Page 118 of Clear Shot

I smile. “Either way, he or she will be beautiful. And ours.”

“You sure you’re happy?” she whispers in my ear. “About the baby.”

“I’m happy, period. With you, the baby, our life.”

“Guys, this is so fun!” Daphne grins as she walks over to us.

Hana has gotten friendly with our neighbors, and it turns out they’re pretty cool. I’ve met their husbands too, and it’s nice to have neighbors we can talk to and spend time with.

We also brought my old neighbor, Mrs. Moskowitz, to live with us for half the year. She lost her apartment in the hurricane, and she can’t afford to move into another one, so we offered to let her have the downstairs guest room. She’ll spend November through May with us—she has no interest in ever living through another hurricane—and the rest of the year with her kids in Michigan. She’s gotten friendly with everyone in the neighborhood too, telling them she’s my great aunt.

And she’s probably as excited about the baby as we are. It’s pretty sweet. She’s a great roommate, and it’s been good to have her with Hana when I travel.

If we’re honest, it also feels good to give back in a small way. We fared so much better than others in the hurricane, and we can afford to do this.

“I can’t believe we still don’t know the baby’s sex,” Hana says as more and more white powder covers the floor.

“Why do just the guys get to shoot?” Mrs. Moskowitz—whom we now call Aunt Millie—yells. “I need a turn!”

“You want to go next?” Jordan asks politely, since he was about to shoot. He turns and proffers the stick in his hand.

“Thank you.” She takes the stick and walks up to where everyone has been shooting from. She winds up like she’s been playing hockey her whole life and slams the puck into the wall.

There’s an explosion of color this time and everyone whoops with excitement.

Hana turns to me with a grin.

“Congratulations, Daddy.”

“Congratulations, Mommy.” I lean down and kiss her.

It’s a girl—and I couldn’t be happier.