When Theo began to cry, Colton held him awkwardly, looking toward the supervisor for guidance.

She showed him how to support the baby’s head and how to check whether he needed changing.

Colton listened.

He even thanked her.

I watched through the arrangement the center had provided, with the complicated ache of seeing that a man could learn to be gentle without becoming safe for me.

Afterward Colton asked whether he could speak to me.

I declined.