She watched us quietly.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“That I used to imagine you’d come home and save everything in one afternoon,” she said.

“Now I’m glad you stayed to do the slow part.”
I sat beside her and rested my hand on the stroller.

The slow part was our marriage, our son’s childhood, and every ordinary day that would decide who we became.

PART 16
In February, Mark requested a meeting through his lawyer.