Posted by hummingbird on 7/13/2014, 9:09 pm VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
I divided a very long chapter and decided to post one tonight.
Chapter Forty-Two
Although they were both exhausted from their long and eventful day, neither Bo nor Nora slept well that night. They had the baby in a bassinet in their room, so they heard her every move and whimper. One or the other was constantly getting up to peek in on her.
When she fussed for a feeding around three o’clock in the morning, Bo observed as Nora changed her first diaper. Then Bo wrapped the baby and carried her to the bed where Nora sat up against pillows to nurse her.
Bo ran a finger over the baby’s hair as she nursed.
“Looks like I got what I wanted...a little girl with her Mommy’s red hair,” he said grinning. “In fact, I think she looks just like you.”
“Really?” asked Nora. “She does have my hair color, but I’m not sure yet who she looks like. I hope she has your eyes.”
“Maggie told me she would weigh and measure her in the morning. She’s tiny. How much do you think she weighs, Red?”
“I’m guessing about seven pounds,” Nora answered. What do you think?”
“I have no idea. She’s just a little bundle,” Bo said smiling. “Let me hold her again now that she’s finished eating.”
Bo took the sleeping baby and laid her lengthwise on his legs. He unwrapped the blanket and slipped one of her little feet out from her gown.
“I just want to look at her,” Bo said grinning. “Aww...her feet are so little and look at her tiny toes...and look how her hair lays above her ears...she has nice ears, honey, flat to her head...not sticking out or anything.”
Nora leaned against Bo’s shoulder and smiled at her husband as he perused their new daughter.
Bo talked about the baby’s “little knees” and her “rosebud mouth” and “chubby cheeks” while Nora merely nodded in agreement every time he said, “Don’t you think so, honey?”
Finally, Bo wrapped the baby back in the blanket and held her in his arms in front of him.
“She’s just perfect,” he said.
Nora giggled as she looked at Bo’s profile.
“So...does this mean we’re keeping her?” she asked teasingly.
“But of course!” Bo exclaimed. “She’s definitely a keeper,” he said giving Nora a kiss.
“Well...if we’re keeping her...then maybe we should give her a name, don’t you think?” asked Nora.
“That’s a good plan…”
“Any ideas?” asked Nora.
“None,” he responded. “I just want her to have a strong name...fitting a Buchanan...something she can grow into. Do you have any ideas?” he asked her.
“I do,” said Nora, “but, if you don’t like it, tell me and we’ll think of another one.”
“Okay...what’s your idea?”
“I like the name ‘Lilli’,” Nora said.
“Like the flower?” Bo asked.
“Well, pronounced like the flower but spelled with an ‘i’ at the end, short for ‘Lillian’. Her proper name would be ‘Lillian’, but we could call her ‘Lilli’. Then, when she’s a grown woman and becomes something important like...a lady lawyer, maybe, or the First Lady of the United States...she can choose to use her proper name, ‘Lillian’, or be called ‘Lil’ if she likes…”
“ ‘Lillian’ ” Bo repeated. He looked at his sleeping daughter. “ ‘Lilli’. It fits her, honey...Lillian Buchanan…I like that.”
“You do?” Nora smiled. “So do I.”
“But, what will we put with it?” Bo asked.
Nora hesitated before making another suggestion. “Well...I was wondering if...maybe you would want to name her after your mother…”
“You know my mother’s name, don’t you?”
“Yes...Olympia…”
Bo thought for a moment. “Well...I like that idea, honey...but, really...Maggie has been as much a mother to me as my own, maybe more so since Ma died when I was young. I hate to disrespect my own mother’s memory, but...I’d love to honor Maggie…”
Nora could tell Bo was torn between honoring both women with a namesake, so she made another suggestion.
“Why don’t we use both names?”
“Both?” asked Bo. “How will we do that?”
“We’ll just do it! Some people have two middle names...important people like princes and such...why can’t she? ‘Lillian Olympia Margaret Buchanan’.”
“Lillian Olympia Margaret Buchanan...that’s quite a name for such a little lady,” Bo said grinning.
“Well...she’s quite a lady.”
“You’re right about that, honey. What do you think, Lilli? Do you like your name?” asked Bo.
Lilli slept peacefully on.
“She wouldn’t care if we named her ‘Mabel Gertrude’ Bo laughed.
“And you said you had no ideas,” Nora teased. “We’ll save that name for our next one,” she whispered kissing Bo’s neck.
Bo twisted his head to look at her. “Our next one?” he questioned. “Last night you told me ‘NEVER AGAIN’ and you said it quite vehemently as I recall. I was planning to burn that corset today...and possibly join the local monastery…”
“Don’t you dare! Everything I said last night is null and void...it was spoken under duress. Do you think I could possibly keep my hands off you for the rest of my life? Impossible,” she whispered kissing him again snuggling close to his side.
Bo chuckled. “Are you flirting with me, Mrs. Buchanan?” he whispered.
“Yes, I am,” Nora said unashamedly.
“Close your ears, Lilli, your Mama is a shameless flirt….and Daddy loves it,” he said claiming Nora’s mouth for another kiss.
Nora traced Bo’s jawline with her finger. “Why don’t you...put our daughter to bed...and come back and snuggle with me? It’s the best I can offer right now.”
“I’ll take it,” he said kissing her gently.
Bo left the bed to lay Lilli back in her bassinet and cover her with a blanket. Then he returned to Nora. She snuggled close and he pulled her tightly to him. They shared some sweet kisses and quiet conversation, before Nora pillowed her sleepy head on Bo’s chest and drifted to sleep. Bo kissed her softly on the brow before doing the same.