By the time snow melted off the playground at Holy Oak, Ainsley's belly was round, her ankles swollen, and her heart full.
At the spring book fair, a student looked at Calvin and said, "You're going to be a dad?"
Calvin smiled and said, "The luckiest one in the building."
That night, curled in bed beside him, Ainsley whispered, "I've been thinking about a name."
Calvin turned to her, one hand resting on her stomach. "Yeah?"
She hesitated, then smiled. "Mina Oakley Bell."
He repeated it like a vow. "Mina Oakley Bell..."
"If you hate it-"
"It's beautiful," he whispered. "Strong, a little poetic. Just like her mom."
"She'll need the strength."
"She'll have us."