Evelyn raised her umbrella.
“You did well.”
“I feel like I handed them a match beside a house Noah still lives in.”
“You gave them evidence. Daniel built the house.”
I looked toward the traffic. “He’s still Noah’s father.”
“And that is why you are grieving two people at once,” she said. “The husband you lost and the father you hoped he would remain.”
Her words followed me back to the SUV.
At Evelyn’s home, I found Noah sitting beneath the dining table with sheets draped around the chairs. A paper sign read FORT MERCER in crooked blue letters.
The name stopped me.
Noah crawled out, smiling. “Uncle James said every castle needs a family name.”
Evelyn’s husband appeared from the kitchen carrying hot chocolate. His smile faded when he saw my face.
“We can change it,” he offered gently.
“No.” I knelt beside Noah. “It’s your name too.”
