Mia threw the baby shower.
It was extravagant, of course—flowers everywhere, a cake shaped like a stack of books (Lina's books, naturally), games that made everyone laugh. Lina's mother came. Kai's mother came. Friends from all stages of Lina's life filled the room.
"You did too much," Lina told Mia.
"Impossible. There's no such thing as too much for my best friend's baby."
Kai stopped by briefly, awkward amid all the women, but happy. He'd written a lullaby for Hope and played it on a keyboard someone had set up in the corner. Every woman in the room cried.
"You're going to be such a good dad," Mia sniffled afterward.
"I'm going to try."
The gifts were overwhelming.
Clothes, blankets, toys, books. So many books. Lina's writer friends had sent signed copies of their favorites, with notes to Hope inside.
"She's going to have the best library," Lina said, surveying the pile.
"She's going to be the best reader," Kai agreed. "With you as her mom."
That night, after everyone left, they sat in the nursery surrounded by gifts.
"Look what we made," Lina whispered, touching her bump. "Look what we built."
Kai took her hand. "A family. We built a family."
"Soon she'll be here. Crying and eating and keeping us up all night."
"I can't wait."
"Me neither."