Whatever the law ultimately required of us, we could preserve routines and introduce changes thoughtfully.

That night, Tristan wrote a brief note thanking us for the meeting.

He didn’t ask when he could see the boys again.

For once, patience seemed to be something he was willing to practice rather than merely recommend to other people.

PART 14

The parentage testing process was less dramatic than the newspaper stories people like to tell about unexpected families.

We arranged appointments, signed consent forms, provided samples, and waited for the accredited laboratory to issue results.