“That’s the Adam special.” Josie laughed. “Gross, huh?”
Adam took a bite of his slice. “Your mom loves it,” he mumbled through a full mouth.
I gaped at his choice of words.
“The pizza…I mean,” he choked out. “She loves the pizza.”
“We got it the first time, Adam,” Grayson uttered while Josie held back her laughter.
Oh, my fucking God.
“Did Adam tell you about the race tomorrow?” Finn interrupted, unfazed by the awkward turn in conversation.
“Yes!” Josie’s face lit up. “We’re so excited to see someone beat Adam.”
“Other than me,” Grayson added.
Adam scoffed. “That was one time, dipshit.”
“I told you I was the superior brother.” Grayson nudged Josie’s side. “That’s why our parents skipped him and gave me the family name.”
I peeked across at Adam as the energy in the room shifted.
Adam glared at his brother before throwing his pizza slice back in the box. “I need a drink.”
“Hey, man. I didn’t mean it,” Grayson called out as his brother stood and marched toward the door.
As Adam disappeared into the hallway, Josie sighed. “Gray…”
“What? It was a joke.”
“Is Adam okay, Mom?” Finn asked, peering up at me.
I ran my hand down his back, knowing he’d picked up on the energy, too. “He will be, sweetie.”
Grayson rubbed the back of his neck with a grimace. “I didn’t realize he was still sensitive about the name thing.”
I frowned. “The name thing?”
“The previous generations of Harlows all named their eldest child William—except our parents. We have no idea why, and we know better than to ask. It’s a sure way to get our dad in a foul mood.” Grayson lowered his eyes. “I used to tease him when I was little that I must’ve been their favorite, but everyone knew that was far from the truth. My parents doted on Adam. Always have.”
I gazed over at Liam, who was sleeping soundly beside Harrison’s bassinet. “Perhaps there is another reason why he is called Adam.”
“Or maybe my mom hated the name William…explains why she gave it to me.”
“Wait.” Curiosity got the better of me. “If your name is William, why does everyone call you Grayson?”
“Grayson is my middle name. I didn’t want to be a carbon copy of my father, so I use it to avoid confusion. That’s why Gramps goes by Liam. He had the same problem with his father.”
“You’re lucky William has a lot of nicknames,” I said, taking another bite.
Josie mused. “There’s still room for a Bill, Billy, Will, or Willy.”
“Thinking of more baby names already?” Grayson shot his wife a wink.
“Don’t ruin a perfectly good meal, Gray.” Josie narrowed her gaze at her husband before biting into her pizza.
We all laughed at Josie’s disgust before diverting our attention to dinner.