?”
“You’re so insufferably sweet,” she replied, swiping at her eyes. “And…it’s still so surreal sometimes. There’s a whole little person inside of me, and she’s you, and she’s me, and she’ll be here in just a few more months!”
“It doesn’t scare you, does it?”
“It does. A little. Mostly at how much I already love her. The things I would sacrifice, the things I would do. And it’s more than a little pressure. We’re adding an entire human being to the world, and we’ve got to keep from messing her up. But I’m doing it with you. It’s your child in me, and every time time I think about that…” Makkari shook her head with a smile.
“I know what you mean.” Druig moved up to sit with Makkari, letting his head fall on her shoulder. “I’d do anything for her, and I haven’t even seen her. I don’t know her, but I do. That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does.” Makkari placed a hand on her stomach, and Druig covered it with his own. “You’re going to be an amazing father.”
“You’ll be an amazing mother. And we’re not gonna mess our kid up. Because she’s gonna be ours. And we protect what’s ours.” Druig lifted his head to brush his nose against the arch of her neck. “And for the record, you have never been more beautiful than when you’re carrying my child.”
“Flattery won’t get you out of going to the Thai place to get me my noodles.”
“I would never deprave you of, what did you call it? The one and only love of your life?” Druig nipped playfully at her neck. “Bold words coming from the mother of my child.”
“The mother of your daughter.” Druig kissed her before starting to climb out of bed.
“Maybe we should stop referring to the baby as a girl. We don’t really know, and I’d hate—”
“She is.” Druig froze. Makkari pursed her lips. “I know we said it would be a surprise, but you know me, and when you left to get the car, the doctor stepped out for just a second, and I peeked at the paper. Please don’t be angry, I—”
“I’m going to have a daughter?” Druig’s eyes welled with tears.
“You are.”
“I’m so mad at you for looking, but I’m also so… I’m having a daughter!” He reached for Makkari and kiss every inch of her face before going to kiss her stomach. “That’s my little girl in there.”
“Our little girl.”
“Even better.”