Your Name After Novels & Stories

“For staying.” A pause. “For loving me anyway.” Aurora smiled through tears. “You made it very difficult.” Adrian laughed quietly. “Yes.” A pause. “I know.” The nurse asked softly, “Have you chosen a name yet?” Aurora looked at Adrian. Then at the baby. Adrian’s expression softened deeply. “I want to name him after your father.” Aurora’s eyes widened slightly. “The man who protected you,” Adrian continued quietly. “The man who fought for this future.”

he corrected. Ash shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I know how frustrating recovering is. I prefer Ash though.” And Ray figured there was some story behind that that he had missed during his captivity. “And technically, James not my name any longer.” “You took Bright name?” “We hyphenated. I only use James for official business,” Ash confirmed. “And typically it’s only people who dislike me and my relationship who tend to omit the Bright part from my name..” Ray nodded. “I’ll stick with Ash then. Maybe a few creative titles every now and then.”

plan. And then I heard my name. “Asher.”

“What about me?“ “Have you drank juice since then?“ “No. Too soon.“ “I understand. I'll drink it on your behalf.“ “Glutton.“ I gasped. “Is that your way of calling me fat?“ “No, baby. Don't spin this on me, baby.“ I let him off. “You're lucky. I love you.“ “Yeah, I am.“ He smiled. “Have you decided?“ “What?“ “The baby. Have you decided what to name him?“ “Yes.“ “Well, tell me.“ “Earl the Second.“ “After my father?“ He asked quietly. His voice was choking with emotion. “Yes, baby.“ I reached for his hands and squeezed them. “Are you sure?“ “Absolutely. If we have a girl next, we will name her after your mother.“ “We can name her after your mother.“ “Anything you want.“

“We’ve got three months before they arrive. You still want to wait to pick names?” “I don’t want to jinx anything,” I said, glancing at him. “But maybe we should at least make a list.” “Fine,” he said, turning to me with a grin. “How about Roman Jr. and—” “Nope.” He laughed. “You didn’t even let me finish!” “Because I already know where this is going. You’re not naming them after yourself. They deserve their own identities.” He mock-sighed. “You’re taking all the fun out of this.”

Laura asked the question this time. Amber's hand paused on her notepad and she looked up at Axel. He raised an eyebrow at her, as if asking for permission. Amber smiled and gave him a subtle nod. Axel nodded, his eyes filled with warmth as he recalled the origins of the company name. “The name, A.A, is a tribute to the person who inspired me to chase this dream, my childhood sweetheart.” The murmurs grew louder as the reporters exchanged excited glances. “I can’t disclose her name, but I’ll tell you that the initials ‘A.A’ represent our love and our bond.”

"Do they have middle names?" "Adrian's middle name is James," I said. "After Athena's father." "And Arianna's is Rose," Athena added. "After Tristan's grandmother." "Adrian James Hayes and Arianna Rose Hayes," Sarah said, the full names making them sound so official, so real. "Those are strong names. Beautiful names." "Aunt Athena, can I call him Addy?" Lily asked, studying Adrian through the isolette. "Adrian is kind of long." "We were actually thinking of calling him Addy or Adrian," Athena said, smiling. "And maybe Anna or Ari for Arianna."

And given how well the brothers seemed to be getting along recently, it would appear all the more unlikely. As Caden continued eating, he suddenly set down his utensils. "Mr. Young has given each of us a list of middle names, in preparation for our coming-of-age ceremonies. I have chosen Asher as mine. What do you think, Mom?" Grace's smile stiffened ever so slightly. "Weren't there any other choices?" "I like this one. Mr. Young said the name means harmony and benevolence, that I should cultivate a serene mind and act with kindness," Caden replied.

"Not trendy. Something that will still fit when they're forty." "I agree." He was quiet for a moment. "My grandmother's name was Mae. The one Ada is named after." "Mae." "For a girl," he said. "If it were a girl." I looked at him. "You've been thinking about this for a while." "Since Christmas," he said. "When Ada said it. The name. It's been in my head." "Mae," I said again. Trying it. "I like it." "We don't have to decide anything."

This is mine to rewrite. “So have you chosen a name?” Nathan's dad asks and I look up at Nathan who has a smile on his face. All the days before today, we had spent most of the time choosing the right name and nothing felt right than… “Hemel” THE END