has a memory sharper than reason. She saw Noah in him before I said a word.
Diane reached for the doorframe.
Paul appeared behind her. “Di? What is it?”
Then he saw Leo too.
His face changed.
No one invited us in. No one needed to.
I stepped forward. “This is Leo,” I said. “He’s Noah’s son.”
Diane made a sound that was almost a sob and almost a laugh. She dropped to her knees in front of Leo, stopping short before touching him.
“May I?” she asked.
Leo looked at me.
I nodded.
He stepped closer, and Diane placed both hands gently on his shoulders.
“Oh,” she whispered. “Oh, Noah.”
Paul turned away, pressing his fist to his mouth.
My father stood rigid behind us, guilt written into every line of him.
Diane looked up at me. “You were pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“And you were alone?”
I nodded.
She closed
