Watching children find a way forward made the adult excuses feel even smaller.

Paisley didn’t ask Chloe to explain her adoption or prove anything.

She simply offered a place in the picture.

Later, Brooke and I talked while the girls watched a movie.

She said Victor had begun meeting regularly with private attorneys.

Gwen was furious that neither of us would pressure Chloe to return for Sunday dinner.

“Mom thinks that if we sit around a table and act normal, everyone will forget it,” Brooke said.

“But I keep remembering what Chloe’s hands looked like in that sink.”