Dad frowned, then said he hoped I was right.

I was irritated by the comment.

I thought he was being protective because he had watched me struggle alone.

I had wanted proof that Matthew was good for us, and there was plenty of it.

I didn’t understand that love wasn’t a ledger where enough good deeds could cancel out a child’s discomfort.

I needed to listen to what Mabel could tell me, even when her words were incomplete and inconvenient.