“Then let us move.” Arthur turned the first page toward me and slid a heavy black pen across the table after it, the firm’s name on the clip.

The top line read Petition of Intent.

Under it was a column of blank spaces, one of them for the name of the birth mother.

“Now the tabs,” Arthur said.

“Just sign by the yellow tabs, sweetheart.

We handle all the complicated reading.”

Julian laughed low, the way he laughed at his father’s jokes at weddings.

“I’d like to read it,” I said.