I stepped into the warm entryway, and Mason walked in right behind me. Then came Caleb, followed closely by Asher and Liam. Four eight-year-old boys stood in a neat line wearing matching blue winter coats. Nobody in the hallway made a sound for several long seconds.

The Story Continues After Part 2

Tristan looked first at Mason, then at Caleb, then at the other two boys.

He did not ask their names.

He seemed to be counting faces, as though a different number might appear if he looked long enough.

Behind him, Sabrina’s expression changed from curiosity to bewilderment.

“Grace,” she said, recovering first, “you brought children?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“These are my sons.”

Tristan gripped the edge of the entry table.

“How old?”

“Eight,” Mason answered before I could speak.

“All four of us.”

A grandfather clock sounded in the next room.

Somewhere behind us, a guest laughed at a joke that no longer seemed to belong to the same evening.

Tristan stared at me.

“This isn’t possible.”

“It’s Christmas,” Caleb said.

“Lots of surprising things happen.”

I laid a hand on his shoulder.