Chapter 9- Fairytale
"You know," Imogen started as she hung up one of the many golden and glistening ornaments laying inside of the large container next to their tree, "it's any day now that we will be parents, and we still haven't discussed names. Don't you think it's finally time to lock it down, Fiones?"
Fiona was comfortably stretched out on the couch with her latte in hand. She wagged her slender finger, signaling that Imogen move the ornament slightly to the left. Imogen always had a tendency of picking the most bare and pitiful looking Christmas trees, rationalizing that they deserved good homes too, so Fiona had to utilize every bit of her perfectionist eye to ensure that the finished product was 'Upper-East Side' worthy. "I know, I know, I've been putting it off way too long. I just get nervous that we will pick out a name that we fall in love with and somehow jinx the whole situation." Lifting her mug, she took a sip of her warm coffee. "It's just scary to get our hopes up, when so much could happen between now and then." The socialite, though she tried to hide it, still harbored an unsettling feeling ever since she had spotted Hayley in the baby bed store a couple weeks prior.
Stepping down from the small step stool, Imogen's eyes perused the variety of ornaments she had left to choose from. Deciding on a long glass icicle, she picked up a hook and laced it through the small metal loop. "Don't worry, everything is going really well with Hayley's pregnancy. I've been talking to her every day, and she's as excited about the delivery as we are! She told me on Wednesday that she can't wait to see the look on our faces when we meet our son." Her arm reached up for one of the taller branches as she slid the hook across the pine needles.
Fiona watched as the ornament dangled a few inches away from a gaping hole that desperately needed to be filled, making her realize it would probably be easier if she took it upon herself to go back and reposition them later that night, long after her wife fell asleep. "The tree is looking great, Immy," she flashed a sweet and encouraging smile at the quirky young woman, not wanting to hurt Imogen's feelings by constantly telling her how to decorate. Normal people loved Christmas, but Imogen really loved Christmas, and filling the home with holiday spirit made her happier than toe socks and ice-cream combined. So the curly haired brunette chose not to do or say anything that might take away from her wife's enthusiasm.
"Thank you," Imogen nodded, agreeing with Fiona. She, for one, was fully confident in her hanging abilities. "Now stop trying to change the subject!"
"Fiiiine." The empty mug was placed on the end table beside the couch. Sitting up straight, Fiona adjusted the blanket to cover her feet. Imogen always kept their condo fifteen degrees colder during the Christmas season, because she claimed it should feel as though they were actually in the North Pole. As with most of her quirks, Fiona found it amusing and complied. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Well actually I have been making a list!" Reaching inside of the back pocket of her jeans, she retrieved a folded piece of computer paper that she had typed multiple names on in various fonts and colors.
Fiona's eyes widened as she realized just how much thought Imogen had been devoting to this already. She couldn't help but wonder if the younger girl kept the list in her pocket everywhere she went, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice whenever the conversation finally came up. "Okay…" Narrowing her gaze, she tried to see if she could make out the names from where she was sitting. But even the size twenty-four letters on the paper was far too small to be distinguishable at that distance. "Well, what did you come up with?"
Imogen skipped over to the couch and plopped next to her wife. Clearing her throat, she smoothed the creases of the paper. "Okay, well my first thought was to name him in tribute to where we had our first kiss—Ferris."
"Ferris?" The name hit Fiona's ears like a broken chord. "You want to name our son Ferris?" She could not even attempt to hide the repulsion on her face. "As in Bueller?"
"Jeepers, Fiona, I thought it was cute! Clearly your diva-attitude is immune to the certain charm it has."
"Cleary it is," the socialite quipped, giving no budging room at all on this name. "Next!"
Imogen pondered the list, going over each of the remaining ones. "Hmm…" She gave much thought as to which one she should propose next, cautious to not scare an already apprehensive Fiona away from the topic altogether. "Well for this particular name, I was inspired by one of my all time favorite things! I couldn't help but add it to the list. I just know you'll love this one, Fiones!"
Shaking her head, Fiona pinched the bridge of her nose and squinted her eyes. She knew her wife way too well to not know where this is going. "Is it a name of one of the Harry Potter characters?"
"Yes!" Imogen's heart jumped, assuming this meant her wife was automatically on board.
"Next."
The younger woman's jaw dropped. "But Fiona, it's a really good one! It's not even a main character; as much as I would have loved pick one of those. I figured we could meet halfway with Cedr-"
"Neeeext," her voice was stern as it interrupted the second option. The socialite was becoming more discouraged by her wife's first suggestions. How would they ever agree on one name when their tastes were just so different? As Imogen picked the list back up, Fiona laid her head back into the cushions, feeling a hint of anxiety resurface within her.
Watching her wife's obvious discomfort, Imogen's heart sank. She gave the list one more look, then crinkled it into a ball and dropped it inside of the empty mug on the end table. Resting her head on Fiona's shoulder, she reached down and intertwined their fingers. "There's no rush to decide right now," the younger woman reassured. "We will come up with something…together," she emphasized.
Tightening her grasp around the tan fingers, Fiona sighed. "It's not the names, Im. It's just everything feels like its happening so fast. And I'm nervous to get attached and something happen that screws up the whole process. Or even worse, what if I keep my guard up so much that I don't get attached to him at all? What if I'm a horrible mother?"
"You're not going to be a horrible mother, Fiones. You're the most generous and caring person that I know. You have so much patience and love in your heart, that I have no doubt you will be a fantastic mom to our son. And trust me, becoming attached is going to happen, whether you want it to or not. As soon as you look into his eyes, you'll fall so head over heels in love that your feelings for me will seem pathetic in comparison."
Fiona scoffed, "Oh mon dieu, Madame Dramatic. No matter how much I love this child, my feelings for you will never seem pathetic or trivial." She placed a kiss on the top of her wife's resting head, and let her mind navigate her surroundings. The longer she looked at the tree, the more she grew to appreciate the odd locations Imogen had chosen for each ornament. It had an undeniable charisma that made her question how she ever thought she could do any better.
Through the window behind the tree, a brightly illuminated advertisement caught her attention. It was announcing the one-time showing of one of Charles Dicken's most famous novels being brought to life on the Broadway stage. She read the title, then read it again and let it resonate…It was perfect. "What are your thoughts on the name Oliver?" she asked with a hushed voice, feeling vulnerable for suggesting a name at all.
Imogen perked her ears up immediately, opening her deep brown eyes. "Oh my goodness, Fiona, that's it! Our Oliver!" she lunged forward, nearly tackling the fashionista. "Oh, oh, oh, and we could call him Ollie for short!" her excitement was bursting at the seams. "See Fiona, just ten minutes ago we had nothing, and now we have a name complete with a nick-name! I'm telling you, everything is falling into place for us. You really need to stop being such a worry-wart," she teased.
Imogen was exactly right, though, Fiona concluded. She was spending way too much time stressing over situations that could happen that it was preventing her from seeing the beauty in what was happening—They were growing their small family. They were becoming parents. The life she'd always dreamed of having with the person she'd always dreamed of being with was a reality. As that realization sank further in, she wondered if it was even possible to feel more complete than she did in that instant…and she was eager to find out.
.
.
A/N: This story still has a lot more to come! Thanks for reading, and all reviews are encouraged as I love to read them!