To Be Yours Again novel (Jenny and Alex)

When night fell, Marigold was sitting on the sofa in the living room. She was normally already asleep at this hour, but today, she didn't feel the least bit drowsy. The words Jenny had said to her in the afternoon kept replaying in her head, and she began to reflect on herself. Perhaps she'd been wrong. Was her child destined to be inferior to others just because his parents didn't get married? Jenny had reminded her o an important point.

While being lost in her thoughts, she heard the sound of a car outside. Gilbert was home. Soon, the living room door was opened, and in came Gilbert. After turning on the lights, he spotted Marigold sitting on the sofa. Feeling puzzled, he asked, "It's late. Why are you still awake?"

"I have something to discuss with you." Marigold looked at him resolutely-she'd finally made a decision.

Gilbert didn't hurry to sit down and listen attentively. Instead, he leisurely put his bag aside, walked over, and grabbed a glass of water. Only then did he ask, "What is it?"

Marigold gestured for him to come and sit down. Gilbert walked over and took a seat across from her. Immediately, Marigold handed him a Social Security card. "The child's name has been decided, and the Social Security registration is done."

Gilbert didn't look at it. Instead, he responded with a perfunctory "okay" without much reaction. Marigold couldn't gauge what he was thinking. Nevertheless, she persisted and shoved the card before him. "Don't you want to take a look?"

She held the card right in front of him, so even if he was genuinely uninterested, he had no choice but to reach out and take it from her. When he saw the name "Caleb Hawthorn," his hand jolted a little involuntarily.

Hawthorn... Was the child really taking his surname?

"Why didn't you let him have your surname?" Gilbert handed the Social Security card back to Marigold. Although he appeared unaffected on the surface, his heart was actually beating rapidly.

"I think Hawthorn sounds nicer. Don't you think Caleb Hawthorn sounds much better than Caleb Wagner?" Marigold asked with a smile. Gilbert looked at her and remained silent for a long time. Putting the Social Security card aside, Marigold continued, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about organizing a naming ceremony for Cal."

"A naming ceremony? Didn't we agree not to hold one?" Gilbert furrowed his brow. He was more inclined toward not having one.

"After thinking about it for some time, I realized that even though we're not married, this has nothing to do with our child. Since such celebrations are commonly held for other children, shouldn't we organize one for him too?" After all, Gilbert was her child's father. Although she'd already decided on having the celebratory ceremony, she felt it was still necessary to inform him. However, regardless of whether he agreed, Marigold would still organize it for their child.

Gilbert kept quiet as he was genuinely pondering Marigold's words. The child was his, too, so of course, he wanted the best for his child and didn't want him to lose out on anything compared to his peers. He believed that his child should be showered with love from the moment he was born.

"Alright. I'll go with your decision," he finally agreed. Just as Marigold had said, if other children had such a ceremony held for them, their child should have one too. Upon hearing his agreement, the corners of Marigold's lips lifted upward.

"Okay, then I'll start making arrangements for Cal's naming ceremony. It will be lively and festive for sure!"

"No need. I'll have someone take care of it. You should rest more," Gilbert stated, concerned about Marigold's health. He didn't want her to personally handle the preparations and tire herself out. Marigold pursed her lips and disagreed with him. "Cal is my son, so it's only natural for me to take care of the arrangements—"

"He won't just have a naming ceremony. There will also be birthday parties and other even more significant events like his graduation, first job, marriage... There will be many other opportunities in his life for us to hold celebrations," he elaborated, suggesting that she shouldn't exhaust herself over just one celebration and end up compromising her health.