Anne Wheeler x Phillip Carlyle

Chapter 22

Regular POV.
There was silence. As Phillip brought in his wife and daughter, and told his parents his daughter's name, a lot of things happened in one second.
Lydia, Phillip's mother, fainted and woke again in about three seconds, and then cooed over the baby and didn't know if she should act happy or disappointed.
James, or rather Jim, Phillip's father, went as red as a tomato, sat down and held his hands in his head. He was a man full of anger, but even he couldn't stand to shout at his granddaughter.
Phillip stood protectively in front of his wife Anne and daughter Six, only to step out the way again as his mother reached a hand out to her granddaughter.
"Phillip...you tried again? After...Elissa died?" She said, shakingly. After all, it was a lot to take in at once.
"Yes, Mother. Just because Elissa died doesn't mean we wouldn't have another child." Phillip said.
"That...must have taken courage." Lydia said, gingerly. Even though she was a white snob- there was no denying that she was emotional, looking into the eyes of her granddaughter.
"May I hold her?" She asked, and Anne passed over the baby at once. As Lydia sat down, trying to fight back the smile that grew as Six cooed and laughed, Lydia's husband Jim tried to wrap his head around he fact that his son just had a daughter with a black woman.
"Phillip. You're only 26. Your wife is only 24! I don't think you're ready for this yet." He said. Jim was not worried the slightest about Anne and Phillip being ready to have a baby; in fact, he was quite sure that the young couple had very quality to become great parents. Jim was only worried about what the town would say- Phillip Carlyle, having a mixed raced daughter, named Six (a poor black name, through and through), and with a poor black woman- from a circus to add. Jim was purely trying to get them to overthink their decision, maybe if they gave up their child for adoption, no body would have to know!
"I'm sorry, Mr Carlyle," Anne said, interrupting the old man's train of thought.
"I think Phillip and I are ready at the most. Maybe your worries would subdue, if only you met Six." Anne knew certainly that Jim was worried only for his publicity, but went with the older man's act anyway.
Jim huffed, and looked over his wife's shoulder to look at Six.
"Jim...it's not so bad. We just need time." Lydia said. Like every white snob in the world, she was a sucker for cute babies.
"I have one concern only." Jim said. He had come to terms that Phillip and Anne would not be giving up their baby any time soon.
"What is it?" Phillip asked, annoyed. There was always one thing!
"Her name- Six- it's awfully...lower class, don't you think?" Jim said. It was bad enough that his son, Phillip Carlyle, had a mixed race baby. Once people found out she was named Six, their reputation would sink, and die.
"I think it's gorgeous." Anne said, defending her name choice. Lydia laid a hand on her husband's arm.
"Jim, its just a name. That's not the important thing here, love." She said, trying to calm her husband down. She was trying to hide her love for her granddaughter Six only because she was scared of her husbands reaction. She had always wanted a granddaughter!
"Just a name, dear? It's not just a name." Jim said, turning to his wife. Then, turning to the couple in front of him,
"You do whatever. But, you must abide by this rule. Her name's not Six, it's Six-Olivia." Jim said. Saying it like that, he realised, it sounded like a poor excuse, but it was the only thing that would make a slight difference to the Carlyle's reputation. Thank god they had picked a nice, proper, upper class middle name.

Cliffhanger again lollll
I was thinking this morning about the name Six-Olivia & I found it okay so I think I'm gonna go with it. Hope you enjoyed this (a little short) chapter! 💓
- Alice