Silver Dawn (Wishes #4.5) Read Free Page A

of a family. How do you feel about that?”
    Before that moment, I’d never given it a thought. “I’m not sure.”
    “Everything started with you,” she continued. “We’d have no need for an heirloom crib if not for you.”
    I slammed the rear door shut and turned to face her. “That’s how we measure the world, Gabs.”
    I knew I’d lost her when she frowned. “Explain it to me, please.”
    I reached out and smoothed my hands across her belly, stretching out the white fabric of her dress. “We measure the world by what we leave behind,” I explained. “When I’m done, my world will be huge.”

5. THE NAME GAME
    Putting the cot together took longer than expected. I suspect it had something to do with Gabrielle’s micromanagement. “How do you know the screw goes there?” she quizzed.
    I looked down at the bolt in question. “Because there’s a hole there, babe,” I said dryly. “A screw size hole.”
    She nodded. “You’re very handy. I like that about you.”
    I laughed. “Thank you. You’re very arty. I like that about you.”
    My comment reminded her of the blank wall she was yet to work her magic on. She turned to look at it. “I think I’m going to make a start on the mural soon.”
    I dropped the screwdriver back in the box and reached for a smaller one. “You’ve come up with some ideas?”
    “Yes,” she replied. “A landscape, I think. Perhaps a sunset. That would be serene and calming.”
    I twisted the tool into the head of the screw. “Sunsets are overrated. Sunrises are where the action is.”
    I didn’t need to look up to know she was staring at me. I could feel the curiosity wafting off her. “Tell me why,” she ordered.
    “I can’t tell you,” I teased. “I’d have to show you.”
    “When?”
    “Tomorrow. You come to the beach with me at dawn and I’ll show you.”
    It took Gabi a long time to ponder my offer. I’d tightened every single screw before she replied. “Will you carry me if I get stuck?”
    I smiled across at her. “No, I’ll just build us a house on the beach,” I teased. “When junior’s old enough, we’ll send him to get help.”
    “Please do not call him junior,” she grumbled. “We must find him a nice name.”
    The name debate had been ongoing for a while. I favoured classic, simple names that weren’t likely to get him beaten up. Gabrielle had a thing for classic names too. The problem was, they were so old-fashioned that none of them had been used since the early 1800s.
    “I think we should name him after Renoir, the artist,” she suggested.
    I could feel myself cringing before she even got the words out. She wasn’t surprised by the reaction. It happened a lot when discussing names.
    “He was an impressionist,” she continued. “His paintings were lovely and bright and vibrant. Renoir didn’t use detail to capture detail. He used bold colours.”
    I stepped over the toolbox and pulled her into my arms. “I love that you’re putting so much thought into it.” I lightly kissed her lips. “But no son of mine is going to be called Renoir.”
    She put her hands to my cheeks. “Not Renoir, silly man,” she corrected. “His given name was Pierre-Auguste.”
    “Gabs, Pierre-Auguste would get thumped in the playground just as hard as Renoir.”
    “Will you at least think about it?”
    “No.”
    She dropped her hold on me in an instant. “There is no reasoning with you.”
    “I’m a very reasonable man,” I insisted. “To prove it, I’m prepared to move the cot to wherever you want it.”
    Gabi studied the room carefully. “I like it where it is.”
    I drew her in close again. “See? We’re completely in sync. Our son is going to be the most calm and well adjusted child on the planet.”
    “Pierre-Auguste will be both of those things.” She reached up, linking her hands around my neck. “He will be perfect.”

6. SILVER DAWN
    In June, the sun rises across the Cove a little after 7.30AM.
    That meant the hyped up