Page 193 of Wait for Him

"Like...?"

"Yeah, buddy." Bennet's grin goes huge. "We're naming her after you."

Blaire's already crying, both hands pressed over her mouth.

The breath leaves me as I look back at the wall.

Jaxon.

They spelled it differently, but there's no mistaking it. My name. The name these people have called me for most of my adult life.

"But isn't his name Marcus?" Joe asks.

"No." Bennet doesn't take his eyes off me. "For us, his name has always been Jackson."

Fuck.

I don't even know what to do with that. I stare at the letters again while everybody politely lets me malfunction in peace.

"Hellooooo. Why is your door standing wide open, people?"

Rose.

Her voice carries in from the living room, and every thought in my head immediately reroutes. A second later Rose walks in, and James is right behind her.

I stop breathing for an entirely different reason. She went to him. Does he know? How did it go? A year ago I'd have gotten the call before she went and the full debrief afterward, whether I asked for one or not. Now I'm finding out from a doorway like everyone else, and yeah, that fucking hurts.

"Wow, it's gorgeous in here. Look at the flowers! Aww, elephants. You know I already bought her an elephant, I meant to bring it."

Rose circles the room taking everything in, but I keep looking at James. Then Bennet drops an arm around his shoulders, easy and familiar, and James doesn't even react to it. He just leans into Bennet while they exchange a few quiet words.

What the fuck have I missed?

Rose finally catches the name over the crib, and her hand flies to her mouth. "Shut up." She whips around toward Bennet and Blaire. "Shut up. Really, guys?"

Blaire nods through fresh tears, and Bennet gives her the same ridiculous grin he's been wearing all morning. Rose screams, actually fucking screams, jumping up and down before launching herself at Bennet. Then she's hauling Blaire into it, James gets dragged in, and suddenly the four of them are one loud, crying pile of people while Joe and I stand off to the side like we weren't invited to the family cult.

"God, I got so distracted." Rose finally breaks away and grabs James's hand. "James, this is mostly everyone. Blaire, my sister-in-law. Bennet, my brother."

"I know Jamie-boy. We go way back, don't we?" Bennet hooks James into a headlock, and James laughs while trying to shove him off.

Like this happens all the time.

Because it does, apparently.

I'm standing five feet away realizing there are whole pieces of Rose's life I used to know before anyone else that I don't know at all anymore.

"That's Jackson and Joseph."

Joe and I wave at the exact same time, which does nothing to make this introduction less awkward.

"So." Bennet looks between Rose and James. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"What do you think it means?" James asks, smiling, and that's when I really look at the two of them standing beside each other.

Fuck.

You don't need a DNA test. You barely need functioning eyesight.